George Zimmer

George Zimmer (born November 21, 1948) is an American entrepreneur, the founder and CEO of the Men's Wearhouse, a men's clothing retailer that now has more than 600 stores across the U.S. and Canada under the brands Moores, Men's Wearhouse and K&G Superstores.

Biography

Born in New York,Fact|date=April 2007 Zimmer graduated with an A.B. in Economics from Washington University in 1970.Lee, Louise. [http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_44/b3906112.htm "Spiffing Up Men's Wearhouse"] , "BusinessWeek", 1 November 2004.] Upon graduation, he worked as a substitute teacher before joining his father in the clothing manufacturing business. Later in the early 1970s, he worked as a purchasing agent and salesman in Hong Kong. Zimmer attended grade schools in Scarsdale (Westchester County), New York.

Men's Wearhouse

He opened his first Men's Wearhouse store in 1973 in Houston, Texas. Zimmer narrates and appears in many of his company's television commercials, usually closing with the company slogan "You're going to like the way you look. I guarantee it." He owns 8.7% of Men's Wearhouse, a stake which, as of November 2004, was worth $94 million.

Controversy

Zimmer's style of corporate management is peculiar in the view of some (because of such events as the company's June 2004 nomination of guru Deepak Chopra to its board), while others perceive his style as cutting-edge. Zimmer is also known for his philanthropic support of research into the therapeutic use of MDMA, [Zink, Janet. [http://www.sptimes.com/2005/05/09/State/Party_pill_gets_tryou.shtml "Party pill gets tryout in therapy"] , "St. Petersburg Times", 9 May 2005.] as well as efforts to legalize medical marijuana. [United States Department of Justice. [http://library.findlaw.com/1999/Mar/3/129051.html "Say It Straight: The Medical Myths of Marijuana"] , Findlaw.com, March 1999.] Zimmer has confirmed that he is a recovering alcoholic.

References

External links

* [http://www.menswearhouse.com Men's Wearhouse corporate website]