James Sinegal
American businessman
James D. Sinegal (born January 1, 1936) is an American businessman, co-founder and former CEO of the Costco Wholesale Corporation, an international retail chain. He served as Costco's president and CEO from 1983 until 2011. As CEO of Costco, Sinegal was known for his hands-on humanitarian approach to business. He prioritized customer and employee satisfaction over shareholder interests and is also known for his philanthropic efforts.
Early life and education
James D. Sinegal was born on January 1, 1936 into a Catholic working-class family in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He attended St. Lawrence O'Toole primary school, Central Catholic High School (Pittsburgh), and Helix High School in La Mesa, California, and he earned an AA at San Diego City College in 1955. He attended San Diego State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1959.
Career
After Sinegal started as a grocery bagger at FedMart in 1955, he discovered that he loved the retail industry, and he was excited by the opportunities at this rapidly growing retailer. At FedMart, he worked his way up to executive vice president in charge of merchandising and operations.
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This entry incorporates text from “James Sinegal” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.