Fred Smith

“He offered 20 dollars and 88 cents a share, eight hundred and eighty million dollars total, six dollars above the market price.”

“At 15, Fred earned his pilot's license, the youngest age legally allowed.”

“By late, he'd raised ninety-one million dollars in venture capital. More than any startup had ever raised at that point.”

“The lesson he took away from his time is that loyalty is earned through shared sacrifice, not money.”

“Years later, when FedEx nearly died, employees would work without pay to save it. They'd use personal credit cards to fuel planes, not because they had to, but because Fred Smith had learned from Sergeant Jack how to earn that kind of loyalty.”

“The fraternity he was president of was Delta Kappa Epsilon alongside future president George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry. He was tapped for Skull and Bones, one of only 15 seniors selected.”

“Smith served two tours from 1966 to 1970, earning the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and two Purple Hearts.”

“The professor gave it a C.”

“Fred Smith died on June, 21st, 25 at the age of 80. By then, FedEx operated in over 220 countries, employed half a million people, and moved seventeen million packages daily.”

“Fred and two friends launched Ardent Record Company from a garage recording local Memphis musicians. It began as a hobby, but quickly became a legitimate business. They broke even on their first release. The studio would survive for decades. Led Zeppelin would…”

“This one policy created more accountability inside FedEx than a thousand meetings ever could. It turned every employee into an owner because failure hit the bottom line immediately.”

“Zapmail burned through hundreds of millions before Smith would admit defeat.”

“Under new leadership, FedEx finally merged express and ground operations, something that Smith had resisted for decades.”

“At one point, he seriously investigated using giant cargo blimps. His executives thought he was joking, but he commissioned actual studies. The economics kind of made sense. They could carry 250 tons at about a hundred miles an hour using cheap natural gas.”

“Smith Flew to Las Vegas with the company's last 5000 dollars, and by Monday morning, he'd won 27,000 dollars at Blackjack, enough for fuel and payroll for another few weeks.”