Archive for April, 2009
Interview with Jeffrey Swartz, CEO of The Timberland Company
April 16th, 2009 by Amie Vaccaro
Can a Business Do Well By Doing Good?
If you’ve ever contemplated this question, then we’d like to introduce you to the musings and insights of Jeffrey Swartz, CEO of Timberland. Under Jeff’s guidance, Timberland has grown from a $156 million company in 1989 to a $1.4 billion company in 2007.
In this interview, Jeff shares candid thoughts, successes and challenges of infusing a business with values - the values stemming from three generations of family leadership at Timberland. You’ll be inspired to re-think what impact it’s possible to achieve through your business.
INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
- Jeff Swartz expounds on “selling values” (Timberland) versus “selling sex” (other clothing retailers)
- Timberland’s Facebook campaign which mobilized thousands to action
- How Timberland creates positive impact in the communities and countries where its products are produced
- Is Timberland is more like Bono or Al Gore in creating messages for consumers?
LISTEN NOW (press play below)
TRANSCRIPT
AMIE VACCARO, GREEN BUSINESS INNOVATORS: This is Amie Vaccaro with Green Business Innovators and my guest today is Jeffrey Swartz, CEO of Timberland.
Jeff has been with Timberland now for over 20 years and has served as President and CEO since 1998. Under Jeff’s guidance Timberland has grown from a $156 million company in 1989 to a $1.4 billion company in 2007. It is an honor to have you here with us today Jeff.
JEFFREY SWARTZ: Thank you; it’s a pleasure to be with you.
GREEN BUSINESS INNOVATORS: So my first question, I notice Timberland is a great pioneer in doing well by doing good in the business world.
So for example, your employees serve a tremendous amount of public service hours, 40 hours a year, with your Path of Service program and your Servapalooza program. You are committed to going carbon neutral by 2010, you display nutrition information on your shoe boxes, which includes information about the manufacturing plant and your impact on the climate and your community impact. And you are starting a green index for all of your products, just to name a few initiatives.
I’m curious, what is the business strategy behind all of these initiatives? Are they good for business?
JEFFREY SWARTZ: Amie, at the heart of strategy, at least in a company like ours, which is a consumer-facing company with a brand premise that is the locus of all value, right? The locus of value in our company is the brand. It is not on the balance sheet, but it is the basis of relationships with consumers in 85 countries around the world. And so either folks believe in that brand and value it, or our efforts are not going to be rewarded. And so for our consumer-facing company with a brand as its premise, I think that strategy has to be a reflection of deeply felt values and beliefs wrapped up in sustainable emotions.
I am not sure about making the physics equation, but I am just telling you the notion of commerce and justice is not a business strategy that is designed from “here is a problem we have to solve.” It is not that we need a new advertising posture to think about how to do business with millennials. Or how do we make people think that this soap is more attractive because in the moment breast cancers are very topical notion, so how do we link those notions? I am not disparaging those strategies. I am simply telling you that for an enterprise like ours, it is a third generation of the family to be involved in it. It has been from the beginning built out from. This is what we believe. It has been built out from the beginning, for this is what we are passionate about.