Herb Peyton
Herb Peyton | |
---|---|
Peyton at Gate River Run in 2008 | |
Born | Bowling Green, Kentucky, U.S. | January 6, 1932
Alma mater | University of Florida |
Occupation | Founder of Gate Petroleum |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Marilyn Stephens (divorced)[1] Virginia Gaines (divorced) Marcy Murphy |
Children | John Stephens (Marilyn) Henry Hill, Jennifer Gaines (Virginia) Forest, Sarah (Marcy) |
Herbert Hill Peyton (born January 6, 1932) is an American entrepreneur and founder of
Company origins
Peyton bought his first gas station in 1960 and slowly expanded throughout the decade, diversifying when gas became scarce during the Arab Oil embargo of the early 1970s.
In 1997, he acknowledged owning 80 percent of Gate Petroleum, with the remaining 20 percent belonging to "the Brothers"; long-term employees (men and women) who were instrumental in the company's growth,[3][4] which had 2006 revenues of over U.S. $1.28 billion.[5]
In 2001,
Civic involvement
Herb Peyton was a trustee of the Alfred I. duPont Testamentary Trust from January 18, 1995, to January 31, 2017. He also served on the Nemours Foundation Board of Directors and is a trustee emeritus.[7] Peyton was elected as a director of Florida East Coast Industries and St. Joe Company in December 2000 and provided the benefit of his experience through 2004, when he retired from both boards.[8][9] Peyton was named an honorary director of Dreams Come True[10] in recognition of his contribution of land and construction material for the non-profit's new headquarters in 2002.[11]
In 2004, the National Association of Office and Industrial Properties chapter in Northeast Florida presented the William Drennon Lifetime Achievement Award to Peyton.[12]
Peyton made a $1 million gift to the
Since its founding in 1993, he was a member of the Jacksonville Non-Group, which evolved into the Jacksonville Civic Council.[15]
Retirement
In a January 9, 2009, interview in the Jacksonville Daily Record, Mayor John Peyton was asked about his plans for 2011 when his term ends. He responded:
"I’m going back to Gate and rejoin the family business. I’m looking forward to that. I told dad (Herb Peyton) that he has saved a lot of money because he hasn’t had to pay me for eight years. I think my father is very eager to retire. He wasn’t excited about me running for a second term. If it had been his choice, I would have gone back [to Gate] sooner."[16]
On January 3, 2012, three days before his 80th birthday, Herb Peyton retired as Gate's President but remained Chairman, taking a less active company role. He named son John as company president and son Hill as vice president of marketing. When asked about his future involvement, Peyton indicated that he would not be involved with the daily operations, but would "help when needed and offer advice when asked--and on occasion, when not asked."[17] He also intends to continue his training and fitness regimen, which includes swimming and running nearly every day.
References
- ^ "Wedding: Pearson-Peyton", Archived 2012-09-11 at the Wayback Machine St. Augustine Record, June 8, 2003.
- ^ America's Largest Private Companies, Forbes Magazine, November 3, 2008.
- ^ a b Finotti, John: [1] Archived 2011-08-12 at the Wayback Machine "Gate tycoon reveals self, business secrets", Florida Times-Union, July 20, 1997.
- ^ Hoovers fact sheet on Gates Petroleum, retrieved November 19, 2007.
- ^ #332 Gate Petroleum, Forbes magazine list of 500 largest private companies, November 9, 2006.
- ^ a b Barker-Benfield, Simon: [2][permanent dead link] "John Peyton finds his place, awaits keys to Gate empire", Florida Times-Union, July 14, 2001.
- ^ Alfred DuPont Trust website: Trustees. Archived 2009-04-20 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Barton, Susanna: [3] "Peyton joins FECI board", Jacksonville Business Journal, December 5, 2000.
- ^ "The St. Joe Company Announces Election of Two New Members to Board of Directors", Business Wire, February 10, 2004.
- ^ Dreams Come True website, Staff & Board
- ^ Gellady, Jessica: [4] "Dreams Come True dedicates new building", Jacksonville Business Journal, September 3, 2002.
- ^ Geddes, Ryan: "Gate buys Cummer tract", Jacksonville Business Journal, January 16, 2004.
- ^ "Peyton donates $1 million to Bolles", Jacksonville Business Journal, May 19, 2006.
- ^ Snell, Bob: [5] "Peyton Gives $1M to Bolles", Florida Trend, July 1, 2006.
- ^ Harding, Abel: "Group disbands, launches Jacksonville Civic Council", Florida Times-Union, March 5, 2010.
- ^ "A conversation with Mayor John Peyton", Jax Daily Record, January 9, 2009.
- ^ Bull, Roger: "Herb Peyton retires as president of Gate Petroleum; John Peyton to take over" Florida Times-Union, January 4, 2012.
Further reading
- Newboy: the Autobiography of Herbert Hill Peyton, Gate Petroleum Co, January 1997, ISBN 0-9658277-0-4.