Amos R. McMullian is retired chairman of the board of Flowers Foods, the largest U.S.-based producer and marketer of packaged bakery foods. For 22 years, Amos served as the company’s fourth CEO, guiding Flowers Foods through one of its greatest periods of expansion and growth, during which the company began its transformation from regional baker to a national food company. Under his leadership, built on the values of honor, courage, and commitment he honed during his service in the U.S. Marines, Flowers engaged in more than 60 mergers and acquisitions, embraced the move to more highly automated “next-generation bakeries,” expanded into new segments within the bakery category, and helped build the baking industry’s first billion-dollar bread brand, Nature’s Own.
Amos’ business philosophy centered around achieving success through the concepts of least-cost manufacturing, quality products, innovation in manufacturing and distribution systems, and emphasis on employee achievement and advancement. His ability to take the “long view,” allowed the company’s management team to take best advantage of business and industry trends.
A strong believer in personal and corporate citizenship, Amos promoted involvement in the political process that would support the values of limited government, free enterprise through a market-oriented economy, and individual freedom with individual responsibility. He was instrumental in establishing FloPAC as one of the country’s first political action committees and in the development of the American Bakers PAC. Throughout his career, he gave back to the industry and business, serving in leadership roles with the boards of the American Bakers Association, Quality Bakers of America, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, and the Georgia Research Alliance.
Amos McMullian’s career with Flowers began after serving three years in the Marines and graduating from Florida State University in Tallahassee. In 1963, he was hand-picked to join the company’s management team by W. H. Flowers, Jr., son of the company’s founder and the company’s second CEO. He began his career as assistant manager, first at the Thomasville bakery, then at the newly acquired Atlanta Baking Company. After serving as regional vice president, he was named president and chief operating officer and elected to Flowers’ board of directors in 1976; five years later, he was named CEO, succeeding Langdon S. Flowers. He was elected chairman of the board in 1985. Following his retirement as CEO in 2003, he continued to serve as non-executive chairman of the board until 2005. He retired as chairman emeritus in 2019.
