A Timeless Formula For Success
He rocked back in the creaky desk chair as he had so many other evenings after his final dispatch. The rest of the office had closed shop and were well on their ways homeward as Gil stared out of the window at the fading light. Months of deliberation had convinced him he was making the right decision. “I’m ready”, he thought. The time had come.
After years of service with the Fruit Dispatch Service, a division of United Fruit Company and the forerunner of Chiquita Banana, Gilbert Watson Palmer decided to form his own produce brokerage business, and for good reason. The economy was booming. Brokerage rates were 10 cents per 100 pounds of potatoes or onions, and ice-bunkered rail cars from California meant fresher produce for the Memphis market. The future never looked brighter than that spring of 1929.
Of course the survival and growth of any business depends on more than just timing. That’s something Gilbert proved time and again as he weathered the Depression, World War II, and all the variables this industry could throw at him over the next 35 years. The Blue Books Four X Trading Member rating he achieved in 1934, speaks volumes about the work ethic and values he insisted upon for his company’s performance.
In 1946 when “Gil” Palmer, Jr. joined the business after serving as a major in the U.S. Army the dedication to his father’s principles had already been established as a second-generation credo. The industry had advanced light years of course, from telegraphs and hand-delivered confirmations to operator-assisted telephone calls. Still, the reliability and business ethics of the Palmer name continued to be the foundation for the company.
Today, in an industry that can change with every season and practically every telephone call or email, a constant that remains these 85 years later is building business relationships through honesty, reliability and integrity. Under the leadership of grandson Alston J. Palmer, this once small regional brokerage company has experienced a national and even international growth. Offices under the G.W. Palmer & Co. banner have opened in Nashville, TN, Tampa, FL, Upstate New York, and in both Salinas and Pismo Beach, CA.
In each case, the people we have brought on board have the same high regard in the industry and standing in their communities that Mr. Palmer, Sr. would have insisted upon in his day. It is the people of G.W. Palmer & Co. who make us what we are. This has been our timeless formula for success and is what insures an ever-brighter future.
