College of Business

College of Business

2011 Distinguished Alumnus: Mike Babineaux

Michael Babineaux received his bachelor’s degree from Southeastern in marketing and
was the first buyer Federal Express hired when it started operations in Memphis in
1973. Beginning with the purchasing of aviation parts and supplies and moving to high
level negotiations for the company’s major acquisitions, Babineaux handled purchasing
for FedEx for 30 years. During that time he held many buying and management positions
in FedEx procurement organizations.

He wrote the first FedEx purchasing policy and procedures manual, managed the company’s
first outsourcing effort to uniform over 25,000 couriers and customer service agents,
and was the architect of the procurement bench marketing program that was instrumental in
FedEx winning the 1990 Malcom Baldridge National Quality Award. He is currently President
and CEO of his own company, Babineaux Educational Services and Training, started in
2003.