After 11 years as the top executive at Les Schwab Tire Centers Inc., Dick Borgman plans to retire June 30. He will be replaced by Jack Cuniff, the company’s chief financial officer since 2008.
Cuniff will take over July 1. “We are excited to have such a capable successor in Jack,” says Stan Renecker, a member of the company's board of directors since 1990. “His promotion allows the company to continue its tradition of elevating talented, inspiring leaders with a genuine understanding and appreciation of the company’s culture and its business model into positions of senior leadership.”
Cuniff joined Les Schwab in 2008 after 20 years at Adidas America, where he served as chief financial officer and chief operating officer over the course of 14 years, including a period as the company's interim CEO. Since joining the Oregon-based tire dealer, Cuniff has served as a key member of the executive team, and the company says he has been an integral leader during the company’s investment in its future growth and development.
“I’m excited and humbled by the opportunity to lead Les Schwab into the future, and thankful for all Dick has done to make Les Schwab a world class company,” says Cuniff. “The company is in excellent condition and has outstanding employees. We are excited to take on the many innovative opportunities in front of us as the world and our customers continue to adapt to a rapidly changing retail environment. I am honored to take the reins of this great company from Dick, and plan to continue on our path to remain the greatest retail tire company in the world.”
Borgman's career at Les Schwab has spanned 28 years. He has served as CEO since 2007.
“Dick has brought a tremendous degree of professionalism, commitment and discipline to the Les Schwab organization,” says Renecker. “Dick’s thoughtful, forward-thinking leadership has always focused on keeping the company true to the principles our founder Les cared most about -- taking excellent care of our customers, ensuring our employees have the opportunity for rewarding careers, and keeping the company a vibrant and successful business for Les’ family to own for generations to come.”
He joined Les Schwab in 1990 as its first general counsel. He moved up the executive management ranks, building programs and infrastructure to keep up with the company’s rapid growth, and the quickly changing business environment. His tenure at Les Schwab coincided with the implementation of more sophisticated information systems to manage inventory, logistics, store operations, marketing and sales, along with the recent adoption of digital technologies to enhance customer experience.
After more than eight years as an executive vice president, Borgman was named a divisional president in 2006, and one year later became the company's CEO.
During Borgman’s tenure Les Schwab's footprint grew from 179 tire center locations to an expected 481 locations with $1.8 billion in sales at the time of his upcoming retirement.
“It has been my distinct pleasure to work for this wonderful company for most of my professional career, and serve as its CEO during an exciting period of growth and development over the past 11 years,” says Borgman. “The future of the company and its thousands of employees has never been brighter, and I am confident it will continue to thrive as a unique, family owned, employee and customer-centric enterprise for many years into the future.”
Les Schwab is No. 4 on the Modern Tire Dealer 100. The company has more than 7,000 employees and more than 480 locations in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, California, Nevada, Utah and Colorado.
For more information about Les Schwab, visit www.lesschwab.com.
