John Mackey opened a small health food store in Austin, United States in 1978, which in 1980 merged with another local natural foods store to form the foundation on which Whole Foods Market was born. Mackey has led Whole Foods Market since the beginning through mergers and internal development to create a FORTUNE 500 company with the goal of becoming a $12 billion company by 2010. His business philosophy is to act with care and responsibility toward all of the various stakeholder groups of the Company and to operate Whole Foods Market with social and environmental responsibility. Mackey was named 2003 Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young and has been honored by top-tier publications for his business sense and philanthropic values.