ARA

Leeds Father & Sons Win Silver “Retailer of the Year” Award

Thursday, September 27, 2007

BIRMINGHAM, AL – The  Alabama Retail Association (ARA) in cooperation with the University of Alabama at Birmingham today recognized nine outstanding Alabama retailers as “Retailers of the Year.” The association and UAB also recognized the Belk and Hess families as “Retail Giants.” The presentations were made at The Sheraton Birmingham Hotel during UAB’s 2007 Retail Day Luncheon. This marked the eighth presentation of the Retailer of the Year Awards since 1999. The awards returned this year after taking a hiatus in 2006.

Mickey, Michael and John Gee , owners and operators of the Pants Store Inc. and the Taylor Co. Inc. based in Leeds, received the Silver Award in the “Annual Sales $1 Million to $5 Million” category. Tricia Ford, executive director of the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce, nominated the Gees for this prestigious award. Taylor Co. Vice President Michael Gee also nominated his father, Mickey. The Taylor Co. is an Alabama Retail Association member, and Mickey Gee has served on the ARA board of directors for more than 15 years.

The independent panel of judges who chose the Retailer of the Year finalists cited this 57-year-old, third-generation family business for its recent expansion, its best year ever in sales and profits and for actively promoting retail.

The late Taylor Gee, father of Mickey and grandfather of Michael and John, opened the original Pants Store in 1950 as a pants wholesaler. Wholesale gave way to retail, and the store’s inventory grew to include all types of men’s and women’s apparel, including shirts, ties and shoes. In fact, the stores are in the top five Alabama retailers for Merrell and Croc brand shoes. Despite its diverse inventory, the Pants Store name stuck. The flagship location remains on Leeds’ main street with two additional stores – one on Third Avenue West in Birmingham and a store in Crestline Village in Mountain Brook, which opened in 2006. The Taylor Co. is located in a Leeds warehouse and provides industrial clothing for municipalities and corporations.

“I have had the benefit of learning retail from a master at what he does,” Michael Gee said in his nomination of his dad, Mickey. “I benefit greatly from knowing him.”

But to hear dad tell it, it’s his boys, the vice presidents, who run the operation now, and he plans to bow out soon as president and let them take it over completely. He credits John with the stores’ merchandising successes and Michael for operational innovations. They all have marketing degrees, dad and Michael from The University of Alabama and John from The University of Mississippi.

Mickey Gee has served on The University of Alabama retail advisory board for more than 20 years. Since 1995, he has taught retail marketing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Through that role, he helped organize the first Retail Day last year. Because of his academic credentials and his hands-on retailing experience, Mickey Gee often is interviewed by the media about retail issues. He is one of the state’s main cheerleaders for the ARA-supported sales tax holiday.  He’s also served three times as the Leeds Chamber of Commerce president and spent 25 years on the chamber’s board of directors.

Michael Gee serves on the board of the Arthritis Foundation. “His efforts, through our business, to help children afflicted with arthritis and those who do not have proper shoes has gone above and beyond the call of duty,” Mickey Gee said.

“The Gees are retailers of the year EVERY year to their employees, their customers and the communities they serve,” said Rick Brown, president of the Alabama Retail Association.

The other winners in the “Annual Sales $1 Million to $5 Million” category were:
• Gold Award:  Jo Ellen Jordan , Cook & Sons Ace Hardware Inc., Albertville; nominated by Jennifer Palmer, president, Albertville Chamber of Commerce.
• Bronze Award: Michael Ray Jones , Mike’s Merchandise, Guntersville; nominated by Virginia Bagwell, Guntersville.

John R. Belk, president and chief operating officer of Belk Inc. and the keynote speaker for the Retail Day luncheon, accepted Belk Inc.’s “Retail Giant” award on behalf of himself, his brothers and the company. Donald Hess, former chairman, president and chief executive officer of Parisians, accepted the Hess family’s “Retail Giant” award. The Retailer of the Year judges voted to present these special one-time awards to recognize the significant contributions to retailing made by Parisian and the Hess family as well as Belk Inc. and the Belk family.

Bronze, silver and gold awards were presented in two other categories by Alabama annual sales volume:

Annual Sales More Than $5 Million 
• Gold Award:  Steven M. Sandlin , Pay-Less Pharmacy Group, Decatur; nominated by John Seymour, president and chief executive officer, Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce.
• Silver Award: Jerry G. Beasley , Beasley Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Ozark; nominated by Jeanette Reeves, executive director, Ozark Area Chamber of Commerce.
• Bronze Award: Bryan K. Owens and John B. Marshall , Unclaimed Baggage Center, Scottsboro; nominated by Rick Roden, president and chief executive officer, Greater Jackson County Chamber
of Commerce.

Annual Sales Less Than $1 Million 
• Gold Award: Shawn Beitelspacher , Southern Sole, Tuscaloosa; nominated by Lauren Skinner, Ph.D, assistant professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham.
• Silver Award: Anne A. Appleby , South Baldwin Regional Medical Center Auxiliary Gift Shop, Foley; nominated by Fran Barr, South Baldwin Regional Medical Center Auxiliary.
• Bronze Award: Montez Oudenaarden , My Favorite Things, Monroeville; nominated by Sandy Smith, executive director, Monroe County Chamber of Commerce.

“This was an exciting day for us,” ARA President Brown said.  “It is an honor to be able to recognize such an outstanding group of retailers. Each retailer honored is a credit to the profession and a community asset.”

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Media Contact: Nancy King Dennis | 334.263.5757 Ext. 101 | 800.239.5423