President John Goff (left) and CEO Kevin Murphy (right) onstage at the 2024 Retail Operations Conference.

Managers gathered in Orlando, Florida, in November for our annual Retail Operations Conference (ROC) to hear company leaders review our recent successes and plans for 2025.

CEO Kevin Murphy discussed the importance of thinking like an owner and how company ownership has been part of Publix’s culture since Mr. George opened the 1st Publix in 1930.

Mr. George wanted to run the finest food store in town and needed a dedicated, hardworking team. To achieve that goal, he believed that making his associates company owners would instill a sense of pride and motivation to succeed.

Being an owner is more than just owning stock. It’s about having a stake in the company and its future success. When you own something, whether it’s property or a business, you take pride in maintaining and improving it. The same principle applies to our roles at Publix.

Kevin outlined 5 key points to think like a company owner:

• Make personal connections. As you foster relationships with your co-workers and customers, they become your extended family and your community.
• Lead by example. Be a good role model. Demonstrate to other associates what it means to treat customers like royalty.
• Make good decisions. Have an owner’s mindset. It will make you more committed to making good decisions.
• Take ownership of your work. Taking responsibility for your tasks is important because your tasks can impact our company’s growth and success.
• Have pride. You should be proud of who you are, what you have accomplished and how you contribute to the company.

“Our success boils down to 1 simple thing — running a better store than the competition,” said Kevin. “When all 255,000 associates think like owners, we will always come out better and stronger, no matter the challenge or the competitor we face.

“As I stand here today … I can honestly say I’ve never felt more confident about Publix’s future.”

President John Goff talked about teamwork and explained that it takes all of us working together to continue making our company great.

“Our stores are the face of Publix,” said John, “but our stores couldn’t operate without other associates working behind the scenes. Publix is a team. Everyone at Publix plays a role in our success.”

He added that we should be proud of our expansive growth in 2024 and our ability to work together toward our mission to be the premier quality food retailer in the world.

As we enter 2025, Publix will continue to grow.

“New stores create opportunities for our associates to grow with Publix,” said John. “We can’t slow down our efforts to prepare future leaders to support our growth.”

Moving forward, we must continue to work as One Publix with One Purpose.

“The work we all do together makes us the greatest team in the industry,” said John. “And I am proud to be on your team.”