Harrell’s Mourns the Passing of Jack Harrell Jr.
Jack Harrell Jr., CEO and Chairman of the Board | Harrell’s
About Jack Harrell Jr.
Employee-owned Harrell’s announced that Jack Harrell Jr., the company’s CEO and Chairman of the Board, has passed away today after a short battle with Glioblastoma. The entirety of Harrell’s mourns this loss and extends our deepest sympathies to the Harrell family.
Current President and COO of Harrell’s, Jack Harrell III, says, “My family is saddened by the loss of my father, but we rejoice that he has gone home to Glory and is not in any more pain and suffering any longer. His body had been restored and he is at peace. My father was a great man who took care of so many people. Everyone else was always his main concern, rather than himself. We will all miss him but are so happy that he is rejoicing in Heaven.”
Following in the footsteps of Jack Harrell Sr., Jack Jr. began working at Harrell’s in 1978 after he graduated from Georgia Southern University with his bachelor’s degree in business management. Not too long after, in January 1982, Jack met his wife Tina Webb Harrell, and just over a year later in February 1983, they were married.
As a testament to Jack Jr.’s ability to balance work and home, two major events happened in 1985. In April, Jack Jr. and Tina’s first child, Jack Harrell III, was born, and not too long after, Jack Jr. and Sr. together opened the first Harrell’s manufacturing plant off Kraft Road in Lakeland. The following year, in October 1986, Jack Jr. and Tina’s second child, William Harrell, came into the world.
Jack Jr. was a family man and an avid member of his church in Lakeland, making sure God “had a seat” in everything that he did in both family and company matters. Five years later, Jack Harrell Jr. was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Harrell’s.
Taking Care of People and the Community
Jack Jr. always put people first whether it was family, business, or day-to-day conversations, he always lived out the core values that Harrell’s was built on; to Serve, Honor, and Glorify God, to Take Care of People, and to Grow Harrell’s Financial Strength. Jack always cared for people in all his endeavors and his employees, customers, and community saw and benefitted from his generosity daily.
Giving back to and supporting his community was a driving force for Jack that he and his wife made a conscious effort to act on wherever they could: from supporting the initiatives of the growing Bonnet Springs Park, donating time and resources to various charities in and around Florida, or working with the leadership at Harrell’s to make the company employee-owned, people were always on Jack’s mind.
More recently, Jack and Tina Harrell partnered with Lakeland Regional Health to donate the Harrell Family Center for Behavioral Wellness. Jack and Tina recognized the need in their community for more people to have access to state-of-the-art health care, and to erase the stigma surrounding mental illness by helping more people to be treated. The center is set to support the needs of Polk County and its surrounding areas for many years to come.
Accomplishments of Jack Harrell Jr.
Jack Harrell Jr. was widely known in the industry as a selfless person with both the resolve and the drive to make things happen. He achieved many remarkable things in his time, too many for one list, but here are a few notable accomplishments of Jack Jr.:
On Sept. 30, 2016, Jack, along with former Harrell’s President Dave Schermerhorn and the other leaders at Harrell’s, announced that the company was now 100% employee-owned. This new Employee Stock Ownership Plan (or ESOP) puts Harrell’s into the hands of its employees, granting them a greater connection to the value creation of the company to better provide for their future.
On June 21, 2019, Jack won the Distinguished Citizen Award from the greater Tampa Bay area Boy Scouts Group. The council presents the Distinguished Citizen Award annually in honor of individuals who represent the values of scouting through their service to the community.
In August 2019, Jack Harrell Jr. received the Florida Turfgrass Association’s Wreath of Grass Award. This award pays tribute to individuals who have shown outstanding service to the Florida Turfgrass Association and to the turfgrass industry as a whole. The 2019 President of the FTGA was quoted as saying, “Jack has always been at the front and center providing support for any issue that a customer, an employee, an association, or a community may be facing. It is an honor to award Jack for his commitment.”
On Nov. 15, 2019, Harrell’s officially acquired POLYON controlled-release fertilizer from Koch Services after being in partnership to use the product for nearly three decades before. Jack Jr. was quoted as saying, “This is a great day for Harrell’s. We have always wanted to own POLYON and finally, the time was right for everyone. Now we are going to do everything we can to bring this superb technology to more customers and markets.”
In May 2021, the Florida GCSA presented Jack with the Marie Roberts Lifetime Service Award. This award is presented to individuals who have made significant contributions to the Florida GCSA and golf industry through participation, support, and achievements in the industry. This award is granted to those who have dedicated their life to the industry.
In May 2021, Jack Harrell Jr. was inducted into the Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame. The event celebrates those who are seen as visionaries in their field and celebrates the accomplishments, leadership, and service of the honorees. This ceremony celebrated both the 2020 and 2021 induction classes, of which Jack was a member of the 2020 class.
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