Gary Friedman

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Gary Friedman
Born (1957-08-06) August 6, 1957
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Occupation Co-CEO, Chairman of the Board for Restoration Hardware

Gary G. Friedman is best known for his role as Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of fine home furnishings retailer Restoration Hardware, Inc.,[1] a San Francisco, California company he has reinvented twice.[2] Friedman coined the phrase, "great brands don't chase customers, customers chase great brands."[3]

Early Life

Born in San Francisco and raised by his widowed mother in Sonoma, California, Friedman worked his way up through San Francisco's retail industry.[3] He began as a stock boy at The Gap in 1977 and over the course of eleven years rose through various management positions.[4]

Career

From 1988 to 2001, Friedman worked for Williams-Sonoma, Inc., where he served in various capacities, including as President and Chief Operating Officer from May 2000 to March 2001, as Chief Merchandising Officer and President of Retail Stores from 1995 to 2000 and as Executive Vice President and President of the Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn brands from 1993 to 1995.

He was appointed Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Restoration Hardware in June 2010 and has served as Chief Executive Officer since March 2001. He has also been a Director since March 2001.[1] On August 16, 2012, he stepped down after a reported relationship with a 26 year old female subordinate.[5] Friedman was reappointed Co-CEO and Chairman of the Board for Restoration Hardware in July 2013.[6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Gary Friedman: Executive Profile & Biography". Businessweek. Retrieved June 19, 2012. 
  2. ↑ Inder Sidhu (June 28, 2010). "Profiles In Doing Both: Retail's New Trailblazer". Huffington Post. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Tom Vanderbilt (May 26, 2011). "Restoration Rewired". The Wall Street Journal. 
  4. ↑ David Colman (January 6, 2012). "The Mod Classicist in the Mirror". The New York Times. 
  5. ↑ http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/08/16/restoration-hardware-co-chief-steps-down-after-an-inquiry/
  6. ↑ http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jul/03/business/la-fi-mo-gary-friedman-restoration-hardware-20130703
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