Jack Mitchell

Biography

Jack Mitchell is Chairman of Mitchell Stores (Mitchells/Richards/Wilkes/Marios), a three-generation family business that operates men’s and women’s specialty stores in Connecticut, New York, California, Washington and Oregon. After completing a BA at Wesleyan University in 1961 and an MA at the University of California-Berkeley in Chinese History, Jack worked at the New England Institute for Medical Research. He joined the family business, Ed Mitchell, Inc., in 1969, which was founded by his parents and later became Mitchells of Westport. Mitchells went on to acquire Richards of Greenwich, CT, Marshs of Huntington, Long Island, Wilkes Bashford in San Francisco and Palo Alto, CA, and Marios in Portland and Seattle. In 2003, Jack launched a “second career” as an author and speaker, keynoting at events for corporations including Morgan Stanley, Conde Nast, Merrill Lynch, Nike, Starbucks, and Harvard University, addressing audiences with Hug Your Customers/Hug Your People presentations. Jack has appeared on The NBC Today Show, and Kudlow & Cramer TV show as well as numerous radio interviews and online and print articles. Jack has been quoted in national magazines as a customer service and management leadership expert. In April 2005, INC Magazine listed Jack as one of the 26 Entrepreneurs We Love. Jack shares with his family a number of Community leadership Awards from the Anti-Defamation league, The Menswear Division of UJA-Federation of New York, and Sacred Heart University. Jack is on the Yale Cancer Board and Greenwich Hospital Board of Trustees. Areas of interest: management of family businesses and luxury retail, and customer service.