Walter “Stewart” Manning passed away on Jan. 3, 2024, after a bout with cancer. The 81-year-old Manning had previously owned Manning Brothers, a Georgia-based foodservice equipment and supplies dealer.

In 2009 Manning sold the company to Chuck Day, who had joined the dealership back in 2001 as a general manager. The relationship between Manning and Day, though, goes back to 1983. While working for a fabrication company at the time, Day regularly called on Manning. “He was so smart and so very driven,” Day recalls. “He was always six paces ahead of you. He was listening to you, and he was analyzing what you said. He’d tell you what you had to do to be successful. If you were going to talk to him, you had better bring a notebook.”

When asked what was one of the most important lessons he learned from Manning, Day did not hesitate in his answer: “Numbers. You always look at what will be the ultimate profit of the project you are working on. There’s always some negotiation but it has to be profitable. You have to value what it is you do and what you bring to the table.”

Manning is a veteran of the U.S. military, having served his country as a member of the Air Force during the Vietnam conflict.

Manning is survived by his wife of 42 years, Brenda Holcomb Manning; son, Douglas Stewart Manning; daughters, Jill Floyd Sullivan, Ginger Floyd; and six grandchildren.

A celebration of Manning’s life took place on Jan. 7, 2024.