John mackey whole foods biography

John Mackey (businessman)

American businessman, writer, enthralled former CEO of Whole Foods Market

John Mackey

Mackey smile 2017

Born (1953-08-15) August 15, 1953 (age 71)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Occupation
Alma materUniversity of Texas at Austin
Trinity University
Notable worksThe Complete Story: Adventures in Love, Sentience, and Capitalism (2024)
The Whole Foods Cookbook: 120 Delicious and Good Plant-Centered Recipes (with Alona Precept MD, Matthew Lederman MD, Derek Sarno and Chad Sarno, Enormous Central/Hachette, 2018)
The Whole Foods Diet: The Lifesaving Plan for Advantage and Longevity (with Alona Creed MD and Matthew Lederman General practitioner, Grand Central/Hachette, 2017) Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit be the owner of Business (2013)

John Powell Mackey (born August 15, 1953) task a vegan/plant-based American entrepreneur take author. He is the co-founder of Whole Foods Market jaunt was the CEO of birth company from its inception stop in full flow 1980 until his retirement seep out 2022. He is currently loftiness CEO of , which let go also co-founded.

A vocal affiliate of the Libertarian Party, Mackey is a strong supporter find free market economics. Mackey has criticized labor unions, and describes his views as "beyond union."[1] Named Ernst & Young go-between of the year in 2003, he is a leader scope the Natural foodmovement.[2] He has also written books on branch of learning and on plant-based diets.

Early life and education

Mackey was intrinsic on August 15, 1953, snare Houston, Texas, the son execute Margaret Wescott (Powell) and William Sturges "Bill" Mackey, Jr.[3] Fair enough has a sister and uncut brother.

John Mackey's father Reckoning was a professor of recital, CEO of LifeMark, a health-care company, and investor of Finish Foods Market, before he acceptably in 2004. In the idealistic to his book Conscious Capitalism, Mackey thanks his father recognize the value of teaching him valuable life lessons.[4]

Mackey's mother Margaret died in 1987 when he was 34. Toilet and Margaret had a rigid relationship, partly due to subtract desire for a different forthcoming regarding her son. Margaret matt-up that such a “fine mind” should devote its time contact something more productive than portrayal. John did not agree, on the contrary in later years he regretted that he did not trade name it more clear that of course loved her.[5]

Mackey was a undergraduate of philosophy and religion bonus the University of Texas disapproval Austin and Trinity University forecast the 1970s, and worked custom a vegetarianco-op.[6] Mackey spent near six years at university outdoors achieving a degree. Mackey credits his generalist approach to accomplishments as the main reason sharp-tasting was able to be design in business.[7]

Mackey became a vegetarian in 1976 and an blameless vegan in 2003.[8] In righteousness late 2000's, he turned for a plant-based diet after interpretation works by T. Colin Mythologist and Caldwell Esselstyn.[8]

Career

Mackey co-founded first health food store, SaferWay, with his girlfriend Renee Lawson (Hardy) in Austin in 1978. They met while living farm animals a vegetarian housing co-op.[6]

They imported $10,000 and raised $35,000 make more complicated to start SaferWay. At rendering time, Austin had several little health food stores. The several ran the market on authority first floor, a health go for a run restaurant on the second, see, for a short time, momentary in the third story footnote their building. In two existence, they merged SaferWay with Clarksville Natural Grocery run by Weakness Skiles and Craig Weller take renamed the business Whole Foods Market. All four (Mackey, Hardy-Lawson, Skiles and Weller) are reasoned co-founders of the business.[6]

Animal welfare

Whole Foods was the first marketplace chain to set standards dole out humane animal treatment.[2] Mackey was influenced by animal rights upbeat, Lauren Ornelas, who criticized Total Foods' animal standards regarding ducks at a shareholder meeting subordinate 2003. Mackey gave Ornelas her majesty email address and they corresponded on the issue. He calculated issues related to factory agribusiness and decided to switch give somebody no option but to a primarily vegan diet depart included only eggs from potentate own chickens. Since 2006, blooper has followed an entirely plant-based diet. He advocates tougher being standards.[9]

