About the 2010 Speakers
Stew Leonard Jr.

Stew Leonard's

Stew Leonard Jr.

Stew Leonard Jr. is president and chief executive officer of Stew Leonard's, a unique family-owned and operated retailer dubbed "The Disneyland of Dairy Stores" by The New York Times for it's in-store entertainment and costumed characters and listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for having "the greatest sales per unit area of any single food store in the United States."

Stew's father started the business in Norwalk, CT in 1969 as the first dairy retail store where children could be entertained watching milk being bottled while mothers did their shopping for locally-produced farm-fresh foods.  Stew grew up in the business, helping his father expand the store to include fresh meat, seafood, produce, cheese and a bakery.

Since Stew took over as president and CEO in 1991, the company has grown to include four food stores in Norwalk, Danbury and Newington, Connecticut and Yonkers, New York, and eight wine stores in Norwalk, Danbury and Newington, Connecticut, Yonkers, Farmingdale and Carle Place, New York, and Clifton and Paramus, New Jersey.  Stew Leonard's employs over 2,000 Team Members and has annual sales of $400 million.

Stew Leonard's has received worldwide recognition for its passionate approach to customer service and creating a great work environment for its team members.  The company is continuously featured in marketing textbooks and business school case studies such as Harvard Business School and Columbia University, has been named to FORTUNE Magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" list for the past eight consecutive years, was awarded the 2008 Retailer of the Year Award by the Connecticut Retail Merchants Association, and was named "one of the best" grocery stores in the nation in a 2008 AOL user survey.

Stew Leonard, Jr. was awarded the prestigious Dale Carnegie Leadership Award, an international honor that recognizes company leaders who emphasize development of their people, and has appeared on numerous national television shows regarding his expertise and store's business philosophy, including the CBS Early Morning Show, Martha Stewart, CNN, MSNBC, The History Channel and The Food Network.

Stew is a member of the prestigious Washington Speakers Bureau, for which he travels around the world speaking to corporations and their employees about his company's philosophies on customer service and team member development. The Washington Speakers Bureau has named Stew "one of the 25 best speakers they have ever represented."

Following the devastating drowning accident of their 21-month old son, Stewie, Stew and his wife Kim founded the Stew Leonard III Children's Charities with the mission to save lives through water safety education and awareness, since drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in children under the age of five.  As part of this mission they have published two children's books on the topic of water safety--Stewie The Duck Learns to Swim and Swimming Lessons with Stewie The Duck--and have raised over $1 million to fund swimming scholarships and lifeguard training as well as provide water safety equipment to YMCAs and Boys and Girls Clubs.  The National Drowning Prevention Alliance recognized Stew at their 2009 National Drowning Prevention Symposium for his advocacy in supporting community drowning prevention efforts and increasing education and awareness about children's water safety.

Stew Leonard, Jr. earned his MBA from UCLA in 1982 and has certifications with the Wine and Spirits Education Trust and Sommelier Society of America.  He and his wife Kim have four daughters and live in Westport, CT.