Thorntons Founder Joins Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — James Thornton, founder and chair of Thorntons Inc. (formerly Thornton Oil Corp.), will be among five entrepreneurs inducted into the sixth-annual Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame (KEHOF) in Louisville on Nov. 18, Insider Louisville reported.

Louisville-based Thorntons operates 180 convenience stores and gas stations in Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee and Florida. The c-store operator ranks No. 250 among Forbes magazine’s 500 largest privately held companies, and ranks as one of Kentucky’s largest privately held companies with more than $2.3 billion in annual revenue.

This year's other KEHOF inductees include Brad Kelly, founder of Commonwealth Brands tobacco company; George Gavin Brown, founder of spirits and wine company Brown-Forman; James Patterson, founder of Western Restaurants Inc.; and Phil Greer, CEO of hospitality and commercial real estate development company Greer Cos.

Also being honored are Emerging Entrepreneurs Alex Frommeyer of Beam Dental, and Peter Tower of Magnolia Photo Booth Co. 

Founded in 2010, KEHOF shares and celebrates the stories of Kentucky’s most successful entrepreneurs. Its purpose is to raise awareness of the impact entrepreneurship has made and encourage others to pursue similar ambitious endeavors.

The KEHOF induction ceremony will take place Nov. 18 at the Mellwood Arts Center in Louisville.