Overview

Memoir by Flint multimillionaire industrialist Willie E. Artis. From a very young age, Artis learned the value of money and relationships, navigating through perilous circumstances in a segregated South. Blessed with a keen mind, Artis worked several jobs from the ground up and excelled in each one. In the midst of his advancement, he was fortunate enough to live through one of America's greatest music booms--the Memphis blues, traveling with none other than B.B. King himself. Artis' dream for a better life away from Jim Crow in the South led him north to Chicago, where he was introduced to industrial packaging. His mastery of this field laid the groundwork for decades of success that yielded not only a CEO title and a multimillion-dollar empire, but the opportunity to become a sought-after partner by top corporations and later the Obama Administration. For all of his successes, however, Artis credits the love of his wife, Veronica, as his greatest achievement. Partners in business as well as in love, Willie and Veronica Artis serve as a model of American ingenuity and generosity as they continue to build a corporate and philanthropic legacy in their home city of Flint, Michigan. From Jim Crow to CEO: The Willie Artis Story embodies Willie's wish to share what he has learned with the next generation.

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9781733089845

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"""Most stories out of Flint are not for the faint of heart. It's a once-great city that has been whipsawed by global economic trends, political malfeasance, and de-industrialization. Yet the underlying spirit of the city somehow endures, and that spirit is captured in the story of Willie Artis. On one level, it's an in-depth portrait of an entrepreneur. But to call this a business book would be selling it short. It's really the story of someone succeeding at life in a place all too often defined by failure."" --Gordon Young, author of Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City ""I had the opportunity and pleasure to meet Willie in the early 1980­­s when I and others participated in the automotive industry's supply base. Willie was extremely supportive and outspoken relative to these specialized programs from which we all received significant benefits. Willie was well respected by management and willingly shared his expertise with other minority suppliers. We should all be thankful for his commitment, dedication, and support!"" --Dave Bing, Bing Youth Institute and former Mayor of Detroit In this fascinating first-person account of his life, you will come to know his friends, family and co-workers like they are your own--except Willie's includes B.B. King and President Obama. This is a remarkable memoir covering a chapter in American history of which too few people pay any attention. The era of segregation, as Willie reminds us, may return if our past is forgotten. With a touch of southern charm, Beale Street hustle, Chicago smarts, and Vehicle City muscle, Willie's account of how he lived up to his own high standards, learned from his mistakes, based his decisions on merit, and changed his corner of corporate America and his local community, offers numerous lessons for today's entrepreneurs, business managers, civic leaders and anyone aspiring to a good life and a better world."" --Dayne Walling, Former Mayor of Flint and Rhodes Scholar"

Most stories out of Flint are not for the faint of heart. It's a once-great city that has been whipsawed by global economic trends, political malfeasance, and de-industrialization. Yet the underlying spirit of the city somehow endures, and that spirit is captured in the story of Willie Artis. On one level, it's an in-depth portrait of an entrepreneur. But to call this a business book would be selling it short. It's really the story of someone succeeding at life in a place all too often defined by failure. --Gordon Young, author of Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City I had the opportunity and pleasure to meet Willie in the early 1980--s when I and others participated in the automotive industry's supply base. Willie was extremely supportive and outspoken relative to these specialized programs from which we all received significant benefits. Willie was well respected by management and willingly shared his expertise with other minority suppliers. We should all be thankful for his commitment, dedication, and support! --Dave Bing, Bing Youth Institute and former Mayor of Detroit In this fascinating first-person account of his life, you will come to know his friends, family and co-workers like they are your own--except Willie's includes B.B. King and President Obama. This is a remarkable memoir covering a chapter in American history of which too few people pay any attention. The era of segregation, as Willie reminds us, may return if our past is forgotten. With a touch of southern charm, Beale Street hustle, Chicago smarts, and Vehicle City muscle, Willie's account of how he lived up to his own high standards, learned from his mistakes, based his decisions on merit, and changed his corner of corporate America and his local community, offers numerous lessons for today's entrepreneurs, business managers, civic leaders and anyone aspiring to a good life and a better world. --Dayne Walling, Former Mayor of Flint and Rhodes Scholar

Author Information

Willie E. Artis was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He is the founder of an industrial packaging company headquartered in Flint, Michigan. Now retired, Willie and his wife Veronica are philanthropists mentoring the next generation of black business owners.

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