From Jim Crow to CEO

Memoir by Flint multimillionaire industrialist Willie E. Artis. From a very young age, Artis learned the value of money and relationships, navigating through perilous circumstances in a segregated South. Blessed with a keen mind, Artis worked several jobs from the ground up and excelled in each one. In the midst of his advancement, he was fortunate enough to live through one of America’s greatest music booms—the Memphis blues, traveling with none other than B.B. King himself. Artis' dream for a better life away from Jim Crow in the South led him north to Chicago, where he was introduced to industrial packaging. His mastery of this field laid the groundwork for decades of success that yielded not only a CEO title and a multimillion-dollar empire, but the opportunity to become a sought-after partner by top corporations and later the Obama Administration.

For all of his successes, however, Artis credits the love of his wife, Veronica, as his greatest achievement. Partners in business as well as in love, Willie and Veronica Artis serve as a model of American ingenuity and generosity as they continue to build a corporate and philanthropic legacy in their home city of Flint, Michigan. From Jim Crow to CEO: The Willie Artis Story embodies Willie’s wish to share what he has learned with the next generation.