Part 1 of a 2-part series
By Kathy Eggleston
“First of all, he could have said no. Everybody was knocking on his door,” reflected retired Broward County Libraries Director Samuel F. Morrison, following news of the death of legendary entrepreneur and local billionaire philanthropist H. Wayne Huizenga on March 22 at age 80.
Morrison, the visionary catalyst behind the lengthy building campaign and ultimate opening of Broward’s African American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC), only the third in the nation at the time of its opening in 2002, described Huizenga’s role as one of the first business leaders to offer major support to the project.
Dillard High School alumnus Johnny C. Taylor Jr. was present at the meeting as a legal affairs vice president in one of Huizenga’s operations at the time.
Morrison continued, “Two things: he [Huizenga] actually went outside with Gale, outside the conference room where we were meeting. When he came back, he said the gift would be a million dollars.”
Fifteen years later AARLCC’s significance to the Black community and the whole of Broward County is undeniable. Stated Morrison, “The last time I checked, we are approaching a million visitors a year to that facility.”
Former Huizenga companies executive Taylor thinks the entrepreneur’s lauded philanthropy sometimes overshadows his record as a jobs creator who had a knack for enterprises rich in jobs one could get without a college degree – Waste Management, Blockbuster, AutoNation, etc. By nationally scaling these companies, front line customer service and mechanical/industrial positions could deliver competitive full-time salaries and benefits, allowing breadwinners to support families.
“We’re talking about the ‘90’s. Look at his executive teams,” Taylor continued. “I worked for him twice, as head of H.R. and legal. He had Leslye Mundy, God rest her soul, as his chief communications officer. Jim Cole, an African-American, was general counsel of the entire AutoNation enterprise. Jonathan Mariner with the sports teams went on to become the CFO of Major League Baseball. He {Huizenga] was forward thinking. He was bringing in African-Americans in senior roles before it was the thing to do because he wasn’t doing it because it was the thing to do,” Taylor recounted.
Taylor himself says he went on to senior management positions with three billionaires, before a long tenure as CEO of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund. In December 2017 he took the helm as president & CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management, a global professional association with 300,000 members. He believes his early experience with Wayne Huizenga changed his professional life.
“I met Wayne in 1993 and his company, Blockbuster at the time, extended an offer to me to join legal affairs. From the day I came in I realized that I would be judged purely on merit. If I worked hard, if I worked smart, I would be given an opportunity. In 1995 it was Wayne’s decision to make me the youngest vice president in the company, in charge of human resources at a ripe old 26 year of age. The reason I took that job was that he said, ‘You’re doing a great job in legal because you’re winning but you’re reacting to problems. I want you in a position that will help us avoid the problems,'” Taylor offered.
Taylor says Huizenga’s impact on him personally was twofold. “He was such a supporter of my career. Those early decisions, those promotions — the pay that comes with it — if people get on you early you have a head start,” Taylor said. And while highlighting Huizenga’s business record, his philanthropy is not lost at all on Taylor. “It really informed the leader I came to be, he stated. “Wayne was a capitalist who realized that God had blessed him in very significant ways. He taught me that you can do well and do good.”