04/12/08 - Mitchells/Richards/Marshs has been wildly successful. In 2002, they were named Menswear Retailer of the Year.

Jack Mitchell (on the left) with Michael Lee Stallard at his book signing held at the Richards’ store.

The Mitchells’ Mission: Conquer the World One Hug at a Time

Michael Lee Stallard

The year was 1958. Ed Mitchell, a 54-year old marketing and advertising executive, got off the commuter train from New York City and announced he was leaving the awful work culture he had put up with for years. Ed realized that being nice to people and caring about them were in his DNA and the work environments on Madison Avenue that he had experienced were indifferent to those values or viewed them as a weakness. Those toxic environments were literally giving him ulcers....

.... Now the hugging philosophy has gone global. And why not? It’s inspiring. It’s simple. It works. Jack Mitchell, chairman and CEO of Mitchells/Richards/Marshs, has written Hug Your Customers(available in several languages) and Hug Your People. I highly recommend both books. They will give you an up-close look at a thriving example of the Connection Culture I’ve written about that increases employee and customer engagement.

Ed and Norma Mitchell are no longer alive but their dream lives on and so does their example of how to treat employees like family and customers like friends. They started something great. You can find the inspiring story of how it all began on Jack Mitchell’s website under videos (it’s entitled “The Ed Mitchell Story”). To the casual observer, it may look like these unassuming merchants are mere purveyors of exceptional clothing and jewelry. In reality, it’s so much more. They’re philosophers in Armani and Zegna, spreading their beliefs one hug at a time.

Michael Lee Stallard - http://www.michaelleestallard.com

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Michael Lee Stallard is a blogger who lives in Greenwich.

Michael Lee Stallard is the President of E Pluribus Partners.

If you know of other Greenwich Bloggers please let us know by sending an email to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com