A product of a loving, concerned, and caring family, Joseph H. "Jay" Campbell, Jr. was raised in an environment where values and conscience were indelibly marked on his character forever. A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, he attended the Jesuit High School there prior to enrolling at Louisiana State University (LSU).

Quite active while a student at LSU, Campbell participated in a number of associations. He was a member of Beta Alpha Psi, honorary Accounting Fraternity and later served as president of the Fraternity while a freshman in the LSU Law School. He also held the position of treasurer of the Student Bar Association. Campbell pursued his studies with the same ambition, graduating from LSU in 1973 with a B.S. in accounting - (15th of 92 in the Accounting Department and 40th of 454 in the College of Business Administration) and then from the Law Center in 1976 with an average of 76 out of a maximum of 89.

Undoubtedly Campbell's life would have been quite different if he had followed his initial goal to become a Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.) agent. The choice to major in accounting was one step toward the achievement of that goal and step two was to secure a law degree. However, while completing these steps, his objectives changed once he was exposed to the wonderful people and challenges of the wholesale grocery business.

Campbell's relationship with Associated Grocers, Inc., in Baton Rouge developed while he was an undergraduate student at LSU and worked for them part time as a bookkeeper. During law school he stayed with Associated Grocers, working as a part time accountant and eventually managing a small department. Upon graduation, Campbell began working full time as the internal auditor and in-house legal counsel for the company. He has since worked his way up the ladder through a variety of positions including assistant controller, controller, treasurer, chief financial officer, and chief operating officer. Campbell is currently the president/CEO of Associated Grocers, Inc., which services independent retail grocers in four states and is privately owned by the retailers that it serves. Its sales for the current fiscal year will exceed $445 million.

Despite his heavy workload, Campbell puts great effort into his involvement with various types of organizations. Throughout his career he has served on the boards of directors for several business associations including Shurfine International, Inc.; Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce and National Grocers' Association. He was a member of the board of Horizon Federal Savings and Loan as well as Southeast Merchants, Inc. He also held the position of chairman of Food Distributors, International; Retailer-Owned Research Company, Inc; Retailer-Owned Food Distributors and Associates, Inc. as well as the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry.

A man of compassion, Campbell has also proved to be a tremendous asset to humanitarian causes through his work with the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center; the General Health Foundation; Capital Area United Way; the Association of Retarded Citizens and the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank.

Along with his many civic activities, Campbell proudly serves as a member of the Baton Rouge and Louisiana State Bar Associations as well as the Knights of Columbus. He has also been actively involved with the Louisiana Boys State Program since attending the program in the summer of 1968 as a high school junior.

Campbell is married to the former Elizabeth Ann Clay of Baton Rouge.

[ Personal Reflections ]