At Publix Super Markets, ownership isn’t just a financial arrangement – it’s a mindset that leaders say has fueled the grocer’s success for 95 years.
As the largest employee-owned company in the U.S., Publix has more than 260,000 associates across eight states. Each has the opportunity to become an owner through the company’s employee stock ownership plan, a legacy of founder George Jenkins’ vision that those who helped build the business should share in its success.
“We’re so fortunate because we’re associate owned, and these associates at Publix really do think like owners and act like owners. That’s really special,” said Kevin Murphy, CEO.
“They take care of not only the facility and the product and the quality of the product, but they take care of customers like they’re family members or friends. You really can’t do that unless you feel like you own it.”
Murphy said Publix, The Shelby Report of the Southeast’s 2025 Retailer of the Year, works hard to help associates learn what ownership means – both in terms of benefits and in responsibility.
“Sometimes it’s a little hard for people to understand or comprehend,” he said. “So we do a lot around our benefit statements and have conversations to help [associates] understand our employee stock ownership plan.”
Building careers
Like many of Publix’s leaders, Murphy started his career bagging groceries. He was 14 at the time, working after school and saving for a car.
“I’m still saving for a car. It’s just a little bit different car now,” he said with a laugh.
“I loved what I did, loved the people I worked with and being in the stores, and [loved] the idea of being able to merchandise a display and stand back and be able to see the immediate gratification of a job well done,” he said. “I worked with a lot of managers that were very inspiring, very motivating.”
Murphy said he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do for a career while in high school, but Publix provided the opportunities and motivation to grow.
“The one great thing that we do at Publix is, if you do a good job, we’re going to continue to give you responsibility, and we’re going to give you more work to do,” he said. “So I didn’t have a whole lot of time to think; they just kept giving me more work to do, and then they kept giving me more responsibility.
“And I said, ‘Well, I really like what I’m doing. I guess I might as well do this for a little bit and see if it works out.’ And so far, it’s worked out pretty good.”
Charlotte Division VP Joey Riddle has a similar story. He was 16 when his mother pulled into a Publix parking lot and told him to go inside and apply.
“I always joke that it’s the job I got that I never applied for,” Riddle said. “My mom pulled up to the front of the store and got me out of the car, and I never left. Thirty years later, I’m still here.”
Like Murphy, Riddle found opportunity in responsibility.
“Any job you start is just that – it’s a job,” he said. “But then when you enjoy the people you’re with, you’re treated with respect, you’re surrounded by great leaders, it makes it not like going to work every day.
“The opportunities are there for you. Just come in every day and enjoy what you do. Publix will take care of you.”
Both leaders said having “come up through the ranks” gives them a special connection to associates working at the store level today.
“I think that is what makes us maybe a little bit more relatable, that we did those jobs,” Riddle said. “There’s not a day that I’ll walk by and not tell them, ‘Your job is important. You’re not just punching buttons or putting groceries in a bag, because I did that 30 years ago. And the opportunities are there for you.’”
Murphy agreed. He said people often look at a grocery store and don’t understand the complexity involved in getting the product to the shelf and, in Publix’s case, doing that in eight states. He noted the company also has 10 different warehouses and 10 different manufacturing plants.
“There’s just a plethora of jobs and opportunity within Publix, whether it’s in the stores or whether it’s in our manufacturing plants, our distribution warehouses or whether it’s in support areas behind the scenes,” Murphy said.
He said the company shares that information with its associates, adding that many start out in the stores and end up in other jobs outside of retail.
“The real opportunity is that you can come to Publix and have a career and achieve your personal best,” Murphy said. “For me, it’s all about inspiration and motivation. It’s all about helping people be able to see what their potential is and then helping them achieve their personal best.
“At Publix, we give them the opportunity to do it. We’re going to show you everything you need to know, build your confidence and help you succeed.”
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Culture of growth, support 
Helping associates grow is a top priority for Publix leadership.
Marcy Benton, VP of associate experience, said the company’s career development process is designed to be transparent and supportive.
“All of our positions are posted; the career paths and all of that information is there,” Benton said. “One of the things we really believe in is being very transparent in our communications.”
She said associates can express interest in different jobs throughout their career with Publix, and the company can start developing them for those positions.
