Consumer >> CEO Interviews >> April 9, 2001
LEONARD H. ROBERTS is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
RadioShack Corporation. He is the catalyst behind a successful reimaging
campaign for RadioShack. Today, he is at the helm of a company with more
than 7,200 retail stores with revenues of $4.8 billion. Mr. Roberts'
vision and leadership have resulted in major business news coverage in
USA Today, Forbes, Business Week, and has brought industry accolades
such as a Top Ten ranking in Entrepreneur magazine's Best Franchises
list, and Top Ten Information Technology and Business Leaders in
InformationWeek. Prior to joining RadioShack, he served as Chairman and
CEO of Shoney's, Inc. and as President and CEO of Arby's, Inc. He is
credited with engineering what has been widely acclaimed as a remarkable
turnaround at Arby's. Mr. Roberts also served in key management and
marketing positions for Ralston Purina Company and managed major new
product development programs for Armour and Company and the Central Soya
Company. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois where he earned
degrees in Marketing and Chemistry. He also earned a Law degree from De
Paul University Law School in Chicago and was admitted to the Illinois
Bar in 1974. Mr. Roberts serves on the Executive Board of the National
Retail Federation (NRF), Students in Free Enterprise, Inc. (SIFE), the
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. He is a founding Board member of the Hank
Aaron Chasing the Dream Foundation as well as on the Board of Governors
of the United Way of America. He is a Board member of the Boys and Girls
Clubs of America; Junior Achievement; National Crime Prevention Council;
National Conference for Community and Justice; Fort Worth Symphony
Orchestra Association; Fort Worth Opera Association; and the Exchange
Club of Fort Worth. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of Texas
Christian University and Texas Health Resources. In 1987, President
Ronald Reagan presented Mr. Roberts with the Presidential Private Sector
Initiative Award. In 1991, Mr. Roberts was honored with the annual
Business Leadership Award presented by Restaurant Business magazine. He
also received the B'nai B'rith International Distinguished Achievement
Award and the 1991 Multi-Unit Foodservice Chain Operator's Award. In
1992, Mr. Roberts received the Wall Street Bronze Critics Award. Mr.
Roberts was named Brandweek's Retailing Marketer of the Year in 1996. In
February 1997, he was named Sales & Marketing Executive of the Year by
the Sales & Marketing Executives of Fort Worth, Texas. In May 1999, Mr.
Roberts was honored as Father of the Year by the Dallas/Fort Worth
Father of the Year Committee. He was recognized by Texas Business
Magazine as one of the top 25 most influential Texans in Technology in
March 2000. Profile
profile of things as they are now?
Mr. Roberts: RadioShack began some 80 years ago in Boston as a nine-
store chain of
