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Lewis Leo (Lee) Bird III (born May 14, 1964) is an American business executive who is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the At Home Group Inc. Bird is a member of the Ownership Advisory Group of the NHL Dallas Stars since 2013,[1][2] a member of the National Advisory Council of the Brigham Young University Marriott School of Business since 2014,[1][2] and a member of the Board of The Larry H. Miller Company since 2017.[2][3]
Early life and education[edit]
Lee Bird is the youngest of two children born in Cape Cod, Massachusetts[4] to Lewis Leo Bird Jr. and Merry Mabbett. Bird’s first job was as a dishwasher when he was 14, where he stated he learned the value of a college education.[4]
In 1986, Bird earned a bachelor's degree in finance at Ithaca College where he was also an NCAA All American in swimming.[1][3] In 1990, Bird earned his MBA at Babson College’s F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business in Massachusetts.[1][3]
Career[edit]
In 1986, Bird served as an Assistant Vice President and Commercial Loan Officer for BayBanks, Inc. [1][3]
Before entering the retail/consumer industry, Bird held various strategic and financial positions for Ford Motor Company, Honeywell/Allied Signal, Inc., and Gateway, Inc. from 1993 to 2001.[1][3]
From 2001 to 2003, Bird held the position of Chief Financial Officer for Old Navy.[1][3] From 2003 to 2006, Bird served as Chief Operating Officer for Gap.[1][3] From 2006 to 2009, Bird joined Nike Inc. and held the position of Group President for Nike Affiliates.[3][5]
Bird served from 2011 to 2012 as Managing Director/Consuming Practice Leader of The Gores Group, a global private equity firm.[1][3]
Bird joined Garden Ridge in 2012 as President and Chief Executive Officer. He transformed the company to At Home Group Inc., growing the retailer to over 250 stores.[3][6][7]
Bird previously served on the Board of Trustees at his alma mater, Ithaca College.[8]
Personal life[edit]
Bird married Linda Partridge in 1986. They are parents to eight children.[1] In 1991, their third child, Kelsey, passed 13 days after she was born due to complications of a heart defect.[7] In 2018, the Kelsey Partridge Bird Natatorium at Ithaca College was named in her honor.[8][9]
He has been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints since the age of 10.[10] His wife, Linda, is also a member and Bird baptized her when she was 21.[10]
In 2009, Bird was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia and was told his cancer was incurable.[11] He pursued other options and participated in an experimental trial at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX.[11] After months of following the protocol and enduring painful side effects, the treatment was successful. Bird is in full remission and cancer-free.[11]
In 2021, Bird accepted a call to serve as Stake President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the Lewisville Texas Stake.[12] As Stake President, Bird presides over nine congregations and roughly 3,600 church members in west Lewisville, Flower Mound, Highland Village, Argyle, Lantana, Lake Dallas, and other surrounding areas.[11][12]
Awards and honors[edit]
1985 All American Swimming – NCCA Division III [2]
2006 San Francisco Bay Area Father of the Year – American Diabetes Association & Father’s Day Council [2]
2009 Professional Achievement Award – Ithaca College [2]
2017 EY Entrepreneur of The Year® Retail and Hospitality Award - Southwest Region [13]
2017 Retail Executive of the Year – American Business Awards [2]
2018 Most Admired CEO – Dallas Business Journal [2]
2018 Wheatley Distinguished Lecturer in Business Ethics – The Wheatley Institution & BYU Marriott Business School [2]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j University, Brigham Young. "National Advisory Council - Lee Bird - BYU Marriott School of Business". BYU Marriott School of Business. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Bloomberg. "Lee Bird, At Home Group Inc: Profile and Biography Bloomberg Markets". Bloomberg. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j The Larry H. Miller Company. "Lee Bird – The Larry H. Miller Company". The Larry H. Miller Company. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ a b D Magazine. "Meet the Dallas 500: Lee Bird, CEO of At Home Group". D Magazine. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ Nike, Inc. "NIKE, Inc. Hires Lee Bird to Head Subsidiaries". Nike. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ "Leadership - At Home". At Home. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ a b "Lee Bird - Mormonism, The Mormon Church, Beliefs, & Religion - MormonWiki". MormonWiki. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ a b "Lee Bird '86 - Board of Trustees -Ithaca College". Ithaca College Board of Trustees. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ Hornyak, Kyle. "Endowment Established to Name Kelsey Partridge Bird Natatorium-IC News-Ithaca College". Ithaca College News. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ a b Cobb, Sydney. "Turning 'houses into homes': At Home CEO Lee Bird discusses faith, values - Deseret News". Deseret News. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d Cooper, Clarissa. "CEO of décor store At Home shares how faith influences his work and what carried him through cancer - LDS Living". LDS Living. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ a b "Stake President Archives". Church of Jesus Christ in North Texas. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ "EY Names At Home Chairman And CEO Lee Bird Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2017 Retail And Hospitality Winner For Southwest Region". Cision PR Newswire. Retrieved 10 January 2023.