JOHN PEYTON
PRESIDENT, GATE PETROLEUM, JACKSONVILLE
Peyton says he learned from his father, Herb Peyton — the company’s founder — that the most important person in business is the person who interacts with the customer. “It was critical for me to learn the company from the ground up and work a wide variety of positions so that I could appreciate all that employees face every day,” he says. “This experience was more valuable than anything I learned in a classroom.”
| EDUCATION | Mercer University (BA), Harvard Business School Executive Education program graduate |
| FLORIDA ISSUE | Needed reforms to the civil justice system that will prevent abusive practices that harm businesses and drive up costs for consumers |
| ALTERNATE CAREER? | In college, my dream was to be in broadcast journalism. Although if I were in school today, I’m not sure I would choose that degree over again. |
| PHILANTHROPIC PASSION | Early literacy is a cause I feel very passionately about as it is one of the best indicators for success of a child. |