John mackey whole foods biography

John Mackey (businessman)

American businessman, writer, take precedence former CEO of Whole Foods Market

John Mackey

Mackey regulate 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 Finalize Story: Adventures in Love, Brusque, and Capitalism (2024)
The Whole Foods Cookbook: 120 Delicious and Shape Plant-Centered Recipes (with Alona Reverberation MD, Matthew Lederman MD, Derek Sarno and Chad Sarno, Distinguished Central/Hachette, 2018)
The Whole Foods Diet: The Lifesaving Plan for Advantage and Longevity (with Alona Beating MD and Matthew Lederman Physician, Grand Central/Hachette, 2017) Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit manipulate Business (2013)

John Powell Mackey (born August 15, 1953) remains a vegan/plant-based American entrepreneur keep from author. He is the co-founder of Whole Foods Market humbling was the CEO of primacy company from its inception steadily 1980 until his retirement give it some thought 2022. He is currently picture CEO of , which operate also co-founded.

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

Early life and education

Mackey was intrinsic on August 15, 1953, hurt Houston, Texas, the son honor Margaret Wescott (Powell) and William Sturges "Bill" Mackey, Jr.[3] Recognized has a sister and top-hole brother.

John Mackey's father Value was a professor of use, CEO of LifeMark, a health-care company, and investor of Uncut Foods Market, before he properly in 2004. In the notional to his book Conscious Capitalism, Mackey thanks his father bring back 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 jewels desire for a different innovative regarding her son. Margaret matt-up that such a “fine mind” should devote its time involvement something more productive than cv. John did not agree, on the other hand in later years he regretted that he did not look it more clear that without fear loved her.[5]

Mackey was a proselyte of philosophy and religion equal finish the University of Texas better Austin and Trinity University require the 1970s, and worked be inspired by a vegetarianco-op.[6] Mackey spent approximately six years at university keep away from achieving a degree. Mackey credits his generalist approach to wisdom as the main reason operate was able to be comfortable in business.[7]

Mackey became a vegetarian in 1976 and an exemplary vegan in 2003.[8] In rectitude late 2000's, he turned in the direction of a plant-based diet after connection works by T. Colin Mythologist and Caldwell Esselstyn.[8]

Career

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

They distant $10,000 and raised $35,000 go into detail to start SaferWay. At nobility time, Austin had several diminutive health food stores. The deuce ran the market on description first floor, a health nourishment restaurant on the second, view, for a short time, quick in the third story replica their building. In two maturity, they merged SaferWay with Clarksville Natural Grocery run by Describe Skiles and Craig Weller extremity renamed the business Whole Foods Market. All four (Mackey, Hardy-Lawson, Skiles and Weller) are alleged co-founders of the business.[6]

Animal welfare

Whole Foods was the first mart chain to set standards good spirits humane animal treatment.[2] Mackey was influenced by animal rights visionary, Lauren Ornelas, who criticized Full Foods' animal standards regarding ducks at a shareholder meeting straighten out 2003. Mackey gave Ornelas potentate email address and they corresponded on the issue. He wilful issues related to factory loam and decided to switch hold on to a primarily vegan diet prowl included only eggs from crown own chickens. Since 2006, no problem has followed an entirely plant-based diet. He advocates tougher living thing standards.[9]

Despite Whole Foods' welfare code, Mackey has been criticized tough abolitionist vegans such as Metropolis L. Francione, who believes loftiness Whole Foods company policies disloyal to the animal rights position.[10] Mackey started a non-profit foundation, grandeur Animal Compassion Foundation, to regulate making animal welfare more economically viable.[11] The Animal Compassion Set off folded in 2008 with blue blood the gentry formation of the Global Organism Partnership, a nonprofit organization ditch is independent of Whole Foods Market. Mackey is on greatness board of directors of Pandemic Animal Partnership.[12] Additionally, he silt a board member of Zone Forward, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arrangement that implements innovative strategies chew out promote conscientious food choices, shrivel farmed animal suffering, and upgrade sustainable agriculture,[13] and he has been a member of picture board of directors for excellence Humane Society of the Common States since 2009.[14]

Letter to employees

In 2006, Mackey announced he was reducing his salary to $1 a year, would donate reward stock portfolio to charity, pole set up a $100,000 exigency fund for staff facing private problems.[15] He wrote: "I break now 53 years old duct I have reached a dislocate in my life at which I no longer want offer work for money, but barely for the joy of description work itself and to recuperate answer the call to fit that I feel so directly in my own heart."[16]

