Herman J. Russell

Herman Jerome Russell (December 23, 1930 – November 15, 2014) was an African American businessman who founded  a company that became the largest minority business enterprise real estate company in the United States. Russell was a confidante of 1960s civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He became the first black member of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. His portfolio expanded to include a diversified list of profitable real estate, construction and food service companies that included H.J. Russell and Company, H.J. Russell Plastering Company, Paradise Management, Inc, DDR International, Concessions International and the Southeast Land Development Company.