George’s Inc mourns death of chairman Gene George
George’s, Inc. has announced the death of family member and Chairman Gene George after a short illness. He was 88 years old.
George took over full responsibility for the George’s company, serving as President and Chief Executive Officer from 1969 to 1980 and Chairman of the Board from 1980 until his death. Gene George, along with his brother and father transformed a small produce business that began in the1920’s with a handful of people serving local and regional markets, into a multi-division poultry corporation serving both national and international markets. George’s, Inc. is a 4th generation family owned company with operations in Arkansas, Missouri and Virginia, which employs more than 4000 people and produces approximately 5 million broilers per week.
Gene served on the First National Bank of Springdale Board of Directors from 1969 to 2004 and the Springdale Memorial Hospital Board of Directors (currently Northwest Medical Center) from 1970 to 1998. He also served on the J. B. Hunt Transport Incorporated Board of Directors from its inception in 1961 to 2004, the Hudson Foods Board of Directors and the Arkansas Poultry Federation Board of Directors.
He was President of the Arkansas Turkey Federation in 1963 and Chairman of the Arkansas Poultry Festival in 1982. Gene was named “Man of the Year” in 1982 by the Arkansas Poultry Federation. He was given the “Outstanding Civic Service Award” by the Springdale Chamber of Commerce in 1994. Gene was inducted into the Arkansas Agricultural Hall of Fame in 1993 and into the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame in 2002.
