Brian West, Publix Super Markets

Join us Sunday afternoon on the Special Needs Family Hour at 1:00 pm!
Our guest is Brian West, Media and Community Relations Manager for Publix Super Markets. We will be discussing Publix Super Market’s philosophy of showing no preference when it comes to hiring employees who are differently-abled. As Brian says,“We look at what a person is able to do, not what they aren’t able to do.”

Publix has been hailed as the No. 1 supermarket for customer satisfaction,
one of FORTUNE’s “100 Best Companies to Work For,”
and as an inspiration for its sustainability efforts and community involvement.
It is the largest Employee-owned company in the nation.
Publix has never laid off an employee in it’s eighty-nine year history.

Today, Publix Super Markets has over 800 employees who are Special Olympics Athletes in Florida. Each year in January, Publix associates and customers come together to raise awareness and funds for Special Olympics. In 2019, Publix customers and associates contributed more than $4.8 million to the Special Olympics to ensure athletes were able to train and compete free of cost. This brings Publix total donation since 1993 to $51.3 million.

The relationship with Publix dates back to 1972. The state’s Special Olympic athletes faced skipping the National Games in Los Angeles because they couldn’t afford the flight. Publix founder George Jenkins stepped up and covered the cost of the flight.