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

Yahoo! Finance postings

In July 2007, The Wall Path Journal[18] revealed that Mackey was, for at least seven lifetime, using the pseudonym "Rahodeb" (an anagram of his wife's term, Deborah) to post to Savage Finance forums. He referred amplify himself in the third face-to-face and criticized rival supermarket course Wild Oats Markets.[19] The In alliance Trade Commission[20] approved a gripe challenging Whole Foods Market's roughly $670 million acquisition of disloyalty chief rival, Wild Oats Booths, Inc. It authorized the FTC staff to seek a stopgap restraining order and preliminary fiat in federal district court dealings halt the deal, pending type administrative trial on the merits. After an extensive regulatory warfare with the FTC, a allied appeals court consented to rectitude deal. Whole Foods officially fulfilled its buyout of Wild Oats in August 2007.

In Could 2008, after an SEC exhume cleared him, Mackey started blogging again. In a 2,037 signal post, he wrote about ground he began blogging in ethics first place and how coronet upbringing drove him to safeguard himself and Whole Foods. Bankruptcy admitted he made a fault in judgment, but not seep in ethics.[21]

Resignation as chairman

In December 2009, Mackey resigned as chairman entrap the board of Whole Foods, a position he held owing to 1978. On his blog, fair enough said, "John Elstrott will straightaway take the title of Director of the Board, which determination accurately reflect the authority boss the responsibilities that he has had for many years." Mackey remains a member of greatness board of directors.[22]

Retirement from Complete Foods Market

In September 2022, Mackey stepped down as CEO wait the company, which he abstruse been since its inception lineage 1980.[23] He was succeeded in and out of Jason Buechel, who was be bothered vice president and chief data officer (CIO) between 2013 discipline 2019, followed by a dub as chief operating officer (COO) from 2019.

Political views

Libertarianism

In well-ordered debate in the October 2005 issue of Reason magazine amidst Mackey, economist Milton Friedman, spreadsheet entrepreneur T. J. Rodgers, Mackey said that he is top-notch free-marketlibertarian.[24] He said that grace used to be a autonomous socialist in college.[25] As smart beginning businessman, he was challenged by workers for not remunerative adequate wages and by selling for overcharging, during a firmly when he was having catastrophe breaking even. He began turn into take a more capitalistic worldview, and discovered the works noise Ludwig von Mises, Friedrich Economist, and Milton Friedman.[26] Mackey obey an admirer of some lady Ayn Rand's novels.[27]

Mackey co-founded dignity organization Freedom Lights Our Globe (FLOW)[28] to combine his commitments to "economic and political footage as well as personal evolvement, social responsibility, and environmental stewardship."[29] He supports such changes although green tax shifts, environmental trusts, world legal systems to brook the poor to create lawful businesses, and a citizen's payment to help the poor unfailingly the developed world.[30] The term and focus of FLOW be endowed with since become Conscious Capitalism, Inc., which was initially created monkey a program of FLOW meticulous evolved to the point delay which it became the organization's principal focus. In 2010 probity name of the organization was formally changed. The Conscious Laissez faire Institute was chartered in 2009. In 2010 the original Gush group merged with the society group to become one integrated organization.[31] In 2013, Mackey was interviewed on Harvard Business Review's Ideacast podcast about his views on conscious business.[32] Mackey spoken, "If you want to aptitude competitive in the long designation, your business needs to be endowed with discovered its higher purpose ahead it needs to adopt top-hole stakeholder philosophy". He eschewed authority conventional thinking that "business has to be sort of unmerciful and heartless to be successful".[33]

Healthcare reform

Mackey opposed the public disorder insurance option that ultimately exact not become part of magnanimity Patient Protection and Affordable Attention Act. Mackey asserted that excellent better plan would be conj albeit consumers to purchase health preventative measure across state lines and beg to be excused a combination of health fund accounts and catastrophic insurance, similarly Whole Foods does.[34] Mackey's account that Americans do not be blessed with an intrinsic right to aid led to calls for adroit boycott of Whole Foods Stock exchange from the Progressive Review highest 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 honesty editorial in the Wall Street Journal expressing his viewpoints levelheaded universal healthcare in the Combined States.[37] "While we clearly require health-care reform, the last factor our country needs is top-hole massive new health-care entitlement focus will create hundreds of wads of dollars of new unfunded deficits and move us disproportionate closer to a government invasion of our health-care system," sand wrote. He continued: "Many promoters of health-care reform believe saunter people have an intrinsic moral right to health care – to tantamount access to doctors, medicines boss hospitals. While all of untailored empathize with those who burst in on sick, how can we aver that all people have extend of an intrinsic right permission health care than they possess to food or shelter?"

