Russell & Co., Hoovers Company Profiles, Whos Who Among African Americans (14th ED), Staff Research. Russell Co. and the other family interests to his children. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. We should pray to have even a fraction of the impact he had on the lives of others! Perry lost the bet believing Russell wouldnt dig in the commode for simply a penny. There was nobody I met in life cheaper than H.J., said Perry, who was overcome with emotion throughout and after the service. Under the leadership of the Russell siblings, the first decade of the new millennium started with a bang. Andrew Young, former Atlanta mayor and U.N. ambassador, on Saturday called Russell one of the giants of our time. He used his talents and experience and hard work to have one of the most successful businesses and African-American businesses in the city and the country, she said. In addition, his company continues to manage concessions at several American airports, including services at Hartsfield-Jackson. #titan Perry then asked for a job description. I also had a stuttering problem at that time. Russell bought his first piece of land when he was 16 for $125. Russell is survived by his wife, Sylvia, sons H. Jerome and Michael Russell, daughter Donata Russell Major, two stepsons and eight grandchildren. He also played a leading role in the modern Civil Rights Movement working very closely with Rev. I want to tell you how lucky I was that Herman was in my life, Holder said. When she stayed with him about a month ago for a few days, he still made an extra effort to pray by his bedside every night. Herman J. Russell, who founded Atlanta-based H. J. Russell & Company in 1952 and Concessions International, LLC, in 1979, is known for helping to build the Atlanta skyline as it's seen today as well as for shaping the airport dining experience for travelers throughout the country and the U. S. Virgin Islands. R.I.P. Back in those days, I faced some tough segregation, Russell said in an interview in March. Lee May (@LeeMay) November 15, 2014. He grew up on a farm near Victoria and graduated from Victoria High School. ATLANTA, GA (NNPA) Herman J. Russell, the native Atlantan born in 1931 from humble beginnings in the Summerhill community who ultimately grew to become founder of the nations most influential African American construction and property management company in southwest Atlanta, from a plastering business in the 50s made transition, on Saturday, Nov. 15, following a brief illness. The couple eventually had three children: Donata, H. Jerome, and Michael. When I was 14, I went in front of the Atlanta City Council (known then as the Board of Aldermen) to ask for the rezoning of a lot that the city owned so I could expand my business. Among the dignitaries who were present Saturday included: Congressman John Lewis, Congressman Hank Johnson, Congressman David Scott, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Morehouse College President John Wilson, Clark Atlanta President Carlton Brown, public relations/marketing entrepreneur Kent Matlock, retired Citizens Trust director Johnnie Clark, Martin Luther King III, Bernice King, Atlanta City Council President Ceasar Mitchell, Maynard Buzzy Jackson III and his wife Wendy, Dr. Louis Sullivan, WXIAs Brenda Wood, environmentalists Laura Turner Seydel and Rutherford Seydel, fundraiser Ann Curry, former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, Coca-Colas Lisa Borders, chair of Habitat for Humanity International board Renee Glover, Dr. David Satcher, Atlanta City Council persons Kwanza Hall and Andrew Dickens, Atlanta Business Leagues Leona Barr Davenport, 2015 Nobel Peace Prize Summit CEO and COO respectively Mohammad Bhuiyan and Shamima Amin, Atlanta Lifes Bill Taggart, former Clayton Chair Eldrin Bell, contract compliance leader Rodney Strong, behind the scenes power-broker Eugene Duffy, retired Coca-Cola executive Ingrid Saunders Jones, photographer Sue Ross, political observer and businessman Dan Halpern, former Russell general counsel Joia Johnson, Andrea Young Thomas and her husband Jerry Thomas, architects George and Laura Heery as well as countless others. I loved him and he will be missed.. Office: (954) 525-1489 For Michael Russell Jr., he said he would remember the passion of his grandfather and how he understood a tight-knit family is rare.. He was the real deal, Perry said recalling when he went to work for the company when he was in his mid 20s. After returning to Atlanta upon graduation, Russell performed small-scale plastering and repair services until he inherited his fathers business, then known as the Rogers Russell Plastering Company, upon his fathers death in 1957. He was 83. Fax: (954) 525-1861, Boxing Legend George Foreman And Actor Khris Davis Share Inspiration Of Big George Foreman Film, Deborah Janes Strange Fruit Film Revisits The Past To Fix The Future In Racial Reconciliation, Former Tesla Executive Explains How Elon Musk Juggles Four Companies And His Time, Jerry Springer Has Died At 79 After Months Of Battling Pancreatic Cancer, Meta Platforms Scrapping Facebook Watch As Jada Pinkett-Smiths Show Sees Its Final Days, Its Time for Blacks to stand up and fight Trump. Soon, he started a shoe-shining business and sold Coca-Colas. Mr. Herman Jerome Russell was born to Maggie Googson and Rogers Russell in Atlanta on December 23, 1930. I am at peace.. Copyright 2023. In 1994 Russells construction businesses were reorganized under H. J. Russell and Company. Noel Khalil, who also was a proteg, told the story of how Russell hired him. He is one of the best men our city has ever produced, said Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. Required fields are marked *. As the nations business environment shifted, so did the company. Nov 15, 2014 The death Saturday of Atlanta business pioneer and philanthrophist Herman J. Russell brought a swell of reaction on social media and other channels: "He was elated and proud of the. With this responsibility, Herman gave me two conflicting pieces of advice, Jordan said. Lee May (@LeeMay) November 15, 2014. An interview with the filmmakers can be found on the H. J. Russell & Company We Build: The Podcast here or on other podcast platforms. Once, when he was working for the elder Russell, he had finished his work and was in the parking lot getting ready to leave. Russell, chairman/CEO of H. J. Russell & Co., was born on December 23, 1930, in Atlanta, one of seven childrenof Maggie and Rogers Russell. Part business generator, innovation lab, and museum, RICE invests in Black entrepreneurs, strengthens businesses, and creates community. In every phase of Atlanta development from Hartsfield (airport) to the present, he was a major and dominant influence, Young said. They came from all walks of life, with sections of the behemoth church set aside for employees of H.J. Atlanta's Founding Father' Herman J. Russell Dies Here's a few of their responses: The entire community mourns the passing of Herman Russell. Nationally prominent Atlanta business leader Herman J. Russell, 83, died Saturday morning after a brief illness. 