Former Chairman of the Florida Citrus Commission Ben Hill Griffin III passed away on July 25, 2020. He was 78 years old. Griffin served as a commissioner from 1971 through 1974 and 1981 through 1986, including as Chairman from 1984 to 1986.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Below is an interview with Griffin originally published Oct. 10, 2014.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n FROSTPROOF<\/strong> – Citrus may be in Ben Hill Griffin III\u2019s blood, but that didn\u2019t stop him from having to sweat his way to the top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Son of legendary citrus grower Ben Hill Griffin Jr.<\/a>, Griffin didn\u2019t get a free pass. Instead, he got hands-on training from one of the industry\u2019s finest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the age of 8, he felt the heat of the greenhouse \u2013 and learned it\u2019s not easy to avoid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI found out that there weren\u2019t any shade trees in a nursery,\u201d Griffin said. \u201cYou grow little trees no more than knee high, so it can get pretty hot in the summertime.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In high school, he experienced the back-breaking work of harvesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt taught me at an early age what a laborious task it is to pick fruit on a day-to-day basis,\u201d Griffin said. \u201cIt was really an eye-opening experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n From there, his education continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After earning a degree from the College of Central Florida<\/a> and attending the University of Florida<\/a>, Griffin spent a year at the Lake Alfred Citrus Experiment Station<\/a> before heading back to the company his father built, Ben Hill Griffin Inc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There, Griffin worked for years under his father\u2019s guidance to gain experience in processing, fertilizer, sales and harvesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe taught me all the phases of the citrus industry,\u201d Griffin said. \u201cEvery facet of the industry, I\u2019ve had the opportunity to know firsthand and work firsthand. It\u2019s rare to have the opportunity to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it wasn\u2019t all citrus all the time. Griffin\u2019s father mixed in some basic life lessons, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t be late,\u201d Griffin laughed as he echoed his father\u2019s words. \u201cIf you have an appointment, be there on time. If you don\u2019t have the correct answer, tell them that you\u2019ll go get it and bring it back to them at the best of your efforts. And, be a man of your word.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Griffin applies those lessons in his position as CEO and Chairman of the Board of the business his father started, Ben Hill Griffin Inc. His son, Ben Hill Griffin IV, serves as president. Becoming an industry leader in his own right, Griffin was inducted into the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame in 2009<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n