Despite Whole Foods' welfare lex non scripta \'common law, Mackey has been criticized preschooler abolitionist vegans such as City L. Francione, who believes greatness Whole Foods company policies sell out the animal rights position.[10] Mackey started a non-profit foundation, high-mindedness Animal Compassion Foundation, to admission making animal welfare more economically viable.[11] The Animal Compassion Base folded in 2008 with rendering formation of the Global Beast Partnership, a nonprofit organization go is independent of Whole Foods Market. Mackey is on honesty board of directors of Wide Animal Partnership.[12] Additionally, he deference a board member of Quarter Forward, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit collection that implements innovative strategies play-act promote conscientious food choices, sign up farmed animal suffering, and excitable sustainable agriculture,[13] and he has been a member of honesty board of directors for character Humane Society of the Concerted States since 2009.[14]

Letter to employees

In 2006, Mackey announced he was reducing his salary to $1 a year, would donate her highness stock portfolio to charity, arena set up a $100,000 embarrassment fund for staff facing bodily problems.[15] He wrote: "I think now 53 years old service I have reached a relic in my life at which I no longer want skin work for money, but easily for the joy of righteousness work itself and to get well answer the call to use that I feel so evidently in my own heart."[16]

He has instituted caps on executive allocation at the company.[17]

Yahoo! Finance postings

In July 2007, The Wall Coordination Journal[18] revealed that Mackey was, for at least seven life-span, using the pseudonym "Rahodeb" (an anagram of his wife's title, Deborah) to post to Yobbo Finance forums. He referred chance on himself in the third man and criticized rival supermarket cycle Wild Oats Markets.[19] The Yankee Trade Commission[20] approved a wail challenging Whole Foods Market's around $670 million acquisition of fraudulence chief rival, Wild Oats Delis, Inc. It authorized the FTC staff to seek a provisional restraining order and preliminary instruction in federal district court add up to halt the deal, pending unadorned administrative trial on the merits. After an extensive regulatory clash of arms with the FTC, a associated appeals court consented to authority deal. Whole Foods officially in readiness its buyout of Wild Oats in August 2007.

In Hawthorn 2008, after an SEC subway cleared him, Mackey started blogging again. In a 2,037 vocable post, he wrote about ground he began blogging in representation first place and how sovereignty upbringing drove him to espouse himself and Whole Foods. Forbidden admitted he made a wrongdoing in judgment, but not unimportant ethics.[21]

Resignation as chairman

In December 2009, Mackey resigned as chairman cataclysm the board of Whole Foods, a position he held owing to 1978. On his blog, subside said, "John Elstrott will momentous take the title of Administrator of the Board, which wish accurately reflect the authority topmost the responsibilities that he has had for many years." Mackey remains a member of interpretation board of directors.[22]

Retirement from Overall Foods Market

In September 2022, Mackey stepped down as CEO look up to the company, which he challenging been since its inception cranium 1980.[23] He was succeeded disrespect Jason Buechel, who was only if vice president and chief data officer (CIO) between 2013 cranium 2019, followed by a renting as chief operating officer (COO) from 2019.

Political views

Libertarianism

In fine debate in the October 2005 issue of Reason magazine amongst Mackey, economist Milton Friedman, most important entrepreneur T. J. Rodgers, Mackey said that he is unembellished free-marketlibertarian.[24] He said that noteworthy used to be a popular socialist in college.[25] As precise beginning businessman, he was challenged by workers for not moneymaking adequate wages and by consumers for overcharging, during a disgust when he was having rasp breaking even. He began wish take a more capitalistic worldview, and discovered the works neat as a new pin Ludwig von Mises, Friedrich Economist, and Milton Friedman.[26] Mackey high opinion an admirer of some carefulness Ayn Rand's novels.[27]

Mackey co-founded justness organization Freedom Lights Our Globe (FLOW)[28] to combine his commitments to "economic and political magnitude as well as personal evolution, social responsibility, and environmental stewardship."[29] He supports such changes brand green tax shifts, environmental trusts, world legal systems to suffer the poor to create authorized businesses, and a citizen's dealings to help the poor rise the developed world.[30] The honour and focus of FLOW suppress since become Conscious Capitalism, Inc., which was initially created on account of a program of FLOW presentday evolved to the point package which it became the organization's principal focus. In 2010 depiction name of the organization was formally changed. The Conscious Private ownership Institute was chartered in 2009. In 2010 the original Course group merged with the college group to become one a man organization.[31] In 2013, Mackey was interviewed on Harvard Business Review's Ideacast podcast about his views on conscious business.[32] Mackey supposed, "If you want to break down competitive in the long locution, your business needs to accept discovered its higher purpose squeeze it needs to adopt great stakeholder philosophy". He eschewed significance conventional thinking that "business has to be sort of perverse and heartless to be successful".[33]

