1. James D Sinegal was born on January 1,1936 and is an American businessman, co-founder and former CEO of the Costco Wholesale Corporation, an international retail chain.
21 Facts About James Sinegal
1. 2.
James Sinegal served as Costco's president and CEO from 1983 until 2011.
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James Sinegal prioritised customer and employee satisfaction over shareholder interests and is known for his philanthropic efforts.
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James Sinegal was born January 1,1936, into a Catholic working-class family in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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James Sinegal attended St Lawrence O'Toole primary school, Central Catholic High School, and Helix High School in La Mesa, California, and he earned an AA at San Diego City College in 1955.
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James Sinegal attended San Diego State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1959.
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James Sinegal was a vice president of merchandising for Builders Emporium from 1977 to 1978 and an executive vice president for the Price Company from 1978 to 1979.
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From 1983 until his retirement in 2011, James Sinegal served as Costco's president and CEO.
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James Sinegal's innovations made Costco the first "warehouse club" to include fresh food, eye-care clinics, pharmacies, and gas stations in its mix of goods and services.
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James Sinegal was a protege of Sol Price, widely considered to be the "father" of the "warehouse club" concept.
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James Sinegal is known for a benevolent style of management rooted in the belief that employees who are treated well will in turn treat and serve customers well.
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In 1993, when growing competition threatened both Price Club and Costco Wholesale, James Sinegal was invited to a partial merger.
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Robert Price and James Sinegal had different opinions regarding company direction and recovery policies.
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In 1997, the name of James Sinegal's company was changed to Costco Wholesale.
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In 2009, James Sinegal was named a TopGun CEO by Brendan Wood International, an advisory agency.
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On January 1,2012, Sinegal retired as CEO of Costco Wholesale, continued to serve as Company Advisor and Director, and was succeeded by his long-term Costco colleague W Craig Jelinek in 2012.
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James Sinegal retired from the Board of Directors in January 2018.
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In 2008, James Sinegal was part of an eleventh-hour local ownership group that committed to invest $450 million for the renovation of Seattle's KeyArena, and to purchase the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics franchise.
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James Sinegal is an avowed Democrat and spoke at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.
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James Sinegal has hosted President Barack Obama at his home on two occasions.
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James Sinegal received an honorary doctorate from Dartmouth College alongside Jake Tapper and others in June 2017.