If you live in Texas, you know the name. It’s on the bags, the trucks, and the massive brick-and-mortar stores that basically act as the town square in places like San Antonio or Austin. But most people standing in the checkout line at H-E-B have no idea that the man whose name is on the sign—specifically Howard E. Butt Jr.—spent most of his life trying to convince the world that his family’s multibillion-dollar grocery empire wasn't actually the most important thing he had to offer.
It’s a wild story, honestly.
Imagine being the hand-picked successor to one of the most successful private companies in American history. You’ve been working there since you were seven years old. You’ve delivered groceries by hand, you’ve been a checker, and you’re running your own store by age 21. Everyone expects you to take the throne. And then, right when you’re supposed to take over, you realize your soul is heading in a completely different direction.
Howard E. Butt Jr. didn't just inherit a fortune; he inherited a dilemma. He was a businessman who felt like a preacher and a preacher who understood the cutthroat world of retail.
The $11 Billion Handshake
Back in the 1960s, the H-E-B transition was the kind of thing that would make modern corporate consultants break out in a cold sweat. Howard Jr. was the vice president of daily operations. He was the "next guy." But he was also deeply involved in the Christian youth revival movement. He was traveling with Billy Graham. He was preaching at the National Prayer Breakfast for President Eisenhower.
He was living a double life, and it was crushing him.
The pressure of trying to be the perfect corporate heir while feeling a "high calling" to ministry led to a decade-long struggle with severe depression. People didn't talk about mental health back then. Especially not high-powered Texas executives. You were just supposed to "tough it out."
But Howard Jr. couldn't.
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In what he later described as a "sudden exhibition of grace," he sat down with his younger brother, Charles Butt. They basically traded dreams. Howard admitted he wanted to focus on spiritual renewal and lay ministry. Charles, meanwhile, actually wanted to run the grocery business.
So they swapped. Howard stepped back into a vice chairman role and took over the family foundation. Charles took the reins of H-E-B and turned it into the $30+ billion titan it is today.
Why Howard E. Butt Jr. Still Matters to Business Leaders
You’ve probably heard the term "servant leadership." It’s a buzzword now. Every LinkedIn "thought leader" posts about it. But Howard Jr. was writing about this stuff in the early 70s before it was cool.
His book, The Velvet Covered Brick, was a massive curveball for the 1973 business world. The "brick" was the strength and authority of a leader, but the "velvet" was the compassion and humility. He was basically telling CEOs to stop being dictators and start acting like they were there to serve their employees.
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He didn't just write books, though. He built things that lasted:
- Laity Lodge: A retreat center hidden in the Frio River Canyon where he brought together high-level executives and theologians. He wanted the guy running a Fortune 500 company to talk to the guy studying ancient Greek texts.
- The High Calling: You might remember these. They were one-minute radio spots that aired on 3,000 stations. No "fire and brimstone." Just a folksy, calm voice talking about how being a good plumber or a good lawyer was just as "holy" as being a pastor.
- The Small Group Model: He was one of the first people to really push the idea of small, intimate groups for personal growth and accountability, a concept that eventually moved from churches into corporate culture as "peer groups."
The Secret Legacy of Mental Health Advocacy
Kinda ironically, the most "human" thing about Howard E. Butt Jr. was how open he eventually became about his own "brokenness."
He lived in an era where admitting you were depressed was seen as a sign of spiritual failure or professional weakness. He didn't care. He wrote openly about his "dark night of the soul." By doing that, he gave a whole generation of Texas leaders permission to be human.
He wasn't just some rich guy with a hobby. He was appointed by John F. Kennedy to the first Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity. He pushed for workplace dignity way before HR departments were a standard thing. He saw the grocery store not just as a place to sell milk, but as a community asset.
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What Most People Get Wrong
People often assume he was "the religious one" and Charles was "the business one." That’s too simple. Howard remained the Vice Chair of H-E-B for decades. He was vital to the company's direction. He just didn't want to be the guy worried about the price of lettuce at 3:00 AM.
He understood that money buys you the freedom to choose your work, but it doesn't give that work meaning. That's a distinction a lot of people in 2026 still haven't figured out.
Actionable Insights from Howard's Life
If you’re looking to apply the Howard E. Butt Jr. philosophy to your own life or business, here is how you actually do it:
- Audit Your "Calling": Are you doing your job because you're good at it, or because you feel like you have to? Howard’s "swap" with Charles proves that sometimes the best thing for a business is for the "heir" to step aside.
- Practice Transparency: If you’re a leader, stop pretending you have it all together. Acknowledging your struggles (like Howard did with depression) builds more trust than a thousand corporate retreats ever could.
- Integrate Your Worlds: Stop acting like your "work self" and "real self" are different people. Whether you’re religious or not, the values you hold at home should be the same ones you use to make a sale or manage a team.
- Invest in "Frio River" Moments: You need a place to think. Whether it’s a physical retreat like Laity Lodge or just a phone-free walk, you can’t lead effectively if you’re constantly plugged into the noise of the market.
Howard E. Butt Jr. died in 2016 from Parkinson's complications, but his fingerprints are all over the way H-E-B operates today—from the 5% of pre-tax profits they give to charity to the way they treat their "partners" (employees). He proved that you don't have to be the CEO to be the most influential person in the room.
Sometimes, the most powerful move you can make is to hand over the keys and go find where you're actually needed.