Montgomery businessman Greg Calhoun dies at 66
Published 12:01 am Friday, October 12, 2018
Longtime Montgomery businessman and Calhoun Grocery Store owner, Greg Calhoun, died Thursday, according to his daughter and Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson. He was 66.
Calhoun died in Los Angeles, according to his daughter, ShaKenya Calhoun, who said Greg Calhoun lost consciousness and never woke up.
She wrote in a Facebook post that her family was “truly grateful for the time they had with Calhoun, and they will cherish the memories of him forever.”
“Today my father, Greg Calhoun was granted his Heavenly wings in Los Angeles, CA at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at 5:55 a.m.,” she wrote. “The Lord called home a true General in the Army. Words can’t express the shock and hurt we are enduring at this moment, but we know God does not make any mistakes. Lord knows we are truly grateful for the time God has given us with him. Words can’t express his character. Many great memories that we will forever cherish in our hearts. Please keep my family and I lifted up in prayer during this difficult time.”
Greg Calhoun founded Calhoun Enterprises, Inc. in 1984, according to Bloomberg, and operated as a fast food service distribution, and operated grocery stores in Selma and Montgomery.
“He was a great guy and a great businessman,” said Jackson. “I go to know him really well when I was a Selma Municipal Judge dealing with theft cases on some of the people who entered his store.
“We had meetings and strategy plans on how to reduce the thefts,” Jackson said. “I later got to know his family very well.”
Former Selma Mayor George Evans praised Calhoun for his great business sense. He said Calhoun Groceries was on the corner of JL Chestnut Blvd. and Lapsley Street.
“I remember being a hard worker,” Evans said. “He had a good business going on. He was a no non-sense type of guy and believed in successfully managing businesses. He knew how to run a successful business.”
Selma City Council President Corey Bowie also remembered Calhoun as a strong businessman.
“We have lost a great business pioneer in the community,” Bowie said. “My prayers are with the Calhoun family during the loss of Mr. Calhoun.”
Current Selma Mayor Darrio Melton considered Calhoun as a role model for businessmen.
“Today we mourn the passing of a giant of a man, Gregory Calhoun. Greg was a model human being, businessman, and citizen whom we all admired and will miss greatly,” Melton said.
Calhoun also founded the Greg Calhoun Foundation, which hosted a golf tournament for many years that brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Sickle Cell Foundation.
Calhoun also partnered with entertainer Steve Harvey on a number of projects, including Alabama State University’s Turkey Day Classic, which they helped promote until 2017. The pair also met with President Donald Trump in 2017 to discuss creating jobs for the American people.
Calhoun was involved in business ventures with Magic Johnson and had connections with Michael Jackson and Prince.