G. Gilmer Minor, III, Owens & Minor, Inc.’s current Chairman Emeritus and Chairman, President, and CEO, has died. Highlights of his professional and personal life are detailed on the company website. Excerpts from his amazing life and legacy include:
From the day he joined his family’s business, Gil followed a simple, yet powerful, philosophy that guided his leadership and helped transform Owens & Minor into an industry leader — be honest, always, and know that there is no right way to do a wrong thing. An innovator, pioneer and lifelong learner, he believed that the real heart of any organization is its people. One of Gil’s many enduring legacies will be the fact that he instilled this sense of teamwork, and his deeply held values, at every level of the company.
“Gil’s honesty, integrity, and unrelenting passion for Owens & Minor to be the best when it comes to serving our healthcare customers are the bedrock that our IDEAL values were built on,” commented Edward A. Pesicka, President and CEO, Owens & Minor. “His friendship and guidance were invaluable to me and many other teammates and will continue to contribute to the company’s success.”
Minor spent his entire career with Owens & Minor Inc., joining the company right out of college in 1963, earning a BA in History from Virginia Military Institute (VMI). He later earned an MBA from the University of Virginia’s Colgate Darden School of Business Administration in 1966. He worked in a variety of escalating sales, operations, and management roles before becoming President in 1981 and CEO in 1984.
Minor was elected Chairman of the Board in 1994, resigned as President in April 1999, and retired as Chairman and CEO in 2005. He remained on the Board of Directors as non-executive Chairman until 2013 when he became Chairman Emeritus.
Among his many awards, Mr. Minor earned the Flame Bearer of Education Award from the United Negro College Fund in 1998, and received the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Award of Excellence in 2009. In 2001, he was named Virginia Industrialist of the Year, and in 2003, he was inducted into the Greater Richmond Business Hall of Fame. Mr. Minor earned both the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award and the B’nai B’rith National Healthcare Award in 2004. For his contributions to the Virginia Military Institute, he received the VMI Foundation’s highest accolade, the Distinguished Service Award, in 2008.
In addition to his professional achievements, Mr. Minor was an active volunteer and member of numerous civic, economic, educational, and humanitarian organizations. He was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Virginia State Council of Higher Education (SCHEV). Mr. Minor is also a member of the Virginia Business Higher Education Council (VBHEC), and a previous Chairman. Mr. Minor was named to the Commission on Higher Education Reform, Innovation, and Investment by Governor McDonnell in May 2010. He was also a member of the St. Christopher’s School Board of Governors for six years and a past President of the VMI Board of Visitors and the VMI Foundation.
Mr. Minor was also honored into the VMI Athletic Hall of Fame in football and baseball in 2011. After retiring, Mr. Minor founded Minor and Major, LLC, a coaching and mentoring firm. Mr. Minor and his wife, former Portsmouth, Virginia resident Charlotte Major, have two children and three grandchildren.
