Steve Odland is an American businessman. He is the President and CEO of
The Conference Board
The Conference Board, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit business membership and research group organization. It counts over 1,000 public and private corporations and other organizations as members, encompassing 60 countries. The Conference Board co ...
.
He also is the former Chairman and CEO of
Office Depot, Inc. and
AutoZone, Inc., and the former President and CEO of
Tops Markets
Tops Friendly Markets is an American supermarket chain based in Amherst, New York, that operates stores in Upstate New York, Vermont, and Northern Pennsylvania. The chain operates full-scale supermarkets. Tops is a subsidiary of Northeast Groc ...
and the
Committee for Economic Development
The Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED) is an American nonprofit and nonpartisan public policy think tank. The board of trustees consist primarily of senior corporate executives from a range of U.S. industries an ...
.
Biography
Early life
Steve was a graduate of
Mullen High School
Mullen High School (formerly J.K. Mullen High School) is a Roman Catholic, Brothers of the Christian Schools, college-preparatory high school in Denver, Colorado. It is run independently within the Archdiocese of Denver.
History
Mullen High Sc ...
in
Denver, Colorado
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
.
He received his Bachelor’s of Business Administration from
The University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...
, and a Master's of Management degree from the
Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University
The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University (also known as Kellogg) is the business school of Northwestern University, a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1908, Kellogg is one of the oldest and most p ...
.
Career
Since June 2018 Odland has been President and CEO of
The Conference Board
The Conference Board, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit business membership and research group organization. It counts over 1,000 public and private corporations and other organizations as members, encompassing 60 countries. The Conference Board co ...
. The non-profit business membership and research organization counts over 1,000 public and private corporations and other organizations as members, encompassing 60 countries. It convenes conferences and peer-learning groups, conducts economic and business management research, and publishes several widely tracked
economic indicator
An economic indicator is a statistic about an economic activity. Economic indicators allow analysis of economic performance and predictions of future performance. One application of economic indicators is the study of business cycles. Economic i ...
s. The organization's five core centers are Economy, Strategy & Finance; Public Policy/
Committee for Economic Development
The Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED) is an American nonprofit and nonpartisan public policy think tank. The board of trustees consist primarily of senior corporate executives from a range of U.S. industries an ...
; Marketing & Communications; Human Capital; and Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG). Notable research and economic indicator data include US Consumer Confidence; Global Consumer Confidence; CEO Confidence; Help Wanted OnLine; Job Satisfaction; surveys of the C-Suite's top priorities for the year ahead; trends in CEO succession and boardroom diversity; and the leading economic and educational issues relating to public policy. He is the host of the organization's twice-monthly podcast, ''CEO Perspectives,'' which features thought leaders discussing an array of topics relevant to business executives.
From 2013 to June 2018 he was President and CEO of the
Committee for Economic Development
The Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED) is an American nonprofit and nonpartisan public policy think tank. The board of trustees consist primarily of senior corporate executives from a range of U.S. industries an ...
, a non-partisan, business-led public policy organization that delivers well-researched analysis and reasoned solutions to the nation’s most critical issues.
In 2017, in collaboration with Joseph Minarik, Senior Vice President and Director of Research at
CED, Odland co-authored ''Sustaining Capitalism: Bipartisan Solutions to Restore Trust & Prosperity''. The book lays out a clear plan for how business and policy leaders can generate prosperity for business and society now, all while making capitalism sustainable for generations to come. The book received coverage by, among other publications,
Fortune
Fortune may refer to:
General
* Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck
* Luck
* Wealth
* Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling
* Fortune, in a fortune cookie
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''The Fortune'' (1931 film) ...
,
Yahoo! Finance
Yahoo! Finance is a media property that is part of the Yahoo! network. It provides financial news, data and commentary including stock quotes, press releases, financial reports, and original content. It also offers some online tools for perso ...
,
Bloomberg Bloomberg may refer to:
People
* Daniel J. Bloomberg (1905–1984), audio engineer
* Georgina Bloomberg (born 1983), professional equestrian
* Michael Bloomberg (born 1942), American businessman and founder of Bloomberg L.P.; politician and ma ...
, and
CNBC
CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk sho ...
.
Steve began his career at the
Quaker Oats Company
The Quaker Oats Company, known as Quaker, is an American food conglomerate based in Chicago. It has been owned by PepsiCo since 2001.
History Precursor miller companies
In the 1850s, Ferdinand Schumacher and Robert Stuart founded oat mills. S ...
.
From 1981 to 1996 he progressed through various positions and divisions at
Quaker
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
including pet foods, Golden Grain, international foods, and cereals. From 1996-1998 he served as President of the Foodservice Division of
Sara Lee Bakery.
He subsequently became President and CEO of
Tops Markets
Tops Friendly Markets is an American supermarket chain based in Amherst, New York, that operates stores in Upstate New York, Vermont, and Northern Pennsylvania. The chain operates full-scale supermarkets. Tops is a subsidiary of Northeast Groc ...
, a position he held until 2000.
From 2001-2005 Odland was President, Chairman, and CEO of
AutoZone
AutoZone, Inc. is an American retailer of aftermarket automotive parts and accessories, the largest in the United States. Founded in 1979, AutoZone has over 6,400 stores across the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Brazil and the US Virgin Is ...
