FedEx founder Fred Smith is a leader and visionary worthy of celebrating | Opinion

Memphis is home to some of the greatest industry leaders of the 20th Century — and central among them is Fred Smith, the founder and executive chairman of FedEx.

I remember reading about the introduction of the Federal Express concept many years ago. The article explained how Mr. Smith originally outlined his idea for an overnight delivery service in a term paper he wrote for a Yale University economics class.   His assignment may have missed the mark with his professor, but it hit the bullseye for scores of communities and millions of individuals who are beneficiaries of his work.

As Mr. Smith prepares to step back — but, fortunately, not away — from the company he brought to Memphis in 1973, it’s appropriate for the Greater Memphis Chamber and all of Memphis to remember and celebrate his tremendous accomplishments and the indelible impact he has had on his hometown.

Fred Smith:How FedEx founder Fred Smith absolutely, positively transformed Memphis

Fred Smith led Federal Express from its infancy in the early 1970s to a $92 billion global enterprise, serving more than 220 countries and territories. Over his 50-year career, his vision revolutionized overnight package delivery service and changed the way the world operates. We don’t just ship our packages anymore; now we “FedEx” them. When people begin using your company name as a verb, you know you’ve made a difference.

The company grew from a small operation with a handful of employees to a company fueled by seven major divisions and more than 550,000 team members around the world – 375,000 of whom are in the U.S. and 30,000 right here in Memphis.

'A very sharp individual': This is Raj Subramaniam, the soon-to-be new CEO of FedEx Corp.

Through its business operations, FedEx creates nearly $8 billion in economic activity outside of the corporation in the U.S. each year. This ripple effect – which the company terms the “FedEx Effect” – is connected to good-paying jobs, competitive small businesses, and investments in local communities. I was personally inspired by the company’s recent $5 million commitment to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) throughout the mid-south and including Memphis’s own LeMoyne-Owen College.

FedEx history: Fifty years ago, FedEx was incorporated. The delivery industry has never been the same.

FedEx Cares is the company’s commitment to giving back and volunteering – values core to the company’s DNA that will live on as part of Fred Smith’s legacy. FedEx cares because Fred Smith cares. That’s one of the reasons the National Civil Rights Museum – where I served as president from 1997-2014 – honored him with its Freedom Award this week.

Considering all this, where would Memphis, our global communities, and small businesses be without FedEx? Certainly not where they are today. Memphis is known worldwide as the global logistics leader, America’s Distribution Center, and the Supply Chain Capital of the World — in large part because of the vision of Fred Smith.

The Greater Memphis Chamber, on behalf of our business community, looks forward to working with Raj Subramaniam as he steps into FedEx’s CEO role. Congratulations Mr. Smith, on a job well done, and thank you for your tremendous commitment and service.  Bravo Zulu!

Beverly Robertson is the president & CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber, the former president of the National Civil Rights Museum, and a native Memphian.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: FedEx founder Fred Smith is a leader and visionary worth celebrating