Federal Express founder Fred Smith passed away Saturday at age 80. The shipping company shared the sad news but kept details about his death private. Smith served as a Marine before starting his business journey. He built FedEx from the ground up back in 1973. The company started small with just a few workers and 14 tiny jets.
Smith ran the business for almost 50 years before he stepped back in 2022. He grew his small startup into a massive company that employs more than 500,000 people around the world. FedEx operates about 700 planes and hundreds of thousands of trucks and vans. Current company leader Raj Subramaniam spoke about the loss on Saturday. He called Smith the heart and soul of the entire organization.
Smith changed how packages move around the country forever. He took an old idea called hub and spoke delivery and made it work for overnight shipping. Airlines and trains had used this method before but Smith applied it to package delivery. He sent all packages through Memphis first before they went to their final stops. This system helped FedEx become the first company to reliably deliver packages overnight.
Subramaniam praised Smith as a mentor and inspiration to many people. He remembered Smith as a proud family man who cared about his workers. The CEO asked people to remember the Smith family during this tough time. Smith leaves behind a company that transformed how businesses and people send important items across America and beyond.
Smith ran the business for almost 50 years before he stepped back in 2022. He grew his small startup into a massive company that employs more than 500,000 people around the world. FedEx operates about 700 planes and hundreds of thousands of trucks and vans. Current company leader Raj Subramaniam spoke about the loss on Saturday. He called Smith the heart and soul of the entire organization.
Smith changed how packages move around the country forever. He took an old idea called hub and spoke delivery and made it work for overnight shipping. Airlines and trains had used this method before but Smith applied it to package delivery. He sent all packages through Memphis first before they went to their final stops. This system helped FedEx become the first company to reliably deliver packages overnight.
Subramaniam praised Smith as a mentor and inspiration to many people. He remembered Smith as a proud family man who cared about his workers. The CEO asked people to remember the Smith family during this tough time. Smith leaves behind a company that transformed how businesses and people send important items across America and beyond.