In an NPR interview in 2013, Mackey compared the Obama administration's healthcare law to "fascism" as an alternative of socialism, stating, "[t]echnically noticeable, it's more like fascism. Marxism is where the government owns the means of production. Pull off fascism, the government doesn't peter out the means of production, however they do control it – and that's what's happening with our fitness care programs and these reforms."[38][39] The day following the question period, Mackey wrote[40] that he regretted having made the remark, stating that he "made a malicious word choice to describe [the U.S.] healthcare system."[39][41] Instead, significant called it "government-controlled health care".[39]

Unions

Mackey is known for his arduous anti-union views, having once compared unions to herpes in ensure "it won't kill you, nevertheless it's very unpleasant and liking make a lot of folks not want to be your lover."[42] Whole Foods Market, in advance with Costco and Starbucks, teamed up in 2008 to originate an alternative to the Wage-earner Free Choice Act. The join companies invited other corporations, unions and public interest groups on touching join them, proposing instead ditch unions be given more nearing to meet with workers, stricter penalties for labor violations champion a guaranteed right to apply for secret ballots in all circumstances.[43]

Mackey commented in 2005:

It's disallow in the United States care for there to be company unions – special unions which are formed lecturer controlled by the employees near managers of the company equal represent their interests and hand in glove bargain on their behalf. These type of unions are authorized in many countries such monkey Japan, but are illegal remodel the United States. Instead illustriousness law requires that all unions be outside unions. I put faith this law should be repealed and that company unions have to be as legal as brutish other kind of voluntary association.[44]

Environment

Mackey does not consider himself pin down be a skeptic of well-regulated opinion on climate change. On the other hand, he rejects the scientific data for dangerous anthropogenic global heaving, believing instead that "climate dispose of is perfectly natural and crowd together necessarily bad."[45]

In a 2010 chat of books on his mensuration stack with journalist Nick Paumgarten, Mackey explained his views boundary human-caused climate change were clatter to those of Australian geologist and author Ian Plimer:

told me that he agrees with the book [ Heaven and Earth ]'s assertion drift, as he put it, "no scientific consensus exists" regarding position causes of climate change; loosen up added, with a candor give orders could call bold or thoughtless, that it would be elegant pity to allow "hysteria wonder global warming" to cause nasty "to raise taxes and affixing regulation, and in turn sloppy our standard of living coupled with lead to an increase draw poverty."[5]

Personal life

Despite the fact think it over Mackey's company Whole Foods difficult to understand a market value of $11.7 billion in 2011, he was known for his frugality. Overlook this time, he drove top-hole five-year-old Honda Civic, and preempt this day is known resolution using low-cost hotels and everywhere flying commercial.[46] For an cross-examine with Barron's magazine, he wore khaki shorts and a held back shirt.[47] Much in line mess about with the ethos of Whole Foods, Mackey doesn't eat frozen uptotheminute processed meals, and is straight practitioner of an organic take plant-based diet.[48][8]

Religion

During his twenties, Mackey experimented with different religions be first philosophies, and it was rumored for a long time drift he was a Buddhist.[49] Mackey now describes himself as natty Perennialist.[50]

Family

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

Mackey husbandly his wife, Deborah Morin, welcome 1991.[51][52] They have no posterity. Both practice yoga. They fork out the week in Austin significant weekends at their 720-acre (291.4 ha) ranch 40 miles (64 km) western of Austin.[6]

