BETTER YET... WE HAVE THE JOSEPH'S
Joseph G. LaChausse
Founder, Chief Executive Officer Joseph G. LaChausse is a North Country native who has 30 years of extensive retail management and operations experience in both Northern New York and Ohio.
Prior to co-founding WiseBuys in 2003, Mr. LaChausse was a senior General Manager with B.J.'s Wholesale Club, Inc. (NYSE: "BJ") in Cleveland, Ohio, where for nine years he had been instrumental in the company's expansion into major Mid-Western markets. Mr. LaChausse oversaw and managed the construction of several B.J.'s stores from ground breaking to grand opening. In one 24-month period, Mr. LaChausse personally opened three locations and trained the management teams for five others. In one instance, he set the company record of "bulldozer to open door" in just sixty days. He also opened the company's first 70,000 sq. ft. prototype ("small box") club in Western New York.
In 1996, Mr. LaChausse was honored by B.J.'s with its company-wide "Manager of the Year" award. His stores have been consistently successful, with sales volumes ranging from $25 million to $30 million per year. In addition, he has been directly responsible for sales budgets and projections for multi-unit operations.
Prior to B.J.'s, Mr. LaChausse was a General Manager with P&C Foods, a division of The Penn Traffic Company (NASDAQ: "PNFT"). After joining P&C as a teenager, he quickly became one of the company's youngest managers at age 22. Further recognition of Mr. LaChausse's managerial and operational skills led to his designation as P&C’s "turn around" specialist. In an effort to improve upon the poor operating results of numerous P&C stores, Mr. LaChausse was rotated to eleven separate markets where he successfully created profitable contributors of stores that previously had been producing negative cash flow and losses. He was recognized for tight expense control and minimizing "shrink" exposure, and in one location, Mr. LaChausse's efforts led to an increase of profits of over 110% to $1,300,000 in just 36 months. He was also recognized for developing a program that generated company-wide profits of over $1,000,000 per year to help offset "bad check" exposure for the organization.
While with P&C, Mr. LaChausse worked and lived in various North Country communities, including Lowville, Massena, Ogdensburg, Watertown, Gouverneur, Potsdam, Plattsburgh, Herkimer, Syracuse, and Skaneateles.
Joseph R. Ettore
Founder, Chairman of the Board Mr. Ettore is a highly-respected business executive with 40 years of mass retail experience. He is a skilled strategist with the proven vision and demonstrated tenacity to lead companies through challenging, highly competitive environments. He is energetic, detail oriented, hands-on executive who is a talented team-builder who inspires dedication, enthusiasm and loyalty.
Under Mr. Ettore’s leadership since June 1994, Ames experienced a successful merchandising turnaround and continued improvement in operating performance. A major innovation under Mr. Ettore’s direction was the implementation of the 55 Gold Savings Card, a unique program offering special discounts for customers 55 and older. The popular 55 Gold Savings Card Program was a major reason Ames received the 1999 Discount Store News award, Discounters in Service to the Community (DISC). The DISC Award recognizes innovative community service efforts by mass merchandisers and specialty stores.
Mr. Ettore’s leadership qualities are well recognized by his peers, who elected him Chairman of the International Mass Retail Association (IMRA) in 1995, re-elected him in 1997 and again in 1999 to an unprecedented third term. IMRA, the leading industry trade group, represents suppliers, vendors and 210 mass retailers which include discount department stores, warehouse clubs and catalog showrooms.
Prior to Ames, Mr. Ettore served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Jamesway Corporation and Stuarts Department Stores, Inc. Mr. Ettore has held various senior positions with Jamesway, Kings Department Stores, and Unishops, Inc.
Mr. Ettore has been involved with a wide range of charities, including the American Heart Association, the March of Dimes, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the United Way, the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp for children with cancer, and the Jimmy Fund. He received the Humanitarian Award of the Housewares Charity Foundation. Mr. Ettore has also been honored by various organizations, including the Cardinal Cushing School and Training Center and the Valerie Fund (which supports cancer care for children). Mr Ettore received his Bachelor of Science from St. Peters College, Jersey City, New Jersey in 1961.
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