{{short description|American supermarket CEO}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2021}} {{Infobox person | honorific_prefix = | name = Stew Leonard Jr. | honorific_suffix = | image = File:Stew Leonard Jr., supermercadista americano, durante palestra na 47ª Convenção ABRAS. (10160937933).jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = Stew Leonard Jr. in 2013 | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1954}} | birth_place = | education = | alma_mater = {{plainlist| * Ithaca College (BS) * UCLA (MBA) }} | occupation = President and CEO of Stew Leonard's<ref name="Anderson">{{cite news | last =Swaby | first =Rachel | title =Stew Leonard's Big Idea | publisher = UCLA Anderson School of Management| date =March 2014 | url =http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/assets-digital/lessons-from-the-financial-crisis/stew-leonards | accessdate = June 29, 2014}}</ref> | years_active = | employer = | organization = | agent = | known_for = | net_worth = <!-- Net worth should be supported with a citation from a reliable source --> | title = | spouse = | partner = {{marriage|Kim Kral|1983}} | children = 5 | parents = | relatives = | callsign = | awards = | website = | footnotes = }}

'''Stew Leonard Jr.''' (born 1954) is an American businessman who has been president and CEO of Stew Leonard's, a grocery store chain based in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey, since 1991.<ref name="Anderson"/><ref>{{cite web|last1=Levin-Epstein|first1=Amy|title=A grocery scion reflects on survival and success|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/grocery-scion-stew-leonard-jr-reflects-on-survival-and-success/|website=CBS Money|publisher=CBS News|accessdate=January 25, 2016}}</ref>

==Early life== Stew Leonard Jr. was born in 1954 to Marianne (née Guthman) and Stew Leonard Sr (1929-2023). Stew claims that his father was of Irish descent and his mother was of German Jewish descent.<ref name="westchester">{{Cite magazine |url=https://westchestermagazine.com/life-style/the-man-in-the-maze-stew-leonard-jr/ |title=The Man In The Maze: Stew Leonard Jr. |date=2015-01-14 |last=Garrity |first=Philip |website=westchestermagazine.com |access-date=2021-11-20}}</ref> He comes from a long line of family members in the dairy business. His grandfather, Charles Leo Leonard, founded Clover Farms Dairy in Norwalk, Connecticut in the 1920s.<ref name="NewsTimes">{{cite news | last =Perrefort | first =Dirk | title =Stew Leonard Jr. picked for Previdi Award in Danbury | newspaper =The News-Times| date =December 2, 2010 | url=http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Stew-Leonard-Jr-picked-for-Previdi-Award-in-854622.php | accessdate = June 29, 2014}}</ref> The elder Leonard and his sons would deliver milk door-to-door straight from the farm. When Charles Leonard died, the business passed to Stew Leonard Sr., who wanted to move beyond being a milkman.<ref name="CNN">{{cite news | last =Whitford | first =David | title =Back From The Brink | publisher = CNNMoney| date =November 1, 2002 | url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fsb/fsb_archive/2002/11/01/331999/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141014151614/http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fsb/fsb_archive/2002/11/01/331999/ | url-status=dead | archive-date=October 14, 2014 | accessdate = June 29, 2014}}</ref> Stew Leonard Sr. would then open the original Stew Leonard's dairy store in Norwalk in 1969. Stew Leonard Jr. often worked in that original dairy store as a child, washing out milk cans, loading egg shelves, and performing other basic tasks.<ref name="NewsTimes"/> Leonard graduated from Staples High School in Westport, Connecticut in 1972.<ref name="westchester"/>

Leonard later attended Ithaca College,<ref name="Ithaca">{{cite news | last =Fostel | first =Robin | title =Stew Leonard Jr. '77 runs a top-100 food company | publisher = Ithaca College Quarterly| date =2003 | url= http://www.ithaca.edu/icq/2003v3/cn/cn1top.htm | accessdate = June 29, 2014}}</ref> earning a Bachelor of Science in Accounting in 1977.<ref name="School">{{cite news | author = <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> | title =Levine Lecture: Stew Leonard | publisher =Western Carolinian| date =February 23, 2005 | url =http://www.westerncarolinian.com/news/view.php/588244/Levine-Lecture-Stew-Leonard | accessdate = June 29, 2014}}</ref> He continued his education at UCLA's Anderson School of Management, where he earned a Master of Business Administration in 1982.<ref name="Anderson"/>

==Career== Stew Leonard Jr. first took over the helm of Stew Leonard's in 1991, after his father Stew Leonard Sr. was charged with a $17&nbsp;million tax fraud by the IRS.<ref name="CNNmoney">{{cite web|last1=Whitford|first1=David|title=Back From The Brink|url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fsb/fsb_archive/2002/11/01/331999/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141014151614/http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fsb/fsb_archive/2002/11/01/331999/|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 14, 2014|website=CNN Money|accessdate=January 25, 2016}}</ref> At the time, there was some major concern about Stew Leonard Jr.'s ability to continue the success that the chain had experienced under his father.

