Roz Brewer and John Brock to be honored at 30th annual JA Atlanta Business Hall of Fame

Originally published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle by Maria Saporta

Two iconic Atlanta business leaders will be honored at the 2019 JA Atlanta Business Hall of Fame on Feb. 23 at the InterContinental Buckhead.

They are Rosalind "Roz" Brewer, chief operating officer and group president of Starbucks Corp. (Nasdaq: SBUX); and John F. Brock, retired CEO of Coca-Cola European Partners (NYSE: CCE).

The JA Hall of Fame is one of the top recognitions highlighted in Atlanta each year. It honors people for their distinguished careers and philanthropic achievements in the Atlanta community.

The 2019 Hall of Fame will be the 30th annual for JA Georgia.

Before joining Starbucks, Brewer was president and CEO of Sam’s Club, a division of Walmart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT). She was the first woman and first African-American to fill the role of CEO at one of Walmart Stores.

Brewer is a native of Detroit who moved to Atlanta to attend Spelman College, graduating in 1984. She joined Spelman’s board of trustees in 2006, and she now serves as chair of its board. Brewer also chaired the search for Spelman President Mary Schmidt Campbell, who joined the Historically Black College and University in 2015.

Brewer joined Walmart in 2006 as its regional vice president responsible of overseeing operations in Georgia.

Prior to joining Walmart, Brewer worked for 22 years at Kimberly-Clark Corp., where she eventually became president of the Global Nonwovens Sector in 2004. Brewer serves on the board of Lockheed Martin Corp. Fortune Magazine recently named her to its 2018 Most Powerful Women in Business list.

Before retiring as CEO of Coca-Cola European Partners in December 2016, Brock served as chairman and CEO of Coca-Enterprises from 2006 to May 2016 (when there was a merger of European bottlers).

Brock began his career with Procter & Gamble and later joined Cadbury Schweppes, serving in several executive roles, becoming its COO in 2000. From 2003 to 2006, Brock was CEO of InBev.

Currently, Brock serves on the board of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.

Brock also has served in multiple civic leadership roles in Atlanta, and he chairs the GT Foundation. Brock, who as a BS and MS in chemical engineering from Georgia Tech, also chaired the university’s recent capital campaign.

He also is chair of Horizons Atlanta, an organization focused on summer learning for under-served children. Brock and his son, John IV, are co-owners of Team Envy and the Dallas Fuel, which are eSports teams. His wife, Mary, also is a co-owner of the Atlanta Dream. They have three children and seven grandchildren.

To find out more about the event, click here.

More than hopes and dreams: JA Academy

Daniel’s growth while in the JA Academy has been monumental. To go from a student who didn’t go out of his way to avoid trouble, to a student who is respected by his peers and sitting at the top of his class is no small feat.

As the oldest child, his determination to change the narrative for his family pushed him to get his head in the game and commit to becoming successful. The comradery and culture of JA Academy has helped to open his eyes to the opportunities that exist beyond the classroom walls, and has given him the skills and support to actual act on those opportunities.

Daniel’s sense of pride in the person he is becoming, and the responsibility he has to lead the way for his family and peers is an inspiration to us all.

Hear more of his story here.

Just the beginning: JA Academy

Octavious’s story is marked by triumphs and tribulations that make up many students’ lives – but his journey is far from over.

JA Academy ignited a hunger for learning and success in Octavious that he hadn’t previously experienced. His classes and teachers were engaging with him, and he began to see the value of education and creating a path for himself.

In the midst of this forward progress, life outside of school became a bigger challenge than he imagined, and balancing the two began to put his future in question.

Hear more about how JA Academy helped keep Octavious on track, and support him through it all: