Publix CEO Kevin Murphy joined Publix as a front service clerk in Margate, Fla., in 1984, rising to the position of store manager a little over a decade later. Over the next 30 years, he would be promoted to a variety of positions, including district manager in 2003, regional director in 2009, vice president of the Miami division in 2014, senior vice president of retail operations in 2016, and president in 2019.