Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Mr.
Hyde received a bachelor's degree in economics from the University
of North Carolina in 1965. Later that year, he joined Malone & Hyde,
Inc., the wholesale food company founded by his grandfather
in 1907, and initiated and developed Malone and Hyde's specialty
retailing division.
He was the first president of
Super D Drugs and in 1968 was elected president of Malone & Hyde.
In 1972, he assumed the additional role of chairman, the position
he held until 1988 when Malone & Hyde was sold to Fleming
Companies. Under Mr. Hyde, the company became the nation's
third largest wholesale food distributor with annual sales
of over 3 billion dollars. In 1979, he founded Memphis-based
AutoZone, the retail auto parts chain, as a division of Malone & Hyde.
In 1987, AutoZone was spun off as a free standing company.
He served as chairman and CEO until 1996 when he passed on
his CEO title.
In March of 1997, Mr. Hyde retired
from active management of AutoZone, but remains on the board
of directors. Today, AutoZone, the country's largest auto parts
chain, has 3,200 stores in 48 states. Presently, he–along with
his wife, Barbara–are the founding members and executives of
the Hyde Family Foundations. Furthermore, he is the owner and
president of Pittco Holdings, Inc. One major focus of his broad
portfolio of investments is Worthington Hyde Properties, LP,
a real estate company based in Atlanta specializing in the
development of multi-family housing and limited-service hotels.
Mr. Hyde is chairman of GTx Inc,
a publicly held biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the
discovery, development and commercialization of therapeutics
primarily related to the treatment of serious men's health
conditions. Mr. Hyde serves as a director for FedEx Corporation,
and is actively engaged in the creation of a biotech research
park for Memphis. He is married to the former Barbara Rosser
and the couple has five children. He supports numerous Memphis-based
educational, cultural and charitable organizations and is past
chairman of Memphis Tomorrow.