- David Brandon, Chairman and CEO, Domino’s Pizza
- Edward Brennan, CEO of Sears Roebuck
- Wesley R. Card, CEO of Jones Apparel Group
- S. Truett Cathy, founder and CEO of Chick-fil-A
- Christopher Connor, CEO of Sherwin-Williams
- Kenneth Derr, CEO of Chevron
- David Farrell, CEO of May Department Stores, 1979-98
- Leonard Fenstein, co-founder of Bed, Bath & Beyond
- George Feldenkreis, CEO of Perry Ellis International
- Irvine Hockaday, Jr., CEO of Hallmark, 1986-2001
- James Kimsey, AOL founding CEO
- Alan J. Lacy, CEO of Sears, 2000-2005
- Kenneth May, CEO of FedEx Kinko’s, 2004-2007
- Gary G. Michaels, CEO of Albertson’s, 1991-2001
- Lucio Noto, CEO of Mobil, 1994-1999
- John J. O’Connor, EVP of Hess Corporation
- Clarence Otis, CEO of Darden Restaurants
- James A Skinner, CEO of McDonald’s
- Richard Teerlink, CEO of Harley-Davidson, 1989-97
- Meg Whitman, former CEO of eBay
Predictable Politics and Surprising Supporters
Some retail affiliations can be deduced fairly easily without any public displays of political affection. James Sinegal, founder and CEO of Costco, is well-known for his egalitarian management style. Since there is no egalitarian party candidate, it’s logical that supporting the democratic candidate would be the next best thing. Meg Whitman has already hinted that she may be open to being the next non-political celebrity governor of California, and her political contributions in the past have found their way to mostly Republican pockets. These party placements are predictable.
There are a few noteworthy surprises on the lists, however. In the summer of 2008, Wal-Mart held mandatory “informational” meetings to espouse the virtues of the Republican Party policies to its managers. Yet Wal-Mart executive Lawrence V. Jackson is reportedly a supporter of the Barack Obama campaign. Also bucking corporate allegiances, Stephen Gates, former EVP for Conoco-Philips seems to have pledged his allegiance to Obama even though the oil industry and the Republican Party are practically synonymous.
The Retail Politico EffectWhether or not an open political affiliation will hurt a retail organization in the long-term is speculative. With economic conditions as they are moving into a new decade, businesses can’t really afford to alienate any wallets. But for the same reasons, consumers may not be able to afford to be politically self-righteous either. A precarious economy will likely create cautious participation on both sides of the retail politico equation in the next few year - at least until the next presidential election heats up.
