J. Bruce Llewellyn
Encyclopedia
J. Bruce Llewellyn was a prominent American businessman. His personal wealth has been estimated to exceed $160 million. In 1963 he joined others to found 100 Black Men of America
, a social and philanthropic organization. In 1985 he and a group of business partners, among them Julius Erving
and Bill Cosby
, bought a majority share of the Philadelphia Coca-Cola Bottling Company, the first of the company's bottling plants to be acquired by a black person or persons.
. His parents came to the United States in 1921. After two years the family moved to Westchester County, settling in White Plains, in a predominantly white middle-class environment. Llewellyn went to integrated schools. Llewellyn worked in his father's bar and restaurant and sold magazines and Fuller Brush products. In 1943 Llewellyn joined the US Army where he served as a first lieutenant.
.
His wife of 30 years, Shahara Ahmad-Llewellyn was Vice Chair of Philly Coke and serves as Vice Chair of Jazz at Lincoln Center. His daughter, Jaylaan Ahmad-Llewellyn, is a Harvard graduate and founder of Bluhammock Music. His mother, Vanessa Llewellyn, a Jamaican immigrant, lived to be 103.
100 Black Men of America
100 Black Men Of America is a men's civic organization and service club whose stated goal is to educate and empower African American children and teens. As of 2009 the organization has 110 chapters and over 10,000 members in different cities in the United States and throughout the world...
, a social and philanthropic organization. In 1985 he and a group of business partners, among them Julius Erving
Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II , commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a retired American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim....
and Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby
William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
, bought a majority share of the Philadelphia Coca-Cola Bottling Company, the first of the company's bottling plants to be acquired by a black person or persons.
Early life
Llewellyn was born in Harlem, New York, the son of immigrants from JamaicaJamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. His parents came to the United States in 1921. After two years the family moved to Westchester County, settling in White Plains, in a predominantly white middle-class environment. Llewellyn went to integrated schools. Llewellyn worked in his father's bar and restaurant and sold magazines and Fuller Brush products. In 1943 Llewellyn joined the US Army where he served as a first lieutenant.
Family
His sister Dorothy Cropper became a judge on the New York State Court of Claims, and his daughter, Alexandra Marie Llewellyn, is married to Tom ClancyTom Clancy
Thomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...
.
His wife of 30 years, Shahara Ahmad-Llewellyn was Vice Chair of Philly Coke and serves as Vice Chair of Jazz at Lincoln Center. His daughter, Jaylaan Ahmad-Llewellyn, is a Harvard graduate and founder of Bluhammock Music. His mother, Vanessa Llewellyn, a Jamaican immigrant, lived to be 103.
Education
- City University of New York, BS;
- New York Law School, JD, 1960;
- Columbia University, MBA;
- New York University, MPA.
Career
- Harlem liquor store, 1952–1956, proprietor;
- New York County district-attorney's office, 1958–1960, student assistant;
- Evans, Berger, & Llewellyn, 1962–1965;
- Housing and Redevelopment Board of New York City, 1964–1965;
- Small Business Development Corporation, 1965–1967, regional director;
- New York City Housing and Development Administration, 1967–1969, deputy commissioner of housing;
- Fedco Food Stores, 1969–1984, president;
- Freedom National Bank in Harlem, 1971-, board member, 1973-1975 chairman;
- Overseas Private Investment Corporation, 1977–1981, head;
- Dickstein, Shapiro, & Marin, 1982–?, partner;
- Philadelphia Coca-Cola Bottling Company, 1985–, chairman and chief executive officer;
- WKBW-TV, 1986–, chairman.
Awards
- Among Black Enterprise magazine's top black business owners, 2001;
- Inducted into the Black Entrepreneurs Hall of Fame, 2004;
- President's Medal of Honor, New York University, 2004;
- Recipient of more than ten honorary doctorate degrees.
External links
- Mission Statement from 100 Black Men of America
- New York Times: J. Bruce Llewellyn, Who Forged a Path For Blacks in Business, Is Dead at 82
- Black Enterprise: Former B.E. 100s Business Mogul Passes
- Time Magazine: Banking: Relating to the Community (Friday, January 28, 1966)
- http://www.jbrucellewellyn.com