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SOMETHING
TO MOO ABOUT:
FORTUNE MAGAZINE NAMES STEW LEONARD'S AMONG THE "100 BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR IN AMERICA" |
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| NORWALK, Conn., January 2002 - “Take good care of your people and they in turn will take good care of your customers.” It is this philosophy that has helped earn Stew Leonard’s a No. 22 debut ranking on FORTUNE Magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For in America” list. | |
| From its humble beginnings as a small dairy store founded in 1969 with seven employees, Stew Leonard’s has grown to become not only the World’s Largest Dairy Store, but one of the most renowned grocery stores, grossing over $260 million dollars a year. In addition to the headquarters store in Norwalk, Conn., Stew Leonard’s has stores in Danbury, Conn. and Yonkers, N.Y., with a fourth store planned for 2003. Today, over 250,000 shoppers visit Stew Leonard’s each week - some from as far as 50 miles away. | |
| Speaking for the entire Stew Leonard family of over 2000 Team Members, Stew Leonard, Sr. said, "All of us are honored and proud to be chosen as ‘One of America's 100 Best Companies to Work For.’ To be singled out by the prestigious FORTUNE magazine and be acknowledged along with world class corporations such as Wal-Mart and Microsoft, is a great recognition to our team.” | |
| FORTUNE’s annual ranking of the “100 Best Companies” is largely based on employee feedback, as well as an evaluation of the company’s culture, compensation, training and turnover rate. Stew Leonard's was the second-ranked retailer on the list, topped only by The Container Store, which has been the top company to work for the last two years and placed at No. two this year. | |
| The consistent culture and customer commitment throughout Stew Leonard’s is nurtured by president & CEO Stew Leonard, Jr., who took over the reins in 1982, and his sister, Jill Leonard Tavello, who heads up the human resources department. | |
| “Jill, along with Karen Mazako, assistant vice president of human resources, have built a culture which attracts thousands of business leaders from around the world to attend ‘Stew Leonard's University’, a seminar that gives a behind the scenes view of the company and our practices,” said Stew Leonard, Jr. | |
| In addition to Stew Leonard University, the company also donates to hundreds of charities each year, including the Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation, a program that works with YMCA’s to fund lifeguard training, safety programs and swimming lessons. | |
| In the wake of the September 11 tragedy, Stew Leonard’s Team Members organized food drives, fund raising and personally delivered meals at ground zero to the rescue workers. This effort underscores the company’s commitment to extend the sense of family they have always prized within the company, into their community of customers. | |
| Stew Leonard’s was dubbed the “Disneyland of Dairy Stores” by the New York Times, because of its own milk processing plant, costumed characters, scheduled entertainment, petting zoo and animatronics throughout the stores. The company has received worldwide acclaim for excellence in customer service and quality and is featured in two of management expert Tom Peter’s books: A Passion for Excellence and Thriving on Chaos. In 1992, Stew Leonard’s earned an entry into The Guinness Book of World Records for having “the greatest sales per unit area of any single food store in the United States.” Unlike traditional grocery stores that sell an average 30,000 items, each Stew Leonard’s store carries only 1,500 items, chosen specifically for their freshness, quality and value. | |
