Jeffrey Brotman
Jeffrey Brotman | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jeffrey Hart Brotman September 27, 1942 Tacoma, Washington, U.S. |
| Died | August 1, 2017 (aged 74) Medina, Washington, U.S. |
| Alma mater | B.A., J.D. University of Washington |
| Occupation(s) | Attorney Entrepreneur Corporate executive |
| Known for | Co-founder and chairman of Costco |
| Spouse |
Susan Thrailkill (m. 1976) |
| Children | 2 |
Jeffrey Hart Brotman (September 27, 1942 – August 1, 2017) was an American attorney. He was the co-founder and chairman of Costco Wholesale Corporation.
Early life and education
Brotman was born to a Jewish family in Tacoma, Washington, the son of Pearl and Bernie Brotman.[1][2][3] His grandparents were Jewish emigrants from Romania to Saskatchewan; his parents immigrated to the US and settled in Tacoma.[1][3] His father was an owner of Seattle Knitting Mills. Along with his uncles, he owned a chain of 18 retail stores in Washington and Oregon named Bernie's.[2][4]
In 1965, the family moved to Seattle.[2] Brotman graduated from the University of Washington in 1964 with a degree in political science and in 1967 with a J.D.[2] He was a member of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity at the University of Washington.[5] After school, he and his brother, Michael, founded a women's jeans store named Bottoms; and in the 1980s, they founded the Jeffrey Michael chain of men’s clothing stores, which they operated into the 1990s.[2]
Career
In 1982, Brotman co-founded Costco Wholesale Corporation with Jim Sinegal,[6] a protégé of Sol Price, the founder of PriceSmart.[1] He served as chairman from the company's inception until his death, except during a stretch from 1993 to 1994 when he was vice chairman.[7][8] In 2017, Costco operated 736 warehouse stores.[3]
Brotman was also an early investor in Howard Schultz’s Starbucks coffee.[3]
Philanthropy
Brotman served on the boards of several public companies and[9] according to Businessweek magazine, was "connected to 13 board members".[10][11] He sat on the board of directors of the Million-Dollar Roundtable at the United Way of King County.[12] He also served on the boards of Seafirst Bank, Starbucks, and was a trustee at the Seattle Art Museum.[13]
Personal life and death
Brotman was married to Susan Thrailkill, a Montana native and former Nordstrom executive; they had two children, Justin Brotman and Amanda Brotman-Schetritt.[1][3][14][15] Brotman died August 1, 2017 in Medina, Washington, at the age of 74.[16][7] He died in his sleep, possibly due to heart failure.[17] He was a member of Temple Beth El in Tacoma.[3]
References
- ^ a b c d Roberts, Sam (August 2, 2017). "Jeff Brotman, Founder of Retail Juggernaut Costco, Dies at 74". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c d e History Link: "Brotman, Jeffrey H. (b. 1942) and Susan R. (b. 1949)" retrieved August 28, 2015
- ^ a b c d e f Cleveland Jewish Times: "Jeff Brotman, Jewish Costco founder, dead at 74" August 4, 2017
- ^ Seattle Times: "Bernard Brotman Was Innovator In Retail Business" by Carole Beers August 25, 1996
- ^ "Notable Alumni". Zeta Beta Tau. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
- ^ Costco About accessed March 1, 2012
- ^ a b Turner, Nick; Soper, Spencer (August 1, 2017). "Jeffrey Brotman, Who Co-Founded Costco in 1980s, Dies at 74". Bloomberg News.
- ^ McGregor, Jena (7 September 2011). "On Leadership: Costco chief executive Jim Sinegal". Washington Post. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
- ^ Brotman Bio Forbes accessed March 1, 2012
- ^ Business week on Brotman Businessweek, accessed March 1, 2012
- ^ Jeffrey Brotman Executive Profile Businessweek, retrieved March 4, 2012
- ^ Jeffrey H. Brotman Market Watch, retrieved March 4, 2012
- ^ "Jeffrey H. Brotman". NNDB. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
- ^ Racked: "Amanda Pearl's Monsoon Wedding: Love at First Site Via Match.com" by Benjamin Liong Setiawan June 14, 2011
- ^ Seattle Times: "Amanda Brotman inherits passion for retail" By Amy Martinez and Melissa Allison April 25, 2008
- ^ Horowitz, Julia (August 1, 2017). "Costco's co-founder and chairman dies". CNN.
- ^ Seatlle Times: "Death of Costco co-founder Jeff Brotman, 74, ‘a complete shock’" By Janet I. Tu August 1, 2017