George Edward Hilt

George Hilt mausoleum at Laketon Township Cemetery in Muskegon County, Michigan, US

George Edward Hilt, also known as George E Hilt or George Hilt (March 7, 1916 – October 2, 2012), was a businessman and philanthropist. Many of his financial gifts were for the benefit of Muskegon and Whitehall, Michigan. Hilt was founder of Quality Farm and Fleet, which briefly developed into the United States' largest farm-store retailer. He served in World War II.

Early life

Hilt was born March 7, 1916, in Muskegon, Michigan, to John and Margaret Hilt. Hilt had an older sister, Marguerite. He also had four older brothers, Charles, Wayne, Raymond and Robert and a younger brother, Jack.[1][2]

Jobs and career

Hilt was in the United States Army from 1943 to 1945 during World War II. He was in the Third Army, Seventh Corps, Quartermaster Corps in the European Theater. Hilt was also an amphibious landing craft driver. He also drove a supply truck. He landed at Omaha Beach one day after D-Day. He was in charge of a landing craft filled with five-gallon cans of gasoline. Seven days after D-Day he became a supply truck driver. His assignment was to follow General George Patton's unit into Germany.[1][2]

Hilt founded Quality Farm and Fleet. His younger brother, Jack, was a co-founder. Their first store was a renovated grocery store and opened in Hudsonville, Michigan, in 1962.[3] The chain eventually became 360 stores with over a billion dollars in yearly sales.[4] Hilt and his brother retired in 1986. Quality Farm and Fleet merged with Central Tractor Farm & Country of Iowa in 1999 and became the largest farm-store retailer in the United States.[5][6][7][8] The new merged company became Quality Stores Inc. that sold merchandise for farm and country living.[9] In 2001 the company went bankrupt and was sold to Tractor Supply Company in 2002.[10][11]

Philanthropy

Hilt was one of the founders of the Community Foundation for Muskegon County through the Hilt Foundation. Hilt formed the foundation in 1986. The first gift was the Hilt Building located in the center of Muskegon. Another donation Hilt gave was for over 100 pieces of Japanese Sumida Ware given to the Muskegon Museum of Art. One part of the donation was in 1997 and another in 2008.[8]

Michigan Heritage Park

Circa 1900 farm house at Heritage Park

A 300-acre (120 ha) property was bought in the mid-1920s by Hilt's father in the Whitehall area on the White River where it flows into White Lake. Hilt remembers the family cottage that used to be on the property where the family grew up. George and his siblings in 1979 made the decision to sell the family’s property to Muskegon County, Michigan. Later Whitehall Township decided to buy it and obtained financial assistance from The Hilt Foundation. A new plan for the property was envisioned.[12]

The Muskegon County Museum in partnership with the Hilt Foundation decided a historic park would be in order. The park itself was to take up ten acres of the property and the remainder of the property would be left as natural space. Hilt made the contributions necessary for the unfolding and initial construction of the Michigan Heritage Park through the foundation. He created two funds at the Foundation that would divide the funds to build, operate, and maintain the Michigan Heritage Park (also known as The Trail at Hilt’s Landing). The Museum oversees any construction and operates the half-mile walking trail and its exhibits maintenance. Hilt’s charity donated over two million dollars for the Michigan Heritage Park. A portion of the donation went to building the historic park that is being done by the Lakeshore Museum Center, and another portion of the funds went for the operation and maintenance of the facility.[1]

Personal life

Some of Hilt's hobbies were playing cards, traveling, golfing, and fishing. He also took an interest in Hawaii and its people.[1] His first wife was Martha Monroe Hilt whom he married May 16, 1939, when he was 23 years and she was 22 years old. Martha died March 30, 1996, at age of 79. He remarried to Betty Jean Hilt.[7]

