Trader Joe's

The first Trader Joe's store opened in 1967 in Pasadena, California. (That store is still there. It's still operating. It still has the same parking lot.) In 1988, when Joe retired, Trader Joe's had 19 stores. John Shields took over as CEO, and saw the opportunity to transfer this grocery store concept across geographical boundaries, starting with entry into Northern California. Then came Arizona, followed by the Pacific Northwest, and… by 1996 we had opened our doors on the East Coast. John understood that de-centralized and aligned decision-making would help to facilitate our growth. Nearly a decade later, there were 150 Trader Joe's stores across the country.