Jump to content

Stew Leonard Jr.: Difference between revisions

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Pearlshey (talk | contribs)
14 edits
No edit summary
Pearlshey (talk | contribs)
14 edits
No edit summary
Line 52: Line 52:


Leonard later attended [[Ithaca College]],<ref name="Ithaca">{{cite news | last =Fostel | first =Robin | title =Stew Leonard Jr. '77 runs a top-100 food company | newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = Ithaca College Quarterly| date =2003 | url= http://www.ithaca.edu/icq/2003v3/cn/cn1top.htm | accessdate = 29 June 2014}}</ref> earning a [[Bachelor of Science]] in [[Accounting]] in 1977.<ref name="School"/> He continued his education at [[UCLA|UCLA's]] prestigious [[UCLA Anderson School of Management|Anderson School of Management]], where he earned a [[Master of Business Administration]] in 1982.<ref name="Anderson"/>
Leonard later attended [[Ithaca College]],<ref name="Ithaca">{{cite news | last =Fostel | first =Robin | title =Stew Leonard Jr. '77 runs a top-100 food company | newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = Ithaca College Quarterly| date =2003 | url= http://www.ithaca.edu/icq/2003v3/cn/cn1top.htm | accessdate = 29 June 2014}}</ref> earning a [[Bachelor of Science]] in [[Accounting]] in 1977.<ref name="School"/> He continued his education at [[UCLA|UCLA's]] prestigious [[UCLA Anderson School of Management|Anderson School of Management]], where he earned a [[Master of Business Administration]] in 1982.<ref name="Anderson"/>

==Career as CEO==

Stew Leonard, Jr. first took over the helm of Stew Leonard's in 1991. At the time, there was some major concern about his ability to continue the success that the chain experienced under Stew Leonard, Sr. The first few years were turbulent under Stew Leonard, Jr., but he quickly turned it around. The store in Norwalk was earning less than $100 million in 1991, but, by 2002, Leonard had helped increase sales to $300 million with 3 stores.<ref name="CNN"/> Leonard attributes the success of the company to its emphasis on [[customer service]] and employee care.<ref name="SmartRetail">{{cite book | last =Hammond | first =Richard | title =Smart Retail: Practical Winning Ideas and Strategies from the Most Successful Retailers in the World | publisher =[[FT Press]] | series = | volume = | edition = 3| date =2011 | location = | pages = | language = | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=XmMpHfFzlfMC&pg=PT147&dq=%22stew+leonard+jr.%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=gcmwU8XzEISTyATykYIo&ved=0CEsQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=%22stew%20leonard%20jr.%22&f=false | doi = | id = | isbn =978-0273744542 | mr = | zbl = | jfm = }}</ref> Each store notoriously features a boulder near the entrance with the two primary rules of Stew Leonard's:

# [[The customer is always right]].
# If the customer is ever wrong, re-read rule #1.<ref name="Achieving">{{cite book | last =Tschohl | first =John | title =Achieving Excellence Through Customer Service | publisher =Bestsellers Publishing | series = | volume = | edition = 5| date =2008 | location = | pages = | language = | url =http://books.google.com/books?id=fQ_q6SCkUJQC&pg=PT146&dq=%22stew+leonard+jr.%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=gcmwU8XzEISTyATykYIo&ved=0CFYQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=%22stew%20leonard%20jr.%22&f=false | doi = | id = | isbn =978-0963626844 | mr = | zbl = | jfm = }}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist|2}}

Revision as of 16:20, 30 July 2014

Stew Leonard, Jr.
Alma materIthaca College (B.S., 1977)[1]
UCLA (MBA, 1982)[2]
Occupation(s)President and CEO of Stew Leonard's[3]
WebsiteProfile at WSB

Stew Leonard, Jr. is a an American businessman who is the current president and CEO of Stew Leonard's, a supermarket chain based in Connecticut and New York.[3] Leonard took over as president and CEO of the company in 1991. Since then, the chain has routinely been listed on Fortune's list of the "100 Best Companies to Work For."[5] Leonard and the company are also frequently profiled in marketing textbooks like Principles of Marketing,[6] Sustaining Knock Your Socks Off Service,[7] and Modern Human Relations at Work.[8]

Early life and education

Stew Leonard, Jr. comes from a long line of family members in the dairy business. His grandfather, Charles Leo Leonard, founded Clover Farms Dairy in Norwalk, Connecticut in the 1920s.[9] The elder Leonard and his sons would deliver milk door-to-door straight from the farm. When Charles Leonard died, the business passed to Stew Leonard, Sr. who wanted to move beyond being a milkman.[10] Stew Leonard, Sr. would then open the original Stew Leonard's dairy store in Norwalk in 1969. Stew Leonard, Jr. often worked in that original dairy store as a child, washing out milk cans, loading egg shelves, and performing other basic tasks.[9]

Leonard later attended Ithaca College,[1] earning a Bachelor of Science in Accounting in 1977.[2] He continued his education at UCLA's prestigious Anderson School of Management, where he earned a Master of Business Administration in 1982.[3]

Career as CEO

Stew Leonard, Jr. first took over the helm of Stew Leonard's in 1991. At the time, there was some major concern about his ability to continue the success that the chain experienced under Stew Leonard, Sr. The first few years were turbulent under Stew Leonard, Jr., but he quickly turned it around. The store in Norwalk was earning less than $100 million in 1991, but, by 2002, Leonard had helped increase sales to $300 million with 3 stores.[10] Leonard attributes the success of the company to its emphasis on customer service and employee care.[11] Each store notoriously features a boulder near the entrance with the two primary rules of Stew Leonard's:

  1. The customer is always right.
  2. If the customer is ever wrong, re-read rule #1.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b Fostel, Robin (2003). "Stew Leonard Jr. '77 runs a top-100 food company". Ithaca College Quarterly. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Levine Lecture: Stew Leonard". Western Carolinian. 23 February 2005. Retrieved 29 June 2014. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ a b c Swaby, Rachel (March 2014). "Stew Leonard's Big Idea". UCLA Anderson School of Management. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  4. ^ Carlson, Wendy (26 September 2008). "Westport First in State to Ban Plastic Bags". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  5. ^ Levin-Epstein, Amy (16 April 2014). "A grocery scion reflects on survival and success". CBS MoneyWatch. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  6. ^ Kotler, Philip; Gary Armstrong (2013). Principles of Marketing (15 ed.). Prentice Hall. ISBN 978-0133084047.
  7. ^ Zemke, Ron; Thomas K. Connellan (1993). Sustaining Knock Your Socks Off Service. AMACOM. ISBN 978-0814451595.
  8. ^ Hodgetts, Richard M. (2013). Modern Human Relations at Work (10 ed.). Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-0030335792.
  9. ^ a b Perrefort, Dirk (2 December 2010). "Stew Leonard Jr. picked for Previdi Award in Danbury". The News-Times. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  10. ^ a b Whitford, David (1 November 2002). "Back From The Brink". CNNMoney. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  11. ^ Hammond, Richard (2011). Smart Retail: Practical Winning Ideas and Strategies from the Most Successful Retailers in the World (3 ed.). FT Press. ISBN 978-0273744542.
  12. ^ Tschohl, John (2008). Achieving Excellence Through Customer Service (5 ed.). Bestsellers Publishing. ISBN 978-0963626844.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Stew_Leonard_Jr.&oldid=619156583"