Company revenues: $400 million (in 2011).
Number of employees: 2,000.
Years with the company: 41.
Generation of family ownership: Third. My grandfather started a home-delivery dairy, and my father took that over in the 1950s.
First job at this company: Running a Stew Leonard’s ice cream parlor. It was a busy summer, and my father asked me if I wanted to run it.
At what age? 17.
Most memorable thing I learned from my father: No means maybe. When someone says no, meaning, “Something won’t work, you can’t do that,” you have to be creative and think about another way to do it.
Most memorable thing I learned from my mother: No means no. She meant it from a family viewpoint.
Best thing about this job: If you’re curious about a subject, being at the head of a family business is fascinating. I’ve always been interested in food and wine.
Worst thing about this job: I don’t like having to fire anyone.
One of our greatest successes: Getting to know Tom Peters, author of In Search of Excellence, in the 1980s. He put us on the map when he wrote about our customer service.
Best advice I ever got: Don’t go into the family business because it’s the family business. You may feel like it’s a secure career path, but you have to ask yourself: Do you love it? Is it a fun, interesting career? Obviously, it’s not roses every day. Things come up.
Quote from our company’s mission statement: Rule No. 1, the customer is always right. Rule No. 2, if the customer is ever wrong, reread Rule No. 1.
One of my greatest accomplishments: Handling the time Dad went to prison for tax evasion. There were family and emotional issues at home and at the store along with negative publicity and financial pressures, and it was a lot at once. But we got through it and now we’re bigger and better.
Best thing about working in a family business: You can invest time and energy in a family pursuit and you can help people. I want to make sure that even the 16- and 17-year-olds can say they work at a great place. We’ve never had a layoff, and I’m proud of that.
Worst thing about working in a family business: Establishing fairness among family members and non-family employees.
Advice for other family business leaders: Look at the long term. The little issues can derail you; keep everything in perspective.
On a day off I like to… go boating with my wife and kids. I have a 17-foot Zodiac inflatable.
Philanthropic causes our family supports: We help a number of organizations. It’s not about giving, but about making a difference. We lost a child to drowning; thus, Stew Leonard III Children’s Charities promotes water safety along with nutritional awareness. Every year we teach 5,000 children to swim.
Book I think every family business leader should read: The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty, by Julia Siler.
B>I realized I had emerged from the previous generation’s shadow when… I drove my father to the new Yonkers store and we pulled over before the exit that read, “Stew Leonard Drive.” We both started to cry.
Future succession plans: A big question mark right now. We require every next-generation [member] to work somewhere else before joining us, and so far, eight of the 13 in the next generation are doing that. The others are still in school.
Words I live by: It’s OK to put ice cubes in the wine as long as you know you’re not supposed to. I remember that when certain things come up during the day.
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