George Zimmer
George Zimmer (born November 21, 1948) is an American entrepreneur, the founder and Executive Chairman of the Men's Wearhouse, a men's clothing retailer that has more than 1,200 stores [1] across the U.S. and Canada under the brands Moores, Men's Wearhouse and K&G Superstores.
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Biography [edit]
Born in New York City to a Jewish family.[2] Zimmer attended grade schools in Scarsdale, New York, before studying at Washington University in St. Louis where he was a member of the Phi Chapter of Sigma Alpha Mu and where he received an A.B. in Economics in 1970.[3] Upon graduation, he worked as a substitute teacher before joining his father in the clothing manufacturing business. Later in the early 1970s, he worked as a purchasing agent and salesman in Hong Kong.[3]
Men's Wearhouse [edit]
He and his college roommates opened the first Men's Wearhouse store in 1973 in Houston, Texas.[1] Zimmer narrates and appears in many of his company's television commercials, usually closing with the company slogan: "You're going to like the way you look. I guarantee it." He owns 8.7% of Men's Wearhouse, a stake which, as of November 2004[update], was worth $94 million.[3] On September 14, 2011, George Zimmer received the Kupfer Award by Mays Business school.
Management, Activism and Personal Life [edit]
Zimmer's style of corporate management (for example, the company's June 2004 nomination of spiritual guru Deepak Chopra to its board) is peculiar in the view of some, while others perceive his style as cutting-edge.[3]
Zimmer's experience caring for his mother, who died of cancer, led him to support research into the therapeutic use of MDMA,[4] and for his efforts to legalize cannabis (for instance, by making donations equaling $70,500 to support California's Proposition 19 in 2010).[5][6]
References [edit]
- ^ a b http://www.menswearhouse.com/shop/ContentAttachmentView_-1_12751_12001____MWAboutTimeline.html
- ^ http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/59750/soros-gives-1-million-to-pro-pot-campaign/
- ^ a b c d Lee, Louise. "Spiffing Up Men's Wearhouse", BusinessWeek, 1 November 2004.
- ^ Zink, Janet. "Party pill gets tryout in therapy", St. Petersburg Times 9 May 2005.
- ^ Hoefell, John. "Measure to legalize marijuana will be on California's November ballot." 25 March 2010.
- ^ Wohlsen, Marcus. "Soros gives $1M to Calif. pot legalization measure." The Associated Press, 26 October 2010.