The company also invests heavily in internal career fairs, where leaders visit stores to talk with associates about opportunities and help them plan their careers.
Benton said the expression of interest process has been in place since the 1990s.
“It gives all 260,000 associates an opportunity to let us know what they’re interested in … Then we’re able to look at that list and start developing them for those positions.”
She said the company has very defined requirements before registering interest in another one.
“We use all of that information to make sure that we are promoting in accordance with those who are interested and eligible for those positions,” Benton said. “It’s a very detailed and defined process, and I love it because it takes the guesswork out of it.”
This process ensures they are working with associates who want to advance and make sure they are ready when that opportunity becomes available.
Not only does this benefit the associates but also the company.
“The biggest thing that will hinder our ability to grow is Publix people not being ready,” Benton said. “None of us want that to happen on our watch.”
She said Publix hosts internal career fairs, where teams will visit each location, have conversations with associates and encourage them.
“We really spend time talking to them about their careers, all the opportunities and helping them plan how to get there,” Benton said. “There’s no greater value than the ability we have to invest in each other.”
Benton added her belief that Jenkins, known as “Mr. George,” was a visionary. “He had something unique and special. When you think about owning something, you take better care of it … And I think that’s the same thing when we come to any Publix store. This whole company is ours, and we have to work together. I think that’s why ‘One Publix. One Purpose’ resonated so well.”
She noted that the company works hard to make sure all associates feel valued and appreciated.
Benton said that culture comes from Jenkins himself, who distinguished between “employees” and “associates” because of the ownership mindset. She uses a video to welcome new store managers, where Mr. George talks about the difference in relationships.
“He talks about the difference between a shopper and a customer,” Benton said. “In his words, he’s saying that a shopper sometimes is going to go from competitor to competitor, [whoever] has the lowest price at that time. But a customer, if treated properly, has a relationship and is going to keep coming back.”
Maria Brous, director of communications, said relationships are at the heart of Publix’s culture.
She said many associates have the same story, that “somebody probably saw something in us and prompted us to do something more than where we thought we were going … Even though there are so many associates, we get to know our people. We build relationships, we get to understand what drives them, and we see things in them. We see them for their strengths … Somebody did it for me, so it’s my responsibility to do it for someone else.”
Brous said the combination of opportunity and ownership keeps associates with Publix long term.
“Why would you go anyplace else?” she said. “Marcy’s been here 33 years, I’m 35 … It’s one of those things where time flies when you’re having fun. Mr. George got it right – you’re in the people business. You just happen to sell groceries.”
Ownership is key
For Publix leaders, ownership is both the foundation and the future.
Associates become eligible for ownership after 90 days and are fully vested after three years. From there, many spend their entire careers with the grocer.
Jared Glover, media relations manager, had been working with one of his counterparts in Kentucky a year or so before the first store opened in that new market. They met with community and media partners to talk about Publix and what differentiates it from other grocers.
“That ownership part really was something that stuck for a lot of our partners and community leaders. They really honed in on that,” he said. “Those are things that really mean a lot to me as an associate but sets us apart from other competitors in the area.”
Murphy said the model reflects Jenkins’ original vision of shared success.
“I’m really proud to be a part of the Publix team, and I’m proud of what our associates do day in and day out to live up to that Publix reputation that we have,” Murphy said.
As Publix celebrates its 95th anniversary this year, many are reflecting on the company’s beginnings and the hard work that has propelled it to the success it enjoys today.
Murphy gives the credit to Jenkins and his dream of being able to “operate a better store and to be able to treat his customers like kings and queens. And to be able to think about the wisdom that one individual had back in the very first store, to be able to say, ‘I want everyone to have skin in the game, so I’m going to give you a part of this business. I’m going to let you share in the profits of this business. So as successful as this store will be, you will be more successful as well.’
“And he gave away his profits. That’s what our employee stock ownership plan is today, where Publix continues to give profits back to our associates so that they have the opportunity to benefit. The better Publix does and the healthier Publix is, the better that they’re going to do as well.”’
Benton agreed. “This whole company is ours, and we have to work together,” she said. “It’s up to all of us to make sure we continue to polish it up, to shine it.”
As Publix looks ahead to its next 95 years, leaders say ownership will remain its defining feature.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our Publix culture,” Murphy said. “It’s very unique, and we’re very protective of it.”
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