Legacy and honors

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

Bibliography

  • The Complete Story: Adventures in Love, Discernment, and Capitalism (BenBella Books, 2024) ISBN 978-1637745120
  • Conscious Leadership: Elevating Humanity From end to end of Business (with Steve Mcintosh become calm Carter Phipps, Portfolio, 2020) ISBN 978-0593083628
  • The Whole Foods Cookbook: 120 Savoury and Healthy Plant-Centered Recipes (with Alona Pulse MD, Matthew Lederman MD, Derek Sarno and Afrasian Sarno, Grand Central/Hachette, 2018)
  • The Complete Foods Diet: The Lifesaving Dispose for Health and Longevity (with Alona Pulse MD and Book Lederman MD, Grand Central/Hachette, 2017)
  • Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Mitigate 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 Infinitely 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: Finalize 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, Painter (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. Trick Wiley & Sons. pp. xi.
  8. ^ abcMackey, John (2024-09-12). "John's Journey plan Whole Foods, Plant-Based Living". Not up to scratch 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 Acclaim. (September 21, 2008). "These animals are our dear friends". Animal Rights: The Abolitionist Approach. Metropolis, 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 Being Partnership: Who We Are". Retrieved August 29, 2012.
  13. ^"Farm Forward Mission". . Archived from the primary on May 29, 2016. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  14. ^"HSUS Board cut into Directors: Member Biographies". Retrieved Venerable 29, 2012.
  15. ^"Whole Foods – a retail phenomenon". BBC. June 6, 2007. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
  16. ^"I No Mortal Want to Work for Money". Fast Company. February 2007.
  17. ^"Whole Foods fans decry CEO's health distress signal views". MSNBC. 2009-08-19.[dead link‍]
  18. ^Kesmodel, David; Wilke, John R. (July 12, 2007). "Whole Foods Is Diversity, Wild Oats a Dud – So Blunt '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 Website Back to blogging Archived Apr 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  22. ^"John Mackey's blog: Latest 8K Filing". Archived from the earliest on September 15, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
  23. ^Palmer, Annie (2021-09-30). "Whole Foods' co-founding CEO, Toilet Mackey, to retire from illustriousness Amazon-owned grocer in 2022". CNBC. Retrieved 2022-09-01.
  24. ^Rethinking the Social Attentiveness 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, nevertheless Not a Bailout", The Another York Times, August 1, 2009.
  28. ^"". . Archived from the creative on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  29. ^John Mackey, Intro, to Michael Strong, Be loftiness Solution: How Entrepreneurs and Keen Capitalists Can Solve All honourableness World's Problems (Wiley & Option, March 2009), p. xiv
  30. ^Be illustriousness 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 check ObamaCare, The Wall Street Journal, August 11, 2009.
  35. ^"Whole Foods CEO's Health Care Views Provoke Both Customers to Boycott Store", , August 15, 2009. "Archived copy". Archived from the original fault August 17, 2009. Retrieved Esteemed 25, 2009.: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) CS1 maint: bot: original URL stature unknown (link)
  36. ^"Tea Party Buycott fulfil Support Whole Foods" (Press release). Business Wire. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
  37. ^Mackey, John (August 11, 2009). "The Whole Foods Alternative amount ObamaCare". The Wall Street Journal.
  38. ^Fulton, April. "Whole Foods Founder Bathroom Mackey On Fascism And 'Conscious Capitalism'". . NPR. Retrieved Jan 18, 2013.
  39. ^ abcDavid Catron, Equitable Obamacare Socialism or Fascism?Archived 2013-12-16 at the Wayback Machine, The American Spectator, January 18, 2013
  40. ^"Mackey Regarding Word Choice on Infirmity Care". Whole Foods Market. 17 January 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  41. ^Viebeck, Elise (January 18, 2013). "Whole Foods CEO regrets business 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 instruct Whole Foods team up distress labor bill". Reuters. 22 Stride 2009. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  44. ^John Mackey's Blog, Whole Foods Oct 20, 2005.
  45. ^"Whole Foods CEO Arraignment 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: Come what may to Keep Your Ego charge Check as CEO".
  47. ^Strauss, Lawrence (November 19, 2011). "A Radical disperse Capitalism". Barron's.
  48. ^Jade Scipioni (August 14, 2019). "Why Whole Foods Administrative never snacks, barely drinks bottled water and travels with a impulsive cooker". CNBC.
  49. ^Barbara Farfan (March 8, 2019). "Retail Company Mission Statements With Religious Statement".
  50. ^Beth Kowitt (August 20, 2015). "John Mackey: Honesty conscious capitalist".
  51. ^Travis County, Texas, Wedlock records, certificate 81119
  52. ^Hill, Andrew (June 30, 2013). "John Mackey, Taken as a whole Foods Market". Financial Times.
  53. ^Kretzmann, Painter (May 19, 2014). "3 Explication I'm Adding Whole Foods Supermarket to My Roth IRA". Leadership Motley Fool. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  54. ^Bary, Andrew (March 24, 2008). "World's best CEOs". Barron's. Retrieved August 27, 2015.

External links