The United States is considered a global center for business and innovation. It’s known for Silicon Valley, Wall Street, and many other powerful bastions of capital. But many don’t associate Georgia with major companies headquartered here. Chick-fil-A, Delta Air Lines, and Coca-Cola are all household names, and what do they have in common? They all began and are based in Georgia. So, how did they originate? What are their operations like today? And what challenges have they faced since their inception?
Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A’s story began in 1946 when S. Truett Cathy founded The Dwarf Grill with his brother Ben in Atlanta. Since its inception, the restaurant has been closed every Sunday in honor of the owners’ Christian religion. Chick-fil-A is still a family business, with the founder’s grandson Andrew Truett as the current CEO, ensuring the family legacy of service and southern hospitality is maintained.
The company is well-known for the phrase “my pleasure,” which employees say to customers in place of “you’re welcome.” Chick-fil-A’s website explains how the founder began this initiative: “When traveling one day, Truett thanked the employee of a high-end hotel and the man responded, ‘my pleasure.’ Struck by that response, Truett encouraged his employees to add that phrase to their daily interactions, something they do to this day.” They now hope to expand this brand worldwide.
Chick-fil-A started its international expansion in 1994, with a location in Alberta, Canada. In 2019, they began their first restaurant in the United Kingdom, but it closed after their sixmonth lease ended partially due to boycotts by a local LGBTQ+ organization. They are in the process of reopening in the United Kingdom.
Paul Trotti, vice president of International Operations at Chick-fil-A and Georgia Tech alum, described how Chick-fil-A is set to further expand globally. On November 7, the company opened its 18th location in Canada. They are also set to open a location in Singapore and restart expansion to the United Kingdom.
Even with ambitious growth plans, the company plans to remain true to its signature “my pleasure” phrase. Coworkers told Trotti the familiar feel of the phrase would not work in local markets like New York City. But it did. He was told the same about Singapore. Recently, Chick-fil-A opened a three-day pop-up store in Singapore and found that the viral phrase was still expected from customers. It seems that customers universally enjoy the phrase because, as Trotti mentioned, “people generally like to be cared for.”
Chick-fil-A uses various business practices to stay at the forefront of the restaurant industry. The company prides itself on selecting local operators to manage its different locations. From a business perspective, this provides both brand recognition and an understanding of local customs and challenges.
Chick-fil-A has also stayed at the forefront of AI development in business. AI is currently used to maximize staff effectiveness and efficiency. Its primary use, however, is to forecast inventory and “knowing exactly what to order.” Chick-fil-A is also passionate about connecting communities, which has led to the company producing content. Trotti denied recent rumors surrounding Chick-fil-A starting a streaming service but discussed the annual Evergreen Hills holiday movie and the Chick-fil-A Play app. He stated, “We’re always looking to invest in kids and families.”
To Georgia Tech students, his best advice is to translate classroom learning into growth opportunities while a student and “see the application of your thinking.” He added that the grit that Tech creates in students is the most useful skill he gained from his own experience at Georgia Tech. As to why work at Chick-fil-A? “Hands down, the people,” said Trotti.
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines took flight on June 17, 1929. It began as the world’s first aerial crop-dusting company and is now the largest and most profitable airline in the world, with a market capitalization of $35.25 billion as of October 2024, and over 100,000 employees.
According to Bloomberg, over 400,000 airline employees lost their jobs during the pandemic, yet Delta Air Lines set an example of proactive corporate action. According to Delta’s memos and financial releases, CEO Ed Bastian and the Delta Air Lines Board of Directors halted their compensation for six months after the pandemic began. Additionally, corporate officers took pay cuts of 50% and managing directors took pay cuts of 25%. This made it possible for the company to avoid laying off employees after the pandemic. However, the company has yet to fully recover to pre-pandemic levels. According to Forbes, in October 2024, Delta’s stock was trading around 15% below its pre-inflation highs of $51 seen in April 2021 on the New York Stock Exchange.
Delta Air Lines and Georgia Tech both benefit from their relationship, as many Delta Air Lines interns and co-ops are Tech students. In the 2024 commencement speech, President Cabrera said of Delta’s CEO: “One thing that I think tested all of us was the unprecedented pandemic we had to go through… I haven’t met a better leader during those very, very difficult years than Ed Bastian.”
Coca-Cola
Of the listed companies, Coca-Cola, founded in 1886, is the oldest. It was the creation of Dr. John Pemberton, who intended for consumers to use the product as a medication. After tinkering with the formula, Pemberton realized the product could be marketed as a fountain drink. The business expanded from the United States to the international market when it became the preferred drink for soldiers in World War II. The Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta and the Coca-Cola-branded cups in the North Avenue Dining Hall at Georgia Tech serve as a constant reminder of the company‘s presence in Georgia. The company is worth over $300 billion and has over 3,500 different drinks.
Despite its 48% market share of the global soda market, Coca-Cola has faced public scrutiny over its product’s health effects, which may be worsening the obesity epidemic in America. A 2020 study featured in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity demonstrated that soft drink intake is directly associated with weight gain. And according to the Centers for Disease Control, about half of America’s population drinks at least one sugary beverage a day; most of these drinks are produced by Coca-Cola.
Coca-Cola began a foundation, aptly named The Coca-Cola Foundation, which aims to counteract the negative notion surrounding its sugary products. Since the foundation’s inception in 1984, the company has donated over $1.5 billion to different causes, including improving education, providing access to safe drinking water, and minimizing plastic waste.
Georgia Tech has invited many industry leaders from these companies to share their insights on its campus, and the university is starting to support the initial stages of more corporations themselves. The Create X program, which aids current students in starting their own business, began in 2014. The program has produced over 560 student startups with a combined valuation of above $2 billion involving over 32,000 students. The most notable company from the program so far is Stord, a warehousing business with a valuation of over $1 billion. Stord has garnered attention from titans such as Peter Thiel, the founder of PayPal. Georgia, with its long history of business, will continue to be an economic force in the United States.
