Kelley Enterprises (Tennessee)
Kelley Enterprises is a company in the United States which specializes in the production of cotton. It was founded in 1920 in Garland, Tennessee by John Kelley.
Production
Kelley Enterprises is one of the largest cotton producers in Tennessee and in the United States. The company has been in the Kelley family since its foundation in 1920, and is currently owned by Richard Kelley. Kelley Enterprises owns over half of the cotton companies in West Tennessee.
History
John Kelley was a farmer in Covington, Tennessee which is fifty miles north of Memphis. He founded the Kelcot Wharehouses in Garland, Tennessee in the 1920s, which became successful. After Kelley's death, the company ownership passed on to Reese Kelley, John's oldest living son (the first son was John Jr. who died in World War II).
Reese Kelley expanded Kelcot Wharehouses throughout the state and it became Kelley Enterprises. He ran the company alongside his younger brother Albert, who was in charge of the company when Reese retired.
A related company, Kelcot Warehouses, brought in nine million USD in 2005.
Family history
Albert Kelley also served in the State House, before being defeated by Jimmy Nafieh, the current Speaker of the House of Tennessee. Reese had two daughters and it was Albert's sons Richard and Clay Kelley who currently run the business. Richard Kelley is also hold a seat as one of the Ginners on the National Cotton Council.
Most members of the Kelley family attend the University of Mississippi or the University of Tennessee, and are also known for their contribution to politics. Albert Kelley held a seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives, and his niece Theta Roane Kelley also ran for the office and was the Tipton County Schools superintendent at one time.
George Thomas Holland III was on the Memphis City Council and was a Shelby County Commissioner. Holland is the son-in-law of Reese Kelley whose wife, Martha Reese Kelley, is the chair of the League of Women Voters, and a chair of the Tipton County Democratic Party. Many of the Kelley family, such as Patsy Yarborough, are known for contributing endorsements to local political candidates.