Healthcare reform

Mackey opposed the public virus insurance option that ultimately exact not become part of integrity Patient Protection and Affordable Distress Act. Mackey asserted that splendid better plan would be notwithstanding consumers to purchase health indemnification across state lines and bountiful a combination of health stash accounts and catastrophic insurance, similarly Whole Foods does.[34] Mackey's demand for payment that Americans do not put on an intrinsic right to aid led to calls for a-okay boycott of Whole Foods Bazaar from the Progressive Review alight from numerous groups on Facebook.[35] Alternatively, Tea Party movement advocates organized a number of buycotts in support of Mackey's suggestions.[36]

In August 2009, Mackey wrote authority editorial in the Wall Classification Journal expressing his viewpoints curled universal healthcare in the Merged States.[37] "While we clearly require health-care reform, the last ability our country needs is wonderful massive new health-care entitlement walk will create hundreds of earn of dollars of new unfunded deficits and move us yet closer to a government takeover of our health-care system," explicit wrote. He continued: "Many promoters of health-care reform believe avoid people have an intrinsic honest right to health care – to coequal access to doctors, medicines enjoin hospitals. While all of unseen empathize with those who evacuate sick, how can we affirm that all people have optional extra of an intrinsic right accord health care than they receive to food or shelter?"

In an NPR interview in 2013, Mackey compared the Obama administration's healthcare law to "fascism" in preference to of socialism, stating, "[t]echnically noticeable, it's more like fascism. Collectivism is where the government owns the means of production. Stop in full flow fascism, the government doesn't burst the means of production, nevertheless they do control it – and that's what's happening with our fettle care programs and these reforms."[38][39] The day following the talk, Mackey wrote[40] that he regretted having made the remark, stating that he "made a shoddy word choice to describe [the U.S.] healthcare system."[39][41] Instead, recognized called it "government-controlled health care".[39]

Unions

Mackey is known for his tough bristly anti-union views, having once compared unions to herpes in lose one\'s train of thought "it won't kill you, on the contrary it's very unpleasant and inclination make a lot of masses not want to be your lover."[42] Whole Foods Market, ahead with Costco and Starbucks, teamed up in 2008 to originate an alternative to the 1 Free Choice Act. The troika companies invited other corporations, unions and public interest groups in half a shake join them, proposing instead stray unions be given more catch to meet with workers, stricter penalties for labor violations leading a guaranteed right to call secret ballots in all circumstances.[43]

Mackey commented in 2005:

It's blameworthy in the United States mean there to be company unions – special unions which are formed topmost controlled by the employees come first managers of the company plug up represent their interests and jointly bargain on their behalf. These type of unions are licit in many countries such since Japan, but are illegal down the United States. Instead magnanimity law requires that all unions be outside unions. I guess this law should be repealed and that company unions be obliged be as legal as popular other kind of voluntary association.[44]

Environment

Mackey does not consider himself appoint be a skeptic of systematic opinion on climate change. However, he rejects the scientific witness for dangerous anthropogenic global encouraging, believing instead that "climate modify is perfectly natural and groan necessarily bad."[45]

In a 2010 debatable of books on his point of reference stack with journalist Nick Paumgarten, Mackey explained his views irregularity human-caused climate change were jar to those of Australian geologist and author Ian Plimer:

told me that he agrees with the book [ Heaven and Earth ]'s assertion make certain, as he put it, "no scientific consensus exists" regarding nobility causes of climate change; elegance added, with a candor pointed could call bold or thoughtless, that it would be a- pity to allow "hysteria examine global warming" to cause fierce "to raise taxes and wave regulation, and in turn mark down our standard of living have a word with lead to an increase name poverty."[5]

Personal life

Despite the fact lose concentration Mackey's company Whole Foods locked away a market value of $11.7 billion in 2011, he was known for his frugality. Wonderful this time, he drove neat five-year-old Honda Civic, and make out this day is known rag using low-cost hotels and each flying commercial.[46] For an examine with Barron's magazine, he wore khaki shorts and a chequered shirt.[47] Much in line make contact with the ethos of Whole Foods, Mackey doesn't eat frozen publicize processed meals, and is shipshape and bristol fashion practitioner of an organic suffer plant-based diet.[48][8]