The first few years were turbulent under Stew Leonard Jr., but he quickly turned it around. The store in Norwalk was earning less than $100&nbsp;million in 1991, but, by 2002, Leonard had helped increase sales to $300&nbsp;million with 3 stores.<ref name="CNN"/> Leonard attributes the success of the company to its emphasis on customer service and employee care.<ref name="SmartRetail">{{cite book | last =Hammond | first =Richard | title =Smart Retail: Practical Winning Ideas and Strategies from the Most Successful Retailers in the World | publisher =FT Press | edition = 3| date =2011 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=XmMpHfFzlfMC&q=%22stew+leonard+jr.%22&pg=PT147 | isbn =978-0273744542 }}</ref>

Under Stew Leonard Jr., the grocery store chain has also been recognized as one of the best places to work in the nation. 82% of all managers are promoted from within, and Stew Leonard's frequently applies positive reinforcement to boost employee morale.<ref name="SmartRetail"/> In 1999, Stew Leonard spearheaded the opening of a store in Yonkers, New York. The store continued the "Disneyesque" theme, but it also housed the first Stew Leonard's Wines store.<ref name="Yonkers">{{cite news | last = McAleer Vizard | first =Mary | title =Commercial Real Estate; Stew Leonard's and Other Stores Set for Yonkers | newspaper = The New York Times| date =September 1, 1999 | url= https://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/01/nyregion/commercial-real-estate-stew-leonard-s-and-other-stores-set-for-yonkers.html | accessdate = July 9, 2014}}</ref>

By 2014, Leonard had helped grow the business to four grocery stores. Additionally, there are 9 wine stores across Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey, each of which is independently owned and operated by family members.<ref name="Anderson"/> The food and wine stores cumulatively employ 2,000 people and approach $400&nbsp;million in sales per year. This is despite the fact that the company (proudly) offers only 2,000 items, a large majority of which is perishable and prepared food.<ref name="Anderson"/>

The success of these business principles has gained Stew Leonard Jr. a significant degree of respect in the retail industry. Stew Leonard's Wines was also recognized by ''Wine Enthusiast Magazine'' as the Retailer of the Year in 2011 and 2013.<ref name="WineMag">{{cite news |url=http://www.winemag.com/Wine-Star-Awards-Video-Archive/ |title=Wine Star Awards Videos |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |work=Wine Enthusiast Magazine |accessdate=July 9, 2014}}</ref> Leonard is a prominent public speaker and is featured as one of the top orators at the prestigious Washington Speakers Bureau.<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite news | last =Stowe | first =Stacy | title=Governor and Insurance Firm Differ on Reason for Free Trip | newspaper = The New York Times| date =May 6, 2004 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/06/nyregion/governor-and-insurance-firm-differ-on-reason-for-free-trip.html | accessdate = June 29, 2014}}</ref>

==Personal life== Leonard married Kim Kral in 1983. They met while attending college together at UCLA.<ref name="westchester"/> Together, they had five children: four daughters and one son. In 1989, their son, Stew "Stewie" Leonard III, drowned at 21 months old.<ref name="westchester"/><ref name="aas">{{Cite web |url=https://www.allamericanspeakers.com/celebritytalentbios/Stew+Leonard+Jr./3534 |title=Stew Leonard Jr. |website=allamericanspeakers.com |access-date=2021-11-20}}</ref>

==Philanthropy== Leonard and his wife, Kim, founded the Stew Leonard III Children's Charities, which offer swimming lessons to thousands of underprivileged youths each year.<ref name="Anderson"/> They have also released a series of children's books about water safety that feature the character, Stewie the Duck. In 2012, they released an app version of the children's book with Stewie the Duck at the forefront. A program featuring the character has been used by firefighters in Rialto, California and employees at a children's hospital in Phoenix, Arizona to teach children about water safety.<ref name="NewsTimes02">{{cite news | last = Hutson | first =Nanci G. | title =Stewie Leonard III's legacy is one of water safety for all children | newspaper = The News-Times| date =May 29, 2012 | url= http://www.newstimes.com/local/article/Stewie-Leonard-III-s-legacy-is-one-of-water-3588182.php | accessdate = July 9, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://norwalk.dailyvoice.com/lifestyle/stew-leonards-makes-kids-water-safety-a-top-priority/710033|title=Stew Leonard's Makes Kids' Water Safety a Top Priority|date=May 10, 2017}}</ref>

==Awards== Leonard was awarded the Dale Carnegie Leadership Award.<ref name="aas"/>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.stewleonards.com/ Stew Leonard's Grocery Store]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leonard, Stew Jr.}} Category:Date of birth missing (living people) Category:1954 births Category:Living people Category:Ithaca College alumni Category:UCLA Anderson School of Management alumni Category:American chief executives in retailing Category:American chief executives in the food industry