Jeffrey Brotman | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jeffrey Hart Brotman (1942-09-27)September 27, 1942 Tacoma, Washington, U.S. |
| Died | August 1, 2017(2017-08-01) (aged 74) Medina, Washington, U.S. |
| Education | University of Washington (BA,JD) |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | Cofounder and chairman ofCostco |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Jeffrey Hart Brotman (September 27, 1942 – August 1, 2017) was an American businessman, investor, lawyer, and philanthropist. Brotman was the cofounder and chairman ofCostco Wholesale Corporation.
Brotman was born in aJewish family inTacoma, Washington,[1][2] the son of Pearl and Bernie Brotman.[3][4][5] His grandparents wereJewish emigrants from theKingdom of Romania (nowRomania) toSaskatchewan; his parents immigrated to the US and settled in Tacoma.[3][5] His father was an owner ofSeattle Knitting Mills. Along with his uncles, he owned a chain of 18 retail stores in Washington and Oregon namedBernie's.[4][6]
In 1965, the family moved to Seattle.[4] Brotman graduated from theUniversity of Washington in 1964 with a degree in political science and in 1967 with a J.D.[4] He was a member of theZeta Beta Tau fraternity at the University of Washington.[7]
After college and law school, he and his brother, Michael, founded a women's jeans store namedBottoms; and in the 1980s, they founded theJeffrey Michael chain of men's clothing stores, which they operated into the 1990s.[4]
In 1982, Brotman cofounded Costco Wholesale Corporation withJim Sinegal,[8] a protégé ofSol Price, the founder ofPriceSmart.[3] He served as chairman from the company's inception until his death, except during a stretch from 1993 to 1994 when he was vice chairman.[9][10] In 2017, Costco operated 736 warehouse stores.[5]
Brotman was also an early investor inHoward Schultz'sStarbucks Corporation.[5]
Brotman served on the boards of several public companies and[11] according toBusinessweek magazine, was "connected to 13 board members".[12][13] He sat on the board of directors of the Million-Dollar Roundtable at theUnited Way ofKing County.[14] He also served on the boards of Seafirst Bank,Starbucks, and was a trustee at theSeattle Art Museum.[15] He and his wife Susan donated to numerous causes, especially at theUniversity of Washington, where they funded hundreds of student scholarships. They also endowed the Jeffrey & Susan Brotman Professorship at UW Law School, currently held by Steve Calandrillo.
Brotman married Susan Thrailkill, aMontana native and a former retail executive who served on the board ofNordstrom. They had two children, Justin Brotman, who became an activist and businessman,[16][17] and Amanda Brotman-Schetritt. She is aBarnard College graduate who is a businessman working in sustainability, philanthropy, and design.[3][18][19][20]
On August 1, 2017, Brotman died inMedina, Washington at the age of 74.[21][9] He died in his sleep, possibly due to heart failure.[22] He was a member of Temple Beth El in Tacoma.[5]