Head of FedEx Corporation to speak at Kenan-Flagler Business School

CHAPEL HILL -- Fred Smith, chairman, president and chief executive officer of FedEx Corporation, will speak March 25 at 5:30 p.m. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School as part of the Dean’s Speaker Series.

The lecture series, funded in part by the Archie K. Davis Lectureship Fund, brings key movers and shakers to the business school for talks that are free and open to the community.

It’s an exciting time for FedEx -- the company announced in February its acquisition of Kinkos for $2.4 billion.

"FedEx and Kinko’s share a similar heritage, culture and commitment to superior service, and together we will give our customers even greater access to the global marketplace," Smith said in a company statement. "This combination will allow us to increase access to FedEx shipping services and capitalize on key business trends."

Smith, who learned to fly at age 15 and flew 230 combat missions in Vietnam during his four years as a U.S. Marine, began working on the idea behind FedEx in a research paper he wrote while a student at Yale. At 27, he realized how to put his idea in motion and created the overnight package delivery airline that grew into FedEx, now a $23 billion global transportation and logistics company.

FedEx’s approximately 219,000 employees and independent contractors worldwide handle more than 5 million shipments every day, serving more than 214 countries. FedEx has repeatedly been on Fortune magazine’s list of the "100 Best Companies to Work For."

Since founding FedEx in 1971, Smith has been an active proponent of regulatory reform, free trade and "open skies agreements" for aviation around the world. FedEx has continued to strengthen its industry leadership over the past 30 years with its total commitment to quality service. In 1990, it was the first service company to win the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

To R.S.V.P. to the lecture, held in the Maurice J. Koury Auditorium, call (919) 843-7787 or e-mail KFBSRSVP@kenan-flagler.unc.edu. Parking will be available in the business school deck.

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Kenan-Flagler contact: Kim Weaver Spurr, (919) 962-8951, spurrk@unc.edu
News Services contact: Mike McFarland, (919) 962-8593, mike_mcfarland@unc.edu