LANSING, Mich. — Gregory Eaton has been a successful businessman for well over 60 years. He has rubbed elbows with figures such as Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X and Magic Johnson. And he's left his mark on the Lansing community.
Eaton, who grew up on Lansing's west side, comes from a hard-working family that believes in education. He found his gifts in sports while playing football, basketball and running track for Sexton High School.
“I wasn’t a good student so therefore I didn’t really... I was headed to California and got there too late to register for school. So I laid around and basically did nothing until a young man said 'What are you doing here?'” said Eaton.
That question was the kick in the butt Eaton needed to get his life started. He says he hopped on a plane back home and never looked back, opening his first business in 1960.
“So I caught the plane came back to Lansing and kissed the ground and started my first business, Gregory’s Janitorial Service in 1960. I had about five trucks,” said Eaton.
Since then, Eaton has had his hands in many industries. He was the first black lobbyist in Michigan to work for a multi-client firm, founded Metro Cars in Detroit and became a restaurant owner.
Most residents in the Lansing area know Gregory's Soul Food. Eaton opened the business 50 years ago downtown. Today the restaurant sits on the corner of North Martin Luther King near Grand River Avenue.
Along the way, Eaton has found the time to attend every single Super Bowl.
The entrepreneur's willingness to see other people win has been a blessing to many like Edwin Burtley.
Burtley has worked for Eaton for 27 years and says the relationship is beyond business.
“I call him dad and he calls me son. We go at it sometimes but that’s what we do,” said Burtley.
Eaton has no plans to retire but spends a good amount of time in Florida at his other home.
Eaton says the secret to his success has been focusing on service and being kind.
When asked if he has any regrets, he said, “My friends say, you’re eight years from 90. I’ve had a terrific life and I’m still here and enjoying it."
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