.
At the end of his tenure,
AutoZone
AutoZone, Inc. is an American retailer of aftermarket automotive parts and accessories, the largest in the United States. Founded in 1979, AutoZone has over 6,400 stores across the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Brazil and the US Virgin Is ...
had over $5.6B in net sales, and approximately 3,500 stores and 45,000 employees across the U.S. and Mexico. He established the first corporate governance guidelines at the company. To drive teamwork and accountability he enacted, among other initiatives, the “40-headed CEO,” in which every month the 40 most senior executives (hence the "40-headed CEO”) convened for a half a day to review the company’s operations, performance, and financials.
He was named top new CEO in 2002 by
Bloomberg Markets Magazine.
From 2005-2010 Odland was Chairman and CEO of
Office Depot
The ODP Corporation is an American office supply holding company headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. The company has combined annual sales of approximately $11 billion, and employs about 38,000 associates with businesses in the United States. ...
.
During his tenure he implemented award-winning environmental initiatives ranging from green products to green buildings and energy saving measures. His commitment to diversity, including at the top echelons of the company, resulted in several awards and other accolades.
The National Association for Female Executives named
Office Depot
The ODP Corporation is an American office supply holding company headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. The company has combined annual sales of approximately $11 billion, and employs about 38,000 associates with businesses in the United States. ...
as one of the top 30 companies dedicated to the advancement of women executives; the Women’s Business Development Council named it the Florida Corporation of The Year; DiversityBusiness.com recognized the company as one of the top for multicultural business opportunities. Also,
Office Depot’s Supply Chain Diversity team published a catalog to exclusively feature
Historically Underutilized Businesses – a first for the industry and one of the few such efforts in all of retailing. In the aftermath of the
2010 earthquake in Haiti, the Office Depot Foundation donated $10,000 to
Doctors Without Borders
Doctor or The Doctor may refer to:
Personal titles
* Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree
* A medical practitioner, including:
** Physician
** Surgeon
** Dentist
** Veterinary physician
** Optometrist
*Other roles
** ...
to provide medical supplies; it also donated $10,000 to
Feed The Children
Feed the Children, established in 1979 and headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a non-profit organization focused on alleviating childhood hunger. Its mission is "providing hope and resources for those without life's essentials." The organ ...
.
He is the 2007 recipient of
Florida Atlantic University’s Business Leader of the Year.
From 2011 to 2012 he taught as an Adjunct Professor in the graduate schools of business at
Florida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, and satellite campuses in Dania Beach, Florida, Dania Beach, Davie, Florida, Davie, Fort Lauderd ...
and
Lynn University
Lynn University is a private university in Boca Raton, Florida. Founded in 1962, the university awards associate, baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees. It is named for the Lynn family (Christine E. and Eugene M. Lynn). It has a total ...
.
He is profiled in the books, ''Nobodies to Somebodies: How 100 Great Careers Got Their Start'', and ''Leaders on Ethics: Real-world Perspectives on Today’s Business Challenges''.
He currently is a Director of
General Mills, Inc. He is a Senior Advisor at
PJ SOLOMON
Solomon Partners, previously known as PJ Solomon, is an independently operated American investment bank and financial services company headquartered in New York City. Solomon Partners advises on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, restructu ...
,
a Trustee of
The Conference Board
The Conference Board, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit business membership and research group organization. It counts over 1,000 public and private corporations and other organizations as members, encompassing 60 countries. The Conference Board co ...
, and a member of the
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, mi ...
.
Odland is a Contributor to
CNBC
CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk sho ...
and a former Contributor to
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
.
Odland is a former Director of
Analogic Corporation
Analogic is an American multinational corporation that provides health care and security technology products.
History
Analogic Corporation was founded by Bernard M. Gordon in 1967.
The company opened a manufacturing facility in Shanghai, Chin ...
. He also has been a member of the
Business Roundtable
The Business Roundtable (BRT) is a nonprofit lobbyist association based in Washington, D.C. whose members are chief executive officers of major United States companies. Unlike the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, whose members are entire businesses, BRT ...
and Chairman of its Corporate Governance Taskforce;
a U.S. Presidential Appointee as commissioner on the
National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission; a member of the
Committee on Capital Markets Regulation
The Committee on Capital Markets Regulation is an independent and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) research organization financed by contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations.
Background
Thirty-six leaders from the financial sector, incl ...
;
a U.S. Presidential Appointee on the
President's Council on Service and Civic Participation
The President's Council on Service and Civic Participation was created by U.S. President George W. Bush in January 2003 by executive order. Its mission is to encourage volunteerism and to recognize the contributions Americans make through serv ...
;
a member of the Advisory Council of the Institute for Corporate Ethics;
a member of the Advisory Council of the
University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business;
Chairman of Memphis Tomorrow;
and a member of the
Florida Council of 100
The Florida Council of 100 is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization of Florida business leaders who advise the state's governor. It was founded in 1961 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.
History
The association was founded in 1961 ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Odland, Steve
1958 births
Living people
University of Notre Dame alumni
Kellogg School of Management alumni
American nonprofit chief executives
Florida Atlantic University faculty
Lynn University
American retail chief executives
Quaker Oats Company people