The company grew rapidly, and by 1983 had a billion dollars in revenue, a rarity for a startup company that had never taken part in mergers or acquisitions in its first decade. Smith said he chose Memphis International Airport for being near the mean population center of the country and for its placid weather. He began formal operations in 1973, when he moved operations to Memphis. While his professor didn't think much of the idea, Smith pressed on. He drew up the company's concept in a term paper at Yale, in which he called for a system specifically designed for urgent deliveries. The company was founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1971 as Federal Express Corporation by Frederick W. History Foundation and early history FedEx's first van displayed at the FedEx World Headquartersįor history prior to its 1997 reorganization, see FedEx Express. FedEx's air shipping services have made its 'Superhub' at Memphis International Airport the busiest cargo airport in the world by 2020. In addition, FedEx has purchased the naming rights to FedExField of the NFL's Washington Commanders and FedExForum of the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies. įedEx's prominence in both the United States and the world has made it a common topic in popular culture, with examples including the film Cast Away as well as some of its marketing slogans (most famously 'when it absolutely positively has to be there overnight').

The company is the fifth largest American-headquartered employer globally with 547,000 employees, and FedEx is also one of the top contractors of the US government and assists in the transport of some United States Postal Service packages through their Air Cargo Network contract. Since then, FedEx also started FedEx Ground, FedEx Office (originally known as Kinko's), FedEx Supply Chain, FedEx Freight, and various other services across multiple subsidiaries, often meant to respond to its main competitor, UPS. FedEx today is best known for its air delivery service, FedEx Express, which was one of the first major shipping companies to offer overnight delivery as a flagship service. The name 'FedEx' is a syllabic abbreviation of the name of the company's original air division, Federal Express, which was used from 1973 until 2000. FedEx Corporation, formerly Federal Express Corporation and later FDX Corporation, is an American multinational conglomerate holding company focused on transportation, e-commerce and business services based in Memphis, Tennessee.

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