Breaking the cycle: Lester Nuby Jr.'s success formula

Lester Nuby Jr. was born in a run-down house on Bell Springs Mountain near Falkville, Ala., but he made a decision at an early age that he would break free of the bondage of poverty. And indeed he did. He had climbed the ladder to corporate leadership by age 34.

It’s this journey that he details in a new book, First, Breaking Generational Poverty.

Around the age of 7, Nuby started giving a great deal of thought to what he later described as his personalized formula for success, a formula he said he’s refined through the years.

He met his future wife Jacqueline at Falkville High School.

“I told myself that one day I would marry her,” said Nuby.  And in 1960, he did.

He landed an entry-level job with Associated Grocers after high school but received his draft notice from Uncle Sam in 1962.

Some people complained about military service, but he used the experience to refine his success formula.

“The key ingredients of my formula are passion, desire, drive and a willingness to do whatever it takes to get ahead,” he said.

His work ethic and approach to his job made it easy for him to move up through the ranks, and had the U.S. Army had its way, he would have gone to officer candidate school and made a career in the military. But he missed home and had other plans for his life, so he headed back to Alabama.

Nuby returned to his job at Associated Grocers once he arrived back home.

“I was a little disappointed they put me back in the warehouse loading boxcars. All the people I’d worked with prior to being drafted had moved up,” he remembered. 

But Nuby worked even harder, and soon he was on the road to success.

He ended up in positions that included president, CEO and chairman of the board.

Then in 2008, he began to take a hard look at his life. His three children had given him four grandchildren, and they were growing up fast. His job was keeping him away from home too much.

“I was flying 10,000 miles a year, and I realized life was passing me by,” he said.

It was then he decided to walk away and look for a new challenge, but one that would allow him to stay close to home.

While working, he found himself writing presentations, annual reports and stockholder correspondence. 

So when it came time for a new challenge, he chose to become a writer. He knew there was much to learn to write well, so he dusted off his success formula and dove in.

Since then, he’s completed four books, one of which is a children’s book. He plans to release his other books within the next two years.

Nuby is in the process of setting up book signings in and around Birmingham.

His book is available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, and LesterNuby.com.