Brian C Cook

Vocation

Lifestyle

American entrepreneur, the president of Famous Footwear from 1979-2001. Cook was one of the original employees of the shoe company, and under his strategic leadership, the chain grew from 35 stores to 907 stores, with sales over $1 billion, and became the leading value-priced family footwear chain in America. While attending the University of Wisconsin in Madison in 1963, Cook was hired as a part-time stock clerk in a small local shoe store called Famous Footwear. He became the store manager for their first large store when it opened in 1965. Four years later, he was named vice president in charge of purchasing for the growing chain of stores, and in 1979, he moved up to the position of president. Brown Shoe Company acquired the chain two years later, and in 1999, Cook was named executive vice president. In 2001, he announced his retirement at age 62.