The career corporate executive sat down with a freelance journalist to discuss his life, his career, and his professional philosophy.
PORTLAND, OR / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2021 / It is with great enthusiasm that Mike Edwards, a career corporate executive who has served as CEO for companies such as Borders Books and Music and Hanna Andersson, announces he is the subject of a new interview. The interview was conducted by a noted online periodical that concentrates on matters of health and wellness.
Early on in the interview, after being asked what surprised him the most upon entering the retail industry at the outset of his career, Mike responds, “I think what surprised me about retail was the instant access to information about how well we were doing, or what mistakes we were making and how big. Having that kind of direct feedback from customers always sort of excited and challenged me,” he says, adding, “I also love the people side of it. It's really about people, about working with teams, with partners, and with suppliers. I enjoyed that tremendously. And I liked the fact that I could be both highly analytical and very creative at the same time. It matched my skill set well.”
Further along in the piece, Mike Edwards outlines the most challenging period of his career, stating that it was his job to oversee the bankruptcy of Borders Books and Music in his role as CEO of that company. “I had what I considered to be one of the best business plans I've ever developed, but I ultimately didn't win the new capital needed to support it. I led the company into bankruptcy and then ultimately, liquidation-which, of course, created a career obstacle for me,” he recalls, immediately going on to explain how he bounced back, “The way I overcame it was by accepting a position not at the CEO level, but at the senior executive level at Staples. That position not only got me back on track, it also broadened my experience in a different category, in a different industry, and within a very credible and large company. So, I was able to take that negative situation and then apply it to my career going forward in a way that was both positive and productive.”
Anyone interested in reading the full text of the interview is encouraged to keep watch for its publication in the coming days, while anyone curious to know more about Mike Edwards is encouraged to visit his professional website.
About Mike Edwards:
Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mike Edwards is a career corporate executive who has held high positions at an assortment of large corporations. Mike majored in marketing and earned a BS in business from Drexel University in 1983. After graduating, he went straight into retail, having been recruited by May Department Stores into their executive training program. He continued to work at May for five years, before accepting a job as a store manager at Target. Starting in 1990, Mike Edwards took a position at CompUSA, starting out as an assistant store manager and rising the ranks to attain an executive role as senior vice-president before leaving the company in 1998.
Mike has been president and CEO of many well-known companies, including Lucy Activewear, Borders Inc., eBags.com, and Hanna Andersson. He has also held various senior leadership positions at Golfsmith, West Marine, Jo Ann Stores, and Staples. Over the last decade, Mike Edwards and the organizations under his management have received the American Heritage Award from the Anti-Defamation League for leadership and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as Brand of the Year from the International Council of Shopping Centers. Additionally, Mike won Multichannel Merchant's Customer Service Award of the Year, and was also a finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst and Young. Mike Edwards currently lives in Portland, Oregon, where he is the independent director and digital technology committee chairperson of the publicly-traded company Central Garden & Pet.
Contact Information:
Mike Edwards
Email: mje1960@gmail.com
Phone: (734) 604-0946
SOURCE: Mike Edwards
View source version on accesswire.com:
https://www.accesswire.com/659595/Mike-Edwards-Is-the-Subject-of-a-New-Interview
