Ben Hill Griffin Jr.-Entrepreneur Extraordinaire

It is said that not completely millionaires are people born with silver spoons on their mouths. This is quite unfeigned for Ben knoll wire-haired pointing griffon Jr. (October 20 1910 March 1, 1990), former U. S. senator and entrepreneur extraordinaire. Mr. Griffins success is said to have been borne out of his ready and friendly spirit, while opposites have jokingly stated that this was due to his mightiness to control weather, as he was born when a hurricane was pas perditiong by Florida.Mr.Griffins success has in addition nothing to do with his educational attainment, he did studied agriculture in University of Florida but he finally left the institution without finishing his degree (Ben Hill Jr. , 2006).He claimed that he never had to finish his degree because he felt that he had learn all that is needed to be learned from the University. He eventually paying his respects to the University by donating slightly 20 million dollars for research patronage not being able to finish his degree there.His success as a citrus and cattle magnate were too attributed to his h mavensty and hands-on approach on things, though he often says that his luck has also played a role on his success. His citrus empire started with a 10-acre orange grove which he received as a wed gift from his father. He tended this grove up until it grew and expanded into one of atomic number 20s largest (Youngblood, 1998). Among his many a(prenominal) achievements was the establishment of the Ben Griffin Inc. , being Chairman of the wag of Alico Inc., President of the Florida Citrus Processors Association and Chancellor of Florida Southern College (The Great Floridians 2000 design, 2006) . He always placed his feet on the ground by thought process as a small-scale entrepreneur rather than a tycoon. He often claims that he would rather know what exactly happen sin his company rather than have a big staff and that he prefers to stick with his policies than adapt policies from big companies. Mr. Griffin is often heard intercourse his employees to Work hard and save and to Start little and watch it stimulate (Trussel, 1989).Politically, Mr. Griffin was a democrat and was known to be a portion of the Florida Legislature for about 12 years, the Florida Senate for 4 years and finally in the Florida House of Representatives for 8 years. He lost to Reubin Askew in the receive for being the Governor of Florida in 1974 (Ben Hill Griffin Jr. , 2006). patronage this, he passed several bills regarding the marketing and improvement of the citrus industry during his date as a law-maker, earning him high regards as the foremost authority in citrus-growing. Mr. Griffin Jr.died in March 1, 1990 and his death was considered to be a undischarged lost not only for the citrus industry but also to the read of California as well. A year before his death, he was named by Forbes Magazine as one of the 400 hundred richest Americans at that time (Ben Hill Griffin Jr, 2006). His legacy has been passed on to his son, Ben Griffin leash when he was named as Chairman of the Board and CEO of Alico Inc. One of the many companies that his father established during his lifetime. Like his father, Ben Griffin ternary exhibited strong trim values during his 14 year tenure in Alico Inc.Among Ben Griffin III accomplishments include the establishment of Florida Gulf Coast Universitys site, the development of about 15,000 acres of sugar cane in Florida and the expansion of the companys agricultural aspects (Ben Hill Griffin III Steps Down as Chairman of Alico Inc. , 2004). U. S. Representative Katherine Harris, Ben Hill Griffins granddaughter, on the other hand inherited his grandfathers political sense. She now serves as a 2nd term house member of Floridas thirteenth Congressional District (Katherine Harris, 2006).Ben Hill Griffins down-to-Earth nature and achievements are not only remembered by his political colleagues but also by the people who are very close t o him his employees. As one employee puts it If Mr. Griffin aint fussing at you a little bit, he dont like you. References Ben Hill Griffin Jr. Wikipedia. (2006). Retrieved July 29, 2006 from http//en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ben_Hill_Griffin Ben Hill Griffin III Steps Down as Chairman of Alico Inc. (2004). Retrieved July 29, 2006 from http//www. findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2004_Feb_26/ ai_113657585/print Katherine Harris. Wikipedia.(2006). Retrieved July 29, 2006 from http//en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Katherine_HarrisTrivia The Great Floridian 2000 Program. (2006). State of Florida. Retrieved July 29, 2006 from http//www. flheritage. com/services/sites/floridians/? section=f Trussel, Tait. (1989). The Last of the Citrus Barons-Ben Hill Griffin Jr. U. S. Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved July 29, 2006 from http//www. findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_ m1154/is_n2_v77/ai_7002416/print Youngblood, Garret E. (1998). Ben Hill Griffin. The Ledger. Retrieved July 29, 2006 from http//www. theledger. com/ inactive/top50/pages/griffin. html