Marcia G. Taylor

Marcia Taylor was born in Bluford, Illinois, in 1944, and was raised on a farm. "My father came from a long line of farmers," she says. "Both sets of grandparents were on either side of our farm, and I had aunts and uncles nearby. Being surrounded by family was a nice way to grow up. It was a very safe environment."

Taylor's father took care of not only his own farm, but also his parents'. He mostly raised soybeans, wheat, corn, and hay. "It was a challenging and physically demanding existence," says Taylor. "We raised most of the food we ate and only went to the grocery store for things like flour and sugar. Both of my parents had a strong work ethic. They were honest, God-fearing people who were always ready to help their neighbors."

As a child, Taylor especially enjoyed harvest time. "All the neighbors would come together for the harvest," she says. "The women would prepare a large meal for lunch, and I will never forget how much fun that was, with everyone talking and laughing and eating delicious home-grown food."

When Taylor was 14, her father suffered from a fatal heart attack. The loss was devastating for the family and Taylor's mother, who had never worked outside the home and did not have a driver's license, was not prepared for the added responsibility. "Basically my childhood was over then," says Taylor. "My mother leaned on me a lot, and I grew up quickly. We had to sell our equipment, and eventually we sold the farm."

Two years later, Taylor married. "It wasn't the best decision I ever made, to marry so young," she says, "but I felt that I was grown up and ready for adult life." She had three children by the time she was 19, and worked in a pharmacy during the day and in a bar at night while her mother watched them. Eventually, Taylor's husband became physically and emotionally abusive, and Taylor decided to leave the area with her children.

She moved to Georgia and began working for Specialized Truck Services in 1971, where she met J.D. Garrison. He taught Taylor about the trucking business and the two married soon thereafter. In 1974, Taylor and Garrison bought their own trucking company. "We only had $500 cash," she says, "and we bought the company on credit, something you couldn't do today. George Bennett Motor Express had only 15 trucks, 30 trailers, and only two contracts. It was touch and go at first, and we worked long hours."

By 1981, Bennett International Group LLC had stabilized and was profiting. While on a business trip to Houston, Garrison, who was a smoker and in the beginning stages of emphysema, visited a smoking cessation clinic for an injection. The syringe used for his injection was mistakenly full of gram-negative bacteria, which caused a widespread infection. Upon returning to Georgia, Garrison became ill and was hospitalized. He died a week later.

"This was probably the hardest time of my life," says Taylor. "I was devastated. I had so many people depending on me, my mother and children, as well as my employees. The trucking industry is male-dominated, and it was even more so in those days. I didn't know of any other women in a leadership role in trucking, so I was uncertain about running the business on my own. But my employees thought I could do it and said they would stand by me. I really felt like I had no choice but to go on. I quickly discovered, however, that working with people who believe in you gives you the strength to go forward."

The future brought many opportunities for Taylor to shape and change Bennett in response to diverse customer demands, and it quickly became one of the nation's largest privately held, family-owned transportation companies.

Taylor drew on her inner strength to bring her company to that position, but she insists that it was a team effort. "My three adult children, David, Danny, and Lynette, all work in the business, and that is one of my greatest joys. Of course, they practically grew up in the company. They have started some of our divisions and are an integral part of who we are today as a company. I am proud to say, we are a third-generation family business. I now have five of my grandchildren that work in various departments of the business. My husband, Michael Kay, has been with me for 23 years, and he is the one who brings so much adventure and love into my life. He makes sure that I always take time for fun, whether it is at our vacation home in Wyoming or traveling together to new places."

The most important thing that Taylor has learned from her years in business is to rely on her core set of values, integrity, honesty, and faith, and to be resilient and to take risks. "I had to learn to be fearless," she says. "I came to understand that if I tried something and failed, it would be okay, because I could bounce back and try again."

Taylor defines her success as her family and employees. "My success has given my children and grandchildren a better future than my circumstances allowed when I was a young adult. I care about them, and I care about my Bennett family. If they are able to live up to their full potential, then I can count myself successful."

Of her Horatio Alger Award, Taylor says, "I am deeply humbled to be receiving this award. Becoming a Horatio Alger Member is one of the greatest honors of my life. I'm excited about the opportunities it will give me to mentor the Scholars, who I want to support in whatever way I can."

In 2012, Bennett International Group was named Georgia's Family Business of the Year by Cox Family Enterprise. In 2014, Taylor received the Women in Trucking Association's Influential Woman in Trucking Award, and in 2016, she received an honorary doctorate of commerce from Clayton State University in Georgia.

Taylor has supported local charities, especially those focused on health care, patriotism, and women and children in crisis. The Taylor Family Foundation was established in 2012 to support local and nationwide charities. "I want my grandchildren to learn the importance of giving back," says Taylor. "One of the organizations I get them involved with is a scholarship program for young adults who have left school early. They realize they need to go back to further their education so that they can get better jobs, and we are helping with that endeavor."