Former Brownsville resident is JCPenney CEO

The moment was called a little surreal, but for Marvin Ellison, the chief executive officer of JCPenney, it was more, when the national retailer held its grand re-opening in the Old Hickory Mall on Thursday.

“Humbling,” Ellison said. “I shopped at this store with my mother. A store that has been open almost 50 years, and now it feels brand new.”

Family, friends and the Haywood High School marching band were in attendance as Ellison, a native of Brownsville, took time away from running a company listed at No. 250 in the Fortune 500, to unveil a newly renovated 58,000-square-foot store.

“We did not come here a lot, because we did not have a lot of money,” said Ellison, who now calls Dallas home. “We didn’t shop at JCPenney very often.”

It’s possible the doors Ellison entered following the ribbon cutting Thursday were the same doors he and his late mother entered when they did shop at the store; and when the Ellison family made their way to the mall, the occasion was usually very special.

JCP holds grand re-opening at Old Hickory Mall

“When we were buying clothes for Easter or very, very special holiday gifts, this was the key department store that we would frequent,” Ellison said. “When my sister graduated from college at the University of Tennessee at Martin, she bought all of her outfits here for her interviews.”

Ellison’s great-aunt, Mary Brent, is still employed at the JCPenney store at Old Hickory Mall.

Ellison’s rise to CEO began after he picked up a business administration degree in marketing from the University of Memphis, and a Master of Business Administration from Emory University in Atlanta — but it didn’t happen overnight.

He spent 12 years with The Home Depot, following a 15-year run with Target.

With nearly 30 years of experience in retail, he served as The Home Depot’s executive vice president of U.S. stores, and he has been the senior-most operations leader for Home Depot's approximately 2,000 stores.

He was also president of The Home Depot’s Northern Division, where he was responsible for sales and operations of more than 700 stores in 21 states and led a team of more than 150,000 associates.

PHOTO GALLERY: Old Hickory Mall JCPenney Grand Re-Opening

He also serves on the board of directors of FedEx as a member of compensation (and) member of nominating and governance.

But Ellison, who is one of seven children, returned to his roots when addressing those gathered for the grand re-opening.

“I’m a proud citizen of West Tennessee, and I’m proud to represent 104,000 associates of JCPenney,” Ellison said. “We want this store to be a blessing to this community, and we are committed to this community.”

Part of the commitment included a check for $2,500 presented to Sabrina Anderson, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club, before the ribbon cutting.

But there were other commitments he learned in Haywood County long before his swift rise in business began.

One of seven children, Ellison singled out his father, Ivory, who was in attendance for the event.

“Every day, this man got up and went to work,” Marvin Ellison said. “Seven kids, no excuses. We’re very pleased to have a grand re-opening (because) it is important to rededicate our commitment to West Tennessee.”

Reach David Thomas at (731) 425-9637. Follow him on Twitter: @dgthomasbiz