Nordstrom president to present next Genet Lecture at Syracuse University

Nordstrom president to present next Genet Lecture at Syracuse UniversityDecember 27, 2001Judy Holmesjlholmes@syr.edu

Peter Nordstrom, president of the Full Line Store Group at Nordstrom, Inc., will present the next installment of the Genet Lecture Series at Syracuse University at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 17 in the Sue Ann Genet Auditorium, Room 108 Slocum Hall. The lecture is free and open to the public.

As president of the Full Line Store Group, Nordstrom is responsible for buying and merchandising, operations, finance and planning functions for the company’s 80 Nordstrom stores.

A fourth generation family member, Nordstrom began his career in the stockroom of the downtown Seattle store in 1976. He continued to work in sales and stock through high school and while a student at the University of Washington. In 1986, he began buying for the junior shoe division, Brass Plum Shoes, until he was named merchandise manager for women’s shoes in the Place Two division in 1988. In this position, Nordstrom established a reputation for introducing to the company successful new vendors such as Doc Martens and Birkenstock.

In 1991, Nordstrom was named manager of the Orange County region, the company’s most profitable region at the time. Under his leadership, the region’s sales increased by 10 percent.

In 1995, Nordstrom was named one of six co-presidents for the company and was responsible for diversity affairs, human resources, and junior apparel and women’s specialized departments. His accomplishments include successful marketing initiatives in the BP., Lingerie and Women’s Activewear departments, launching the company’s successful Performance Wear department and increasing employment diversity by 16 percent.

Founded in 1901 as a shoe store in Seattle, Nordstrom, Inc. is one of the nation’s leading fashion specialty retailers with 132 stores across the United States. The company operates 80 full-line stores, 45 Nordstrom Racks, four Faconnable boutiques, two freestanding shoe stores and one clearance store. Nordstrom also operates 22 international Faconnable boutiques, primarily in Europe.

The Sue Ann Genet Lecture Series is offered by SU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts in conjunction with the Genet Gallery for costume, textiles and decorative arts. The series brings prominent speakers to the University from retailing, fashion and design.