Publix CEO first led at Baylor

Ed Crenshaw’s stint as president of Student Foundation in 1972-73 proved a nice training ground for his later life. After spending the last dozen years as president of Publix, Florida’s No. 1 grocery store chain and a market leader in the southeast, Crenshaw was promoted to CEO of the company last month.

Crenshaw started at Publix shortly after leaving Baylor and worked his way up to company president by 1996. In coordination with his promotion, the Lakeland Ledger recently ran a nice feature on Crenshaw and his service-oriented approach.

[Personal note: My wife grew up in Florida and has long insisted that Publix is better than any other grocery store she’s ever frequented. She has particularly applauded their quality of service, even long before we knew there was any Baylor connection.]

It’s fitting that Crenshaw’s name adorns the Ed Crenshaw Student Foundation Center, which opened in 2006.

Sic ’em, Mr. Crenshaw!