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Chris McCormick, LL Bean

  

SASCS11 How to Enter BugCompany: LL Bean, Inc. Company
Description: The outdoor apparel and gear maker mails more than 200 million catalogs per year. L.L. Bean's specialty catalogs offer children's clothing, fly-fishing, outerwear, sportswear, housewares, footwear, camping and hiking gear, and the Maine hunting shoe upon which the company was built. L.L. Bean was founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean and is controlled by his descendants.
Nomination Category: Sales Awards Individual Categories Nomination
Sub Category: Global Sales Leader of the Year

Nomination Title: Chris McCormick (President and CEO) L.L. Bean

    Tell the story about what this nominee achieved since the beginning of July last year (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

        With Chris McCormick at the helm of LL Bean, the company has emerged as an industry leader in brand management, customer loyalty and marketing database systems.

        The L.L. Bean eCommerce Web site won the Crosschannel Merchant of the Year in the 2010 MCM Awards.  The site also finished in the top 10 in the 6th annual ForeSee Results E-Retail Satisfaction Index, higher than its 2009 score. 

        L.L. Bean continues to rank in the top tier of retailers providing the best customer service.  The company was ranked 4th in the NRF Foundation/American Express Customer’s Choice Survey.

        In the 2010 holiday shopping season L.L. Bean reported that it broke a number of existing sales records, including the biggest overall sales day in its history on Dec. 19 and the biggest day for Web site traffic on Dec.13. In 2009, L.L. Bean’s online sales surpassed its catalog phone sales.

        The original L.L. Bean believed that word-of-mouth advertising and customer satisfaction were critical to his way of thinking. Its customer service line is open 365 days a year and is renowned for the most generous retail return policy in the industry.

        But the L.L. Bean catalog remains the primary means of interacting with customers and is used by most online shoppers first the company reports.

        Founded in 1912 as a one-man operation, L.L. Bean has grown to a global organization with annual sales of more than $1.5 billion and over 18 stores in the U.S.

    List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:

        http://www.llbean.com/

    Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the nominee:

        Chris McCormick joined L.L. Bean in 1983 as an advertising manager.  He has served as the Chief Marketing Officer and was appointed President and CEO in 2001. He is the first non-family member to hold the top position at L.L. Bean. McCormick is a graduate of Fairfield University Dolan School of Business and the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program.