Christopher McCormick

Christopher McCormick (born in Bridgeport, Connecticut) is the former chief executive officer of L.L.Bean, a mail-order, online and retail company based in Freeport, Maine.

Early life

Chris McCormick graduated from Fairfield University Dolan School of Business^[1] in 1977 and attended the Harvard Business School six-week Advanced Management Program in 2000.^[2]

Career

McCormick joined the company in 1983 as an advertising manager and was the chief marketing officer before assuming the role of president and CEO in May 2001. He is the first non-family member to have held this position at L.L. Bean. Chris McCormick handled the transition of LL Bean towards retail and digital sales channels. The company had been experiencing flat sales since 1995, and 1,000 jobs were cut.^[3][4] In 2006, LL Bean opened a store in Burlington, Massachusetts, and McCormick announced 26 new store openings for the coming years.^[5] By 2007, the company had 22 retail and factory outlet shops in the USA, and 15 in Japan. McCormick announced its intention to develop the company's business in Canada and Latin America.^[6]

In March 2014, McCormick announced his intention to step down as CEO of LL Bean.^[7] On November 3, 2015, Stephen M. Smith was named the fourth President and CEO of L.L.Bean, and shortly thereafter McCormick retired from the company.^[8][9]

McCormick is a member of the Advisory Council of the Charles F. Dolan School of Business at Fairfield University.^[10] In June 2018, he joined the board of directors of the American retail store Big Lots.^[11][12]

References

1. Kelly Sheehan (4 February 2004). "Before they were stars: "Famous" alumni reap benefits of a Fairfield education". Fairfieldmirror.com. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
2. Inc, Big Lots. "Big Lots Appoints Two New Directors To Its Board After The Planned Retirement Of Existing Board Members". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 29 January 2019. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
3. Sherri Day (27 August 2002). "L.L. Bean Tries to Escape The Mail-Order Wilderness". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
4. Rajiv Lal; Walter J. Salmon; James Weber (March 2004). "L.L. Bean: A Search for Growth". Hbs.edu. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
5. Jenn Abelson (1 September 2006). "6 years later, L.L. Bean gets back in gear for expansion". Boston.com. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
6. "L.L. Bean looking to expand Canadian presence". Cbc.ca. 27 January 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
7. David Sharp (19 May 2014). "L.L. Bean CEO to step down in 2016". Pressherald.com. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
8. L.L. Bean CEO with roots in Connecticut to speak at Dolan School of Business^{[permanent dead link‍]}
9. "Company history". Llbean.com. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
10. Dolan School of Business Advisory Council Archived 2008-05-14 at the Wayback Machine
11. Matthew Kramer (5 July 2018). "Big Lots Adds To Board Of Directors". Homeworldbusiness.com. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
12. "Big Lots (BIG) Names Two New Directors Following Retirement of Twp Existing Board Members". Streetinsider.com. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018.