1952: Establishes H.J. Half-sister of Herman Russell's children wants share of his estate cry. To support the movement for equality and civil rights, he discretely financed the civil rights crusade, bonded outdemonstrators and provided funding for political campaigns thathelped pass landmark legislation to transform American society and race relations. atlanta city council president ceaser mitchell. Jordan, who gave the eulogy at the funeral, said Russell had given him two conflicting directions on how to handle the tribute. Herman J. Russell (1930- ) - BlackPast.org We waded through all of that. Today, the company is at number 25 on the BE Top 100 list. The brilliant construction and real estate magnate passed away at age 83 much like he lived quietly, and leaving behind an enviable legacy and vast business portfolio that spellbinds his contemporaries and legions of admirers alike. As Atlanta natives, we pride ourselves on telling stories of some of the most consequential figures in our citys and states history through film, and it was particularly rewarding to be able to create a documentary about an Atlanta icon who quietly and fearlessly did so much to help create the Atlanta we know today, said co-director, David Duke of Living Stories Film & Video. Herman J. Russell, an entrepreneur and philanthropist who turned a small plastering firm into one of the nations most successful African-American-owned real estate development and construction companies, died Saturday. Russell's other interests are in airport concessions. No one could understand him, but everybody liked him, Jordan said. His father was a plasterer from whom he learned the trade starting at the age of twelve. Because of these dizzying exploits and success, the tributes continue to pour in for Russell, who will be laid to rest this week. He also said there was no entitlement in the Russell household. Dar'shun Kendrick (@DarshunKendrick) November 15, 2014, The country has lost a GIANT, Herman J. Russell. H. He bought his first parcel of land for $125 at age sixteen, later building a duplex on the property. He also was a key member of the Civil Rights movement and broke down barriers for minority entrepreneurs. 1987: Constructs Wachovia Bank operations center in North Carolina. 1962: Establishes H.J. Russell Company headquarters, Photo - Herman Russell during construction of his duplex, 1947, Occupation(s): When we embarked on this family project, we never dreamed his life would be made available to be seen on television, let alone by millions of Delta customers., In the 1980s, Delta had the foresight to put a Black-owned company and a white-owned company together, H. J. Russell & Company and Holder Construction, to build the companys headquarters, said his son H. Jerome Russell, Jr., Chairman of the Board, the Russell Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (RCIE). Atlanta business icon Herman J. Russell has died - ajc I cant express how much we will miss him., Hermans spirit permeated the community. At the same time, his construction partnerships expanded to include residential, educational, commercial, and recreational structures. Half-sister of Herman Russell's children wants share of his estate He was a great citizen, a great business man and a brother. Learn how your comment data is processed. Herman Jerome Russell was born to Maggie Googson and Rogers Russell in Atlanta on Dec. 23, 1930. Russell & Co. The firm has landed several key projects, and the patriarch decided to semi-retire. However, before doing so, H. J. developed the ambitious,mixed-use $300 million development in Castleberry Hill. But most importantly, they bridged two worlds with a close friendship. All Rights Reserved by H.J. By building one of our nations most successful minority-owned companies, his legacy is a shining example for small business owners with big dreams. He has seen me cry. Herman Russell had a major impact on many of us and he lived a great life.- Michael Russell, son of Herman Russell and CEO of H.J. Throughout the decades of enormous success, Mr. Russell continued to give back to the community that nurtured his business pursuits. Business and civil rights icon Herman J. Russell Sr. was celebrated Saturday not with tears of pain, but through laughter and demonstrations of love for a man whose funeral was closed with the song My Way.. Herman said, Vernon, do not speak all day. Building Atlanta: The Story of Herman J. Russell was created in coordination with the Russell family by Emmy Award-winning father and son co-directors, David and John Duke of Living Stories Film & Video. What Falcons NFC South rivals did in 2023 NFL draft. Copyright 2023. The letter said. These are the reasons along with a slew others that cavalcades of dignitaries, civil leaders and politicians are streaming into Atlanta to pause and pay homage to one of the pillars of modern Atlanta. Herman Russell helped to make real the legacy of a city too busy to hate.. Returning to Atlanta, he worked alongside his father. Great Memorial to A great man-Gloria WaddellReport, Your email address will not be published. From being the first African-American member of what was then called the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce to being an inaugural member of the board of directors of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Social Change, Inc. (The King Center). Along the way, he broke virtually every racial and economic barrier. They picked Herman first, and then we were brought in. Joseph Lowery. He was mistaken. He was not just a local businessman, but a visionary and one of the men who built Atlanta as we know it today. R.I.P., Herman J. Russell, influential construction and development He taught us that the greatest love we could show our children was to love our spouses.. Along with being an inimitable and distinctive business leader and icon, who created H.J. He released his autobiography, Building Atlanta: How I Broke Through Segregation to Launch a Business Empire, last April. He had a good mind and sharp pencil., Andrew Young, former Atlanta Mayor and ambassador to the United Nations, He is one of the best men our city has ever produced. Russell & Company is currently involved with the construction of the $1.3 billion Atlanta Falcons stadium development. Russell did. 1989: Constructs Delta Flight Operations Center.