J. Frank Harrison, III is the Chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated, the second largest Coca-Cola bottler in the United States. The company operates in 11 states and had net sales in 2009 of nearly $1.5 billion. Its stated purpose is “To honor God in all we do, to serve other, to pursue excellence, to grow profitably”.
Harrison has served in the leadership capacity at the Charlotte, North Carolina-based company since December 1996. But his roots with the company date back to 1902 when his great-grandfather J.B. Harrison first introduced Coca-Cola to the Carolinas.
A graduate of the University of North Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, Harrison received his MBA at Duke University in 1983. He began serving with Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated in 1977 and worked in a variety of positions, including division sales manager and vice president.
In 2008, Harrison and his late son, J. Franklin Harrison IV, founded With Open Eyes, a non-profit ministry that has offered assistance to war-torn Sudan. In recent years, he’s led teams that have traveled to Sudan.
Harrison and his wife, Jan, have been married for 32 years and live in Charlotte. They have three daughters and two grandchildren.