How a Retired FedEx Exec Built a Mini Sandwich Empire
Edith Kelly-Green was ready to settle into a retirement when her family convinced her to open a Lenny's Sub Shop franchise.
Local hero: Edith Kelly-Green of Lenny's Sub Shop.
PhotoŠ Rob Culpepper
In 2004 Edith Kelly-Green was settling into retirement. After almost 30 years with FedEx--ultimately serving as vice president and chief sourcing officer for FedEx Express at the company's Memphis, Tenn., headquarters--her days consisted of waking up early, reading at Starbucks and working on the finances of several nonprofits.
A suggestion from her family prompted Kelly-Green to consider opening. "My daughter was a college sophomore at the time and said, âI eat there all the time. You have to invest!'" she remembers. "I knew the CEO and called him, thinking I'd just invest some capital. But he convinced me I'd be happier as a franchisee."
