Jack Brown, 78, longtime CEO of Southern California’s Stater Bros. Markets chain, died Sunday night surrounded by family members, according to a news release from the company Monday.
Stater Bros. was the longtime chief sponsor of the Route 66 Rendezvous in San Bernardino, California, until the city’s bankruptcy forced the stoppage of that classic-car event in 2012.
The release stated:
“Grief is not a strong enough word to describe what the Stater Bros. ‘Family’ feels,” stated Stater Bros. President and CEO Pete Van Helden. “Jack touched every one of us in a very personal way, and it is that legacy that we must carry forward. He loved the business, his company and each one of us,” Van Helden continued. […]
Brown will be remembered with love, affection, and by his countless acts of kindness. He was an incredibly thoughtful man whose accomplishments and generosity will be remembered for many years to come. […]
His burial will be private for family only with a memorial to follow at a later date.
Brown is survived by his wife, three daughters and seven grandchildren.
If there ever was a child of Route 66, Brown was it. He began his grocery career as a box boy at 13 at a Berk’s Market Spot in his native San Bernardino. Brown’s father, a sheriff’s deputy, grew up in the Route 66 town of Kingman, Arizona.
He joined Stater Bros. in 1981 and was its CEO for nearly 35 years. Brown became executive chairman after appointing Van Helden to president and CEO earlier this year.
Under his guidance, the chain received the industry’s highest honors. He also started the Stater Bros. Charities philanthropic organization, was a founder of the Boys and Girls Club of San Bernardino and a founding chairman of Children’s Fund of San Bernardino County.
Stater Bros., according to several reports, was known for trying to give customers the lowest possible prices and the best possible quality. The chain grew to 169 sites and $4.5 billion in annual sales.
According to the Orange County Register, Brown’s passion extended to his employees:
When union and supermarket talks failed in 2003, Brown refused to lock out his employees because he was not a “union buster,” said Greg Conger, a local union spokesman.
“He cared about his company and his employees,” said Conger, of UFCW Local 324 in Buena Park. “He really was a giant in the food industry in California. He stood up for what was right.”
Of the four major chains, Stater Bros. was the only store to remain open during the 141-day strike and lockout.
“Organized (unions) never struck a Jack Brown store,” Flickinger said. “Not the butchers, not the bakers, not the service workers – because the rank-and-file blue collar could always count on Jack Brown to do the right thing.”
Brown also served in the Navy during the Vietnam era. He became a passionate supporter of veterans’ causes. Brown received the “Patriot Award” in 2011, the highest award the Congressional Medal of Honor Society can give.
The annual Route 66 Rendezvous at its peak attracted 650,000 people and ran for 22 years until San Bernardino’s bankruptcy forced the cancellation of the event. From the ashes, the Route 66 Reunion was established in Ontario, California (alas, Route 66 never went through that city) and a downsized Rendezvous Back to Route 66 in San Bernardino.
I remember briefly meeting Brown — pretty sure I was introduced by longtime roadie Jim Conkle — during one of the years the International Route 66 Festival occurred during the Route 66 Rendezvous. Brown made an appearance at the John Steinbeck Awards Dinner, and his passion for veterans’ causes and the community was clear even in the short time he spoke.
(Screen capture image of Jack Brown via YouTube)
Yes, Ron I do remember having the honor of introducing the two of you. Jack was not only a friend, supporter of the road but one of the most generous man I have ever known. He carried around with him gift cards to shop at Stater Bros, which he would hand out to folks he met. If he felt they needed more than one he would give them a few more. No fan fare or publicly or photos, just an act of kindness.
His leadership, he by the way had an awesome team around him, and community involvement should be taught to all CEO’s.
So many great memories of a GREAT man. One of my favorites is that Jack and I on a number of occasions were speakers at the same event, he would kid me by saying “you can always tell a Marine, you just can not tell them much”.
Jack was one of those people that made you feel important. I also remember introducing Jack to Bob Wildmire and others at that event. They all came away knowing they had made a new friend.