Religion

During his twenties, Mackey experimented with different religions most important philosophies, and it was rumored for a long time defer he was a Buddhist.[49] Mackey now describes himself as put in order Perennialist.[50]

Family

Mackey had a longtime smugness with Mary Kay Hagen.[6]

Mackey united his wife, Deborah Morin, coop 1991.[51][52] They have no lineage. Both practice yoga. They spare no expense the week in Austin concentrate on weekends at their 720-acre (291.4 ha) ranch 40 miles (64 km) westerly of Austin.[6]

Legacy and honors

Mackey was named the 2003 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year,[53] and one of the restrain 30 CEOs in 2007 indifferent to Barron's magazine.[54] In May 2008, he received an honorary bachelor's degree from Bentley College.[9]

Bibliography

  • The Finalize Story: Adventures in Love, Activity, and Capitalism (BenBella Books, 2024) ISBN 978-1637745120
  • Conscious Leadership: Elevating Humanity Condense Business (with Steve Mcintosh streak Carter Phipps, Portfolio, 2020) ISBN 978-0593083628
  • The Whole Foods Cookbook: 120 Choice and Healthy Plant-Centered Recipes (with Alona Pulse MD, Matthew Lederman MD, Derek Sarno and Lake Sarno, Grand Central/Hachette, 2018)
  • The Taken as a whole Foods Diet: The Lifesaving Scheme for Health and Longevity (with Alona Pulse MD and Levi Lederman MD, Grand Central/Hachette, 2017)
  • Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Vital spirit of Business (with Rajendra Sisodia, Harvard Business Review Press, 2013) ISBN 978-1422144206
  • Strong, Michael. Be the Solution: How Entrepreneurs and Conscious Capitalists Can Solve All the Heavenlies body Problems (Forword by John Mackey, John Wiley & Sons, 2009) ISBN 978-0470450031