Death

Hilt died October 2, 2012, in Juno Beach, Florida, at age of 96.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Alexander, Dave (March 7, 2013). "Muskegon's year of giving: The late George Hilt supported plans for historic park, much more". MLive Media Group. Muskegon Chronicle. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
  2. 1 2 ""George Hilt" – Life Story / Obituary". Clock Funeral Home. LifeStoryNet. 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
  3. ↑ "The first Quality Farm & Fleet Supply". The Call-Leader. Elwood, Indiana. May 14, 1997. p. 5. Retrieved October 7, 2015. The first Quality Farm & Fleet Supply location was a renovated grocery store In Hudsonvllle, Mich. It was opened by brothers, Jack Hilt and George Hilt In 1962. Business celebrates 35 years of continuous customer service throughout the entire Quality Farm and Fleet Store and County chain. The brothers had received their business training by working in their family hardware business in nearby Muskegon, Michigan. They believed that a formula of low costs, available farm merchandise and a high level of customer service would be successful in rural agricultural markets. The same philosophy of serving the rural and agricultural customer with outstanding values and personal service is embraced today by the over 4,000 associates who are employed by Quality Stores, Inc. throughout its seven state, 105 store marketing area. Two more stores are scheduled to open next month, one in South Haven, Mich, and the other if Brunswick Ohio. Quality Farm family of stores is celebrating 35 years of continuous customer service during the month of May. An informal birthday party will be held in all stores Saturday , with free hot dogs and beverage in the store for customers from noon to 2 p.m. Birthday cake will be served at 2 p.m. for everyone in the store. During the spring of 1962 brothers, George Hilt and Jack Hilt opened their first store, Quality Wholesale Supply, in the rural community of Hudsonville, Michigan.(subscription required)
  4. ↑ Alexander, Dave (April 16, 2011). "A New Quality: Family Farm & Home has brought the Fansler family together in retailing". MLive Media Group. Retrieved October 7, 2015. The merger deal was put together by Fenway Partners Capital Fund of New York and J.W. Childs Equity Partners of Boston. Besides Quality and Central Tractor, the investment banker also obtained the Country Store chain to piece together the largest farm store retail chain in the nation.
  5. ↑ "Farm store merger: Central Tractor Farm & Country Inc. and Quality Stores Inc.". Chicago Tribune – Evening Business. Chicago Tribune. March 29, 1999. Retrieved October 7, 2015. Farm store merger: Central Tractor Farm & Country Inc. and Quality Stores Inc. said they will merge and create the nation's largest specialty farming goods retailer.
  6. ↑ "COMPANY NEWS; CENTRAL TRACTOR TO MERGE WITH QUALITY STORES". The New York Times. Business Day. The New York Times Company. March 30, 1999. Retrieved October 7, 2015. Central Tractor Farm and Country Inc. and Quality Stores Inc., the nation's second- and third-largest farm store chains, respectively, said yesterday that they would merge to create the largest specialty farming goods retailer in the United States.
  7. 1 2 3 Alexander, Dave (October 7, 2012). "George Hilt dies in Florida at the age of 96; he built Muskegon-based national retailer Quality Stores". MLive Media Group. Muskegon Chronicle. Retrieved October 7, 2015. The Muskegon-based Quality Stores went on to become the nation’s largest farm-store retailer with 360 stores and $1.2 billion in annual sales when it merged with an Iowa-based competitor in 1999.
  8. 1 2 Champion, Brandon (June 11, 2015). "The modern-day Charles Hackley? Final gift inspires comparisons to Muskegon legend". MLive Media Group. Muskegon Chronicle. Retrieved October 7, 2015. Hilt, with his late brother Jack, founded Quality Farm and Fleet in 1962. The two brothers retired from the business in 1986. The company merged with an Iowa competitor in 1999 to become the largest farm-store retailer in the United States with 360 stores and $1.2 billion in annual sales.
  9. ↑ Hogan, Jeffrey (2002). "Farm & Fleet". Petoskey News. Retrieved October 7, 2015. This week's announcement completes the fall of what just last year was the nation's largest farm store retailer. In 1999, the company merged with Central Tractor Farm & Country of Iowa to form Quality Stores Inc., which had 360 stores in 30 states.
  10. ↑ "Tractor Supply to buy 85 stores". Times Daily. Florence, Alabama. Jan 3, 2002. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  11. ↑ Forrester, Brian (May 12, 2002). "Tractor Supply plows Quality row to growth". Nashville Business Journal. Indeed, the nation's largest retail farm and ranch store had opened a total of only 115 new stores since 1997.
  12. ↑ "A New Vision for Hilt's Landing". Community Foundation for Muskegon County. 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
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