For some reason I thought they were the coolest things ever,” Frisella says. “As a child, I remember playing in the warehouse, messing with these little fuses. Now project manager and director of sustainability, he recalls feasting at company pig roasts in De Soto, Mo., and sweeping warehouse floors during summer breaks. “But I do think several have an interest in the business.”įlashbacks from days spent at Metro Lighting illuminate Nick Frisella’s childhood memories. “My wife, who has her doctorate in psychology, reminds me they will choose what is their passion,” he says. It remains to be seen whether Jeff Glik’s kids, nephews and nieces-the fifth generation-will enter retail. “He loves what he does and still has great ideas on how to improve the business,” Jeff Glik says. “Our secret sauce is building retail stores in small-town America and in resort towns.” And at age 88, Joe Glik still comes to work every day. “We’ve been adding four to five stores a year,” he says. Today, Glik reports, business is thriving. “Our father told us, ‘If you choose to work in this business, you have to work elsewhere for at least two years first.’” They fulfilled the requirement, gaining ideas and experience they then used to improve the company. The Glik kids didn’t automatically acquire ownership, however. His father said, ‘I’ll put you in the business in Madison, Ill., on the other side of river, so it won’t compete.’ When my great-grandfather passed away, the downtown store never reopened, and all the merchandise moved to the Madison store.” Jeff Glik’s father, Joe, inherited the Madison location after leaving the armed forces and graduating from Washington University.īy the time Jeff Glik and his three siblings entered the business in 1979, there were 12 stores throughout Illinois. President and CEO Jeff Glik recounts the origins of the clothing empire: “My grandfather came to his father and said he would like to go into the retail business. Since 1897, that original haberdashery has closed, but the company has grown to 63 stores in nine states and now sells apparel for men, women and kids. Louis, Glik’s, a men’s clothing store, opened on Broadway. I don’t think everyone could work with their family.”īack when three-piece suits and bowler hats were fashionable in St. “You have the same goals and want the business to succeed. “You learn how to capitalize on the family relationships and work together,” Suffian says. Working with her family, including her father and uncle, who are still involved part time, has been rewarding. Now everyone wants to show off these cool bathrooms and kitchens.” “People used to close the door to their bathroom to hide it. “My job has changed from ‘I sell toilets’ to ‘I help design spaces,’” Suffian says. Unlike a traditional warehouse, Immerse is more like a spa, she says. “We saw this need for a sexy-looking plumbing showroom in St. She now manages Immerse, a showroom opened in Brentwood in 2011. “They let us drive those carts around the warehouse.” “I remember answering phones as a teenager, helping the receptionist, helping to file,” Suffian recalls. She grew up assisting and playing in the office. Suffian’s grandfather and great-uncle opened the plumbing wholesale company in 1937 near the intersection of Vandeventer Avenue and what is now Dr. I loved the customers and it just kind of stuck.” More than two decades later, she, her brother and cousin are the third generation to run Atlas. “There was this decorative side, and we sold to designers. “I found out plumbing was kind of fun,” Suffian says. But before she set off to travel, her family gave her a temporary job teaching employees about the new computer system-and she discovered she liked the work. Leigh Suffian had no intention of getting involved in the family business, Atlas Supply Company, when she moved back to St.
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