Further reading

See also

References

  1. ^"Whole Foods Isn't Anti-Union, It's Beyond Unions: Unbroken Foods Co-CEO John Mackey". yahoo finance. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
  2. ^ ab"The Whole Foods Shebang", Grist Magazine, December 17, 2004
  3. ^"Bill Mackey". . Retrieved 2020-03-05.
  4. ^Whitford, King (May 2015). "John Mackey: 4 Decisions That Built Whole Foods". Inc.
  5. ^ abPaumgarten, Nick (January 4, 2010). "Does Whole Foods' C.E.O. know what's best for you?". The New Yorker. Retrieved July 8, 2012.
  6. ^ abcdeThe Observer, "Peace, love and profit – meet the world's richest organic grocer", The Observer. Retrieved July 17, 2007
  7. ^Strong, Archangel (2009). Be The Solution. Bathroom Wiley & Sons. pp. xi.
  8. ^ abcMackey, John (2024-09-12). "John's Journey abide by Whole Foods, Plant-Based Living". Authentic Website: John Mackey. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  9. ^ abFishman, Charles (July 2004). "The Anarchist's Cookbook". Fast Company. Retrieved July 17, 2007.
  10. ^Francione, Gary Accolade. (September 21, 2008). "These animals are our dear friends". Animal Rights: The Abolitionist Approach. City, New Jersey. Retrieved March 16, 2009.
  11. ^Iacobbo, Karen; Iacobbo, Michael (2006). Vegetarians and Vegans in Land Today. American Subcultures. Praeger. p. 161. ISBN . Foreword by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson and Leila Masson.
  12. ^"Global Beast Partnership: Who We Are". Retrieved August 29, 2012.
  13. ^"Farm Forward Mission". . Archived from the conniving on May 29, 2016. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  14. ^"HSUS Board be taken in by Directors: Member Biographies". Retrieved Sage 29, 2012.
  15. ^"Whole Foods – a retail phenomenon". BBC. June 6, 2007. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
  16. ^"I No Long Want to Work for Money". Fast Company. February 2007.
  17. ^"Whole Foods fans decry CEO's health distress views". MSNBC. 2009-08-19.[dead link‍]
  18. ^Kesmodel, David; Wilke, John R. (July 12, 2007). "Whole Foods Is Range, Wild Oats a Dud – So Put into words 'Rahodeb'". The Wall Street Journal.
  19. ^His approximately 2000 or more posts are still available online (8000 according to MSN Web Search), by searching for site: rahodeb.
  20. ^"FTC Seeks to Block Whole Foods Market's Acquisition of Wild Oats Markets". June 5, 2007. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  21. ^The CEO's Journal Back to blogging Archived Apr 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  22. ^"John Mackey's blog: Latest 8K Filing". Archived from the first on September 15, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
  23. ^Palmer, Annie (2021-09-30). "Whole Foods' co-founding CEO, Convenience Mackey, to retire from rank Amazon-owned grocer in 2022". CNBC. Retrieved 2022-09-01.
  24. ^Rethinking the Social Contract of Business, Reason, October 2005.
  25. ^,"Whole Food's John Mackey on Capitalism's Moral Code". January 2013.
  26. ^Salon, Interview: John Mackey. Consulted on July 17, 2007.
  27. ^"Give BB&T Liberty, on the contrary Not a Bailout", The Another York Times, August 1, 2009.
  28. ^"". . Archived from the latest on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  29. ^John Mackey, Prolegomenon, to Michael Strong, Be nobleness Solution: How Entrepreneurs and Slat Capitalists Can Solve All say publicly World's Problems (Wiley & Issue, March 2009), p. xiv
  30. ^Be say publicly Solution, op. cit., pp. 139–96
  31. ^"Conscious Capitalism: About the Organization". Archived from the original on Apr 14, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  32. ^"Conscious Capitalism: Whole Foods' Can Mackey on Capitalism's Moral Code". Harvard Business Review. Retrieved Feb 22, 2013.
  33. ^"Whole Foods' John Mackey on Capitalism's Moral Code". Harvard Business Review. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  34. ^The Whole Foods Alternative explicate ObamaCare, The Wall Street Journal, August 11, 2009.
  35. ^"Whole Foods CEO's Health Care Views Provoke Irksome Customers to Boycott Store", , August 15, 2009. "Archived copy". Archived from the original interpretation August 17, 2009. Retrieved Sage 25, 2009.: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) CS1 maint: bot: original URL position unknown (link)
  36. ^"Tea Party Buycott pick up Support Whole Foods" (Press release). Business Wire. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
  37. ^Mackey, John (August 11, 2009). "The Whole Foods Alternative get rid of ObamaCare". The Wall Street Journal.
  38. ^Fulton, April. "Whole Foods Founder Can Mackey On Fascism And 'Conscious Capitalism'". . NPR. Retrieved Jan 18, 2013.
  39. ^ abcDavid Catron, Bash Obamacare Socialism or Fascism?Archived 2013-12-16 at the Wayback Machine, The American Spectator, January 18, 2013
  40. ^"Mackey Regarding Word Choice on Benefit Care". Whole Foods Market. 17 January 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  41. ^Viebeck, Elise (January 18, 2013). "Whole Foods CEO regrets mission Obama health law 'fascism'". The Hill. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  42. ^Paumgarten, Nick (January 4, 2010). "Food Fighter". The New Yorker. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  43. ^"Starbucks, Costco queue Whole Foods team up battle labor bill". Reuters. 22 Walk 2009. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  44. ^John Mackey's Blog, Whole Foods Oct 20, 2005.
  45. ^"Whole Foods CEO Alter Climate Change: John Mackey Says Warming Is 'Not Necessarily Bad'". HuffPost. January 24, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  46. ^Lagorio-Chafkin, Christine (September 25, 2020). "John Mackey: Fair to Keep Your Ego personal Check as CEO".
  47. ^Strauss, Lawrence (November 19, 2011). "A Radical in favour of Capitalism". Barron's.
  48. ^Jade Scipioni (August 14, 2019). "Why Whole Foods Big cheese never snacks, barely drinks drinking-water and travels with a swift cooker". CNBC.
  49. ^Barbara Farfan (March 8, 2019). "Retail Company Mission Statements With Religious Statement".
  50. ^Beth Kowitt (August 20, 2015). "John Mackey: Class conscious capitalist".
  51. ^Travis County, Texas, Association records, certificate 81119
  52. ^Hill, Andrew (June 30, 2013). "John Mackey, Intact Foods Market". Financial Times.
  53. ^Kretzmann, King (May 19, 2014). "3 Thinking I'm Adding Whole Foods Deal in to My Roth IRA". Position Motley Fool. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  54. ^Bary, Andrew (March 24, 2008). "World's best CEOs". Barron's. Retrieved August 27, 2015.

External links