Phil Morrison started his grocery business in 1979. He had recently left a management position and was searching for a way to finance his own grocery store. Ironically, it was a former competitor who offered Phil a good-faith loan for half the down payment needed to purchase his first store. Since that fateful day, Phil's grocery business has grown dramatically. Today, Phil operates under the Cubby's corporate umbrella. This includes two traditional grocery stores (Phil’s Foodway & Louie’s Market), ten convenience/grocery stores, and several stores on the way. Cubby's provides jobs for approximately 250 people in the North Omaha, downtown Omaha, and surrounding communities. Phil and his staff are committed to doing business in the lesser-served areas because, as Phil states, ".... they are good for the corporation and the corporation is good for the communities."

Cubby's management refers to its employees as their number one asset and early on, establishes a relationship based on trust, responsibility, and integrity. Cubby's knows that in order to be financially successful, each store must serve the customer better than the competition. Consequently, Cubby’s instills in it’s employees a special sense of serving each individual customer and community. Market-appropriate goods and services, frequent surveying of both customers and employees, are just two of the ways in which Cubby’s attempts to better serve it’s customers.

Phil remembers his early days and the faith bestowed on him, and tries to repay his good fortune by addressing the needs of the communities in which he operates. When questioned about the subject of philanthropy, the modesty of Phil Morrison was nearly overwhelming. While Cubby's concentrates its efforts on the youth and elderly, Phil in no way considers his philanthropy an act of generosity. To the contrary, Phil sees philanthropy as an obligation to the communities that provide for his business.

Several organizations, supporting causes and belief’s integral to Phil’s success, are benefactors of Cubby’s efforts. As part of an ongoing commitment, substantial donations have recently been made to the Sisters of Notre Dame's Sacred Heart School and to the local YMCA chapter. The discipline, structure, and direction provided by the Sisters coincides with Phil's belief (and statistical evidence) that these characteristics are essential in lifting disadvantaged, inner-city youth from the grips of poverty and social dependence.

Of all the activities Cubby's supports, the program closest to Phil's heart is the Edmonson Youth Outreach/YMCA. The Edmonson Youth Outreach is a youth oriented program aimed at building self-esteem, while teaching the dangers of drug abuse and the rewards of academic excellence. EYO/YMCA’s programs are designed to provide structured academic, athletic, and personal development activities for young men and women ages 5 to 18. The participants primarily are minorities from Omaha’s center city neighborhoods. Joe Edmondson, director of the program, leads a renowned wrestling program and coached Phil’s own son. When asked about Cubby’s involvement with the program, Joe Edmonson said of Phil: " He's just great. He's always anxious to help us with whatever program we're working on. He's one guy we can always go to and know he’ll say yes to whatever we need."

In addition to the previously mentioned causes, Cubby’s sponsors local sports teams in each community it operates in. All churches receive a standard discount from Cubby’s and generous food donations for the needy are also made during the various holiday seasons. Any church youth group can count on cash from Cubby's to raise money for a noteworthy project, but Phil believes in teaching kids the value of earning funds rather than expecting handouts. Consequently, store managers often pay groups to clean parking lots, make promotional signs, or they provide the materials needed for the group to create it’s own fund-raising venture (i.e. water, soap, and a site for a car wash).

In order to foster personal commitment to philanthropic causes within Cubby’s employees, each of Cubby's store managers is given the authority and tools necessary to develop their own relationships with benevolent causes. Brad Larsen, with the store located on 4232 Redman Avenue, has a standing relationship with area kids interested in getting paid for sweeping, cleaning, or other odd jobs. The big brother relationship that has evolved teaches these kids (ages 5-11) the satisfaction of doing a job and receiving compensation for it. Mick Carmichael, manager of Phil's Foodway on 3030 Ames Avenue, is an avid supporter of the Adopt-A-School program. His store partners with a school and assists them with computer fund-raisers, food and supply donations, advertising, etc. Again, the school kids are asked to decorate grocery bags, make banners, or some other small task to instill a sense of earning.

Hanging among the numerous awards and plaques in Phil’s office, is the prestigious Golden Spike Award from the Economic Development Council of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce. Yet, if you compliment Phil on his generosity and activity with the community, he will tell you that "...it’s not that big of deal. I’m not doing anything more than any other responsible person would". Good business, to Phil, is not merely the maximization of profit. Simply put, good business is the nurturing of a mutually respected relationship between business and the community. As someone who has long been a stakeholder in North Omaha, Phil Morrison considers it a privilege to be a part of the North Omaha community and to aim higher.