“Mr. Nordstrom leads one of the nation’s leading fashion specialty retailers and is instrumental to the success of the company’s operations and its future,” said WSU College of Business and Economics Dean Len Jessup. “The company and Mr. Nordstrom’s role in this unique and successful organization are very much in line with WSU’s initiative on entrepreneurship and innovation. We are very pleased to have Mr. Nordstrom address the Power Breakfast audience.”
Nordstrom was founded as a
Blake Nordstrom brings a deep passion for the company’s customer-focused culture and an extensive background in merchandising and company operations. Since being appointed president in August 2000, he has refined the company’s initiatives and established the groundwork for better merchandising execution, expense management and improved sales growth in all channels. He has renewed management’s commitment to the “front lines” of the business, directing resources and support to the sales floor. Additionally, he appointed an executive team that is working to integrate all company initiatives to improve short-term and long-term operating performance. In 2003, under the leadership of Nordstrom and his executive team, the company achieved its highest net income and earnings per share in company history.
Nordstrom knows the company from the ground up. He began his career at an early age working in the stockroom of the downtown
After managing the
In 2000, Nordstrom assumed the position of president for the Nordstrom Rack group, overseeing all aspects of store operations, expansion and marketing. Later that year, the company’s board of directors appointed him president of Nordstrom Inc.
The WSU Power Breakfast series, presented by the WSU College of Business and Economics, kicked off in September 2004 with its first guest speaker, Kerry Killinger, chief executive officer and president of Washington Mutual. The goal of the series, said Jessup, is to inform, inspire and engage members of the regional business community by providing them with fresh outlooks on highly relevant corporate leadership topics. The series is also in line with WSU’s public responsibility to the state of
WSU has been an integral educational institution since the 1890s, with studies in business fields from the start. WSU has recently been ranked among the top 50 public research universities in the