People, Companies & Deals
July 1, 2008
Remembering Chuck Fruit 1947-2008
By Bob Hope, president, Hope-Beckham
There was something very poetic about Chuck Fruit. When Kipling praised men for keeping their
heads when others were losing theirs in his poem "If", he must have known someone like Chuck. If
you can do this, "You'll be a man, my son."
There was a gentleness and sincerity about him seldom found in today's corporate world.
Coca-Cola patriarch Robert Woodruff said most problems would not exist if workers weren't concerned
about who got the credit. It was fortuitous Chuck worked at Coke and embodied that philosophy.
Chuck died on May 27 following his regular morning swim. He was only 61. He had recently
retired as Coke's top marketing executive. His tenure spanned nearly two decades. Prior to that, he
was top marketing guru at Budweiser. It is well known that a moneyless entrepreneur visited him
many years ago and asked for Budweiser's help creating an all-sports television network, a
far-fetched dream at the time. Chuck took a chance, and ESPN was born.
There are legends in business and he was one of them. When lists of the most powerful
people in sports, entertainment, advertising and marketing were published, he was not only on them
but near the top.
Personality traits seldom associated with the iconic leaders of corporate America include
angelic, kind, soft-spoken, friendly, respectful and approachable. They fly in the face of
the common vision of egotistical, arrogant and self-absorption so commonly associated with
corporate leaders. There was no arrogance, and nothing bad that could be said about Chuck
Fruit. When kindness leads thousands of people and controls tens of millions of dollars in a
huge corporation, the result is a very special type of real power and leadership. That power
and leadership has left us, but it has moved on to a higher place.
Personnel Moves ...
AirTran Airways President and CEO
Bob Fornaro has been elected chairman of the board, taking over for the retiring
Joe Leonard …
Peter Aman, a partner with
Bain and Co., has been named interim chairman of
Brand Atlanta, following the death of
Ron Brown, president and CEO of
Atlanta Life Financial Group …
Reinaldo Padua of the
Zyman Group has been named VP of Hispanic marketing for
Coca-Cola North America …
Gov. Sonny Perdue’s executive counsel
Jud Turner has left to start a firm with
Chuck Bachman and
Heath Garrett –
Turner Bachman & Garrett.
Deals ...
UPS is finalizing a deal that would enable it to provide air transportation for
all
Deautsche Post’s DHL’s express, deferred and international package volume within
the United States and provide airlift for DHL packages between the United States, Canada and
Mexico. The deal, expected to close by the end of the year, would likely be for 10 years and could
generate up to $1 billion in revenue. The agreement only involves the transport of packages,
primarily between airports, in North America …
Media Power Inc. has pledged $5 million over the next five years to
Georgia Tech’s GVU Center, funds that will help boost research and education in
Augmented Reality (AR) and mobile computing. Media Power also will donate hardware and development
tools, and help find realistic settings to deploy and evaluate game ideas. Georgia Tech will
partner with Media Power’s AR division,
Magitech, to envision, prototype and evaluate the next generation of mobile AR
games and entertainment applications.
We Are Education
While Georgia has its
share of educational challenges, a new report shows metro Atlanta is rich in college students.
The area ranked seventh in enrolled college students among the top 50 largest American
metros, according to a report by the Atlanta Regional Council for Higher Education.
The report – Higher Education in America’s Metropolitan Areas – shows metro Atlanta has
176,171 full-time students; is seventh in degrees earned with 35,802 at the bachelor’s level or
higher; and is fifth in research with $1.01 billion in higher education spending. The area also is
third in black students with 47,548.
Higher education is responsible for $6 billion in direct spending, comparable to a Fortune
500 company.
