James W. Keyes is currently the chairman of Wild Oats Marketing LLC. Previously, Keyes served as

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especial ...

of 7-Eleven, Inc., and chairman and CEO of Blockbuster, Inc.

Education

Keyes graduated cum laude and

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

with a bachelor's degree from the College of the Holy Cross. He also obtained an

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

from Columbia Business School in 1980.

Career

From 1980 to 1985, Keyes worked for the

Gulf Oil Corporation Gulf Oil was a major global oil company in operation from 1901 to 1985. The eighth-largest American manufacturing company in 1941 and the ninth-largest in 1979, Gulf Oil was one of the so-called Seven Sisters oil companies. Prior to its merger ...

(now called

Chevron Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to: Science and technology * Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines * Chevron (anatomy), a bone * '' Eulithis testata'', a moth * Chevron (geology), a fold in rock ...

). Keyes joined CITGO Petroleum in 1985, which was then a subsidiary of 7-Eleven, Inc. In May 1996, he became the chief financial officer of 7-Eleven Inc. In 1998, he became chief operating officer of the company. In 2000, Keyes was appointed president and CEO of 7-Eleven, a position he held until 2005. He retired from 7-Eleven when it was sold to Seven & I Holdings Co. As president and CEO, Keyes implemented new retail systems technology that improved product assortment decisions. Keyes served as chairman and chief executive officer of

Blockbuster Blockbuster or Block Buster may refer to: *Blockbuster (entertainment) a term coined for an extremely successful movie, from which most other uses are derived. Corporations * Blockbuster (retailer), a defunct video and game rental chain ** Bl ...

, Inc., from 2007 to 2011, being brought into the company by investor and Blockbuster board member

Carl Icahn Carl Celian Icahn (; born February 16, 1936) is an American financier. He is the founder and controlling shareholder of Icahn Enterprises, a public company and diversified conglomerate holding company based in Sunny Isles Beach. Icahn takes la ...

. In 2007, Keyes helped Blockbuster acquire Movielink, a streaming video service, to compete with

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

and Apple TV. Keyes chose to shift focus from online to the stores and tried to improve the company's finances through moves such as restoring late fees. Keyes attributed its struggles to having to both grow the company to please Icahn and to pay back its $1 billion in debt in 2009, which made refinancing very difficult owing to the financial crisis. Keyes led the company after it filed for bankruptcy and facilitated a sale to Dish Network. Keyes is founder of the Education is Freedom foundation, which provides college scholarships for hard-working young students. Keyes has been a director of Murphy USA Inc. since August 2013. Keyes serves on numerous civic boards, including the American Red Cross national board of governors, the Cooper Institute, and the Dallas Education Foundation.

Awards

In 2005, Keyes received the Horatio Alger Award, which is given to leaders in the community who exemplify "honesty, hard work, self reliance and perseverance". In 2008, he was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keyes, James American chief executives of food industry companies Columbia Business School alumni Living people College of the Holy Cross alumni American chief financial officers American chief operating officers American retail chief executives Year of birth missing (living people)