Sam Leftwich - Inducted in 1988
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Sam Leftwich, a native of Homer, Nebraska, retired as President and Chief Operating Officer and Vice Chairman of the Board of Kmart Corporation on June 1, 1987.
He began his career with Kmart in 1949, then known as S.S. Kresge Company, while in his senior year at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He served as a part-time stockman.
During his 37 years with the corporation, he worked his way through the management system as store manager, district manager and at various executive positions at the regional office level.
In January of 1974, he was transferred to the corporation's executive offices in Troy, Michigan. He served as Director of Food Operations and as Senior Vice President of Personnel and Employee Relations until his promotion to president in 1981.
He was elevated to Vice Chairman of the Board in 1985. During his career he has witnessed a chain of 700 Kresge stores grow into the nation's second largest mass-merchandiser with 2,200 Kmart stores employing more than 325,000 persons.
Today, Kmart, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation is a mass merchandising company that offers customers quality products through a portfolio of exclusive brands that include Jaclyn Smith, Joe Boxer, County Living and Route 66 as well as certain proprietary Sears brand products (such as Kenmore, Craftsman, and DieHard brand products) and services. As of January 30, 2010, there were a total of 1,327 Kmart stores across 49 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, many of which operate in-store pharmacies. Kmart Super Centers also include full-service grocery stores. Kmart also sells its products through its kmart.com website and offers convenient Kmart layaway both in store and online.