Lessons in Leadership | American Compounding: Starbucks Corporation (NASD:SBUX)

Lessons in Leadership | American Compounding: Starbucks Corporation (NASD:SBUX)

We has the good fortune to get to know a dynamic executive whose vision would change the way America thinks about coffee. Howard Schultz had just begun to evolve a growth strategy that would take his young company from a dozen locations in Seattle and Chicago to over 40,000 stores globally. When we took Starbucks public in June 1992, the Company has only 157 stores and the market value in those early day was around $300 million. Through ups and downs - the stock experienced drawdowns exceeding 50% half a dozen times, Starbucks expanded, maintaining a commitment to quality.