Howard Schultz Biography Quotes 10 Report mistakes

Early Life and Education
Howard Schultz was born on July 19, 1953, in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in a working-class family in the Canarsie neighborhood. Raised in public housing, he saw firsthand the fragility of household finances when a family injury or setback struck, experiences that would later inform his ideas about employer responsibility and benefits. Athletic and ambitious, he earned a football scholarship to Northern Michigan University, becoming the first in his family to attend college. He graduated with a degree in communications and moved into sales soon thereafter.

Early Career and the Path to Coffee
After college, Schultz began his career at Xerox, where he received formal training in sales and management. He then joined Hammarplast, a Swedish housewares company, rising to lead U.S. sales. In that role he noticed a small Seattle retailer ordering large quantities of coffee makers: Starbucks Coffee Company, then a handful of stores that sold beans and equipment rather than espresso-based drinks. Intrigued, he flew to Seattle, met the founders Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker, and became captivated by their focus on quality coffee.

Joining Starbucks and the Italian Inspiration
Schultz joined Starbucks in 1982 as director of retail operations and marketing. A trip to Italy in 1983, where he studied Milan's espresso bars and the social ritual surrounding coffee, convinced him that Starbucks could become more than a purveyor of beans. He proposed creating espresso bars that would serve handcrafted beverages and act as a social gathering place. The founders, committed to retailing beans and equipment, hesitated to pursue the cafe model. Schultz left in 1985 to start Il Giornale, a coffee company built on the Italian espresso-bar concept, with early backing from local investors that included attorney and civic leader Bill Gates Sr.

Acquiring Starbucks and Building the Brand
In 1987, when the original owners decided to sell the Starbucks retail and roasting operations, Schultz led a group that acquired the business and merged it with Il Giornale under the Starbucks name. He became chief executive and set out to expand thoughtfully, prioritizing product quality, store design, and a distinctive service culture. He recruited leaders such as Howard Behar and Orin Smith to help shape a values-driven organization that called employees partners, extended comprehensive health benefits to eligible part-time workers, and later offered stock options under the Bean Stock program. Starbucks went public in 1992, giving the company capital for expansion and placing new demands on performance and governance.

Scaling Operations and Defining the Third Place
Throughout the 1990s, Schultz and his team refined the idea of Starbucks as a third place between home and work. The company expanded nationally and internationally, introduced espresso beverages to a broad U.S. audience, and extended its brand with innovations that included the Frappuccino. Coffee sourcing practices tightened, and Starbucks deepened relationships with coffee-growing communities. In collaboration with Conservation International, it helped create standards that evolved into C.A.F.E. Practices, Starbucks ethical sourcing framework.

Leadership Transition and First Return
Schultz stepped down as CEO in 2000 to become chairman, handing day-to-day leadership to Orin Smith and later Jim Donald. As the company grew rapidly, complexity increased and the brand risked dilution. In 2008, amid a global financial crisis and operational strains, Schultz returned as CEO. He closed underperforming stores, temporarily shuttered U.S. locations for a nationwide retraining session to refocus on beverage craft, and simplified operations. Under his returning leadership, Starbucks invested in digital capabilities, loyalty, and mobile payments, launched products such as Starbucks VIA, and acquired complementary businesses, while reemphasizing store experience and coffee quality.

People, Culture, and Social Impact
Schultz's leadership placed unusual emphasis on benefits and opportunity. Starbucks expanded tuition assistance through a partnership with Arizona State University, pledged large-scale hiring commitments for military veterans and opportunity youth, and took public stances on issues related to inclusion and immigration, including a pledge to hire refugees. The company also promoted pay equity and continued to work on responsible sourcing and environmental initiatives. Executives and partners such as Howard Behar and Orin Smith were central to shaping the culture, while leaders like Jim Donald and later Kevin Johnson helped carry the brand through evolving retail and technology landscapes.

Books and Public Voice
Schultz co-authored Pour Your Heart Into It, a memoir of Starbucks rise and values-driven strategy, and later wrote Onward, a detailed account of the company's 2008 transformation. He also published From the Ground Up, reflecting on his upbringing and the rationale for a form of capitalism that balances profit with social impact. As his profile grew, he became a frequent commentator on leadership, employee benefits, and the responsibilities of corporations in civic life.

Executive Chairman, Succession, and Board Leadership
In 2017, Schultz transitioned the CEO role to Kevin Johnson and became executive chairman, focusing on long-term initiatives and the premium Reserve strategy. He stepped down from the company in 2018. In subsequent years, Starbucks board leadership featured prominent figures, including Mellody Hobson, who became chair, reflecting the company's ongoing emphasis on governance and diversity at the top.

Interim Return and Labor Challenges
Schultz returned as interim CEO in 2022 during a volatile post-pandemic period marked by shifting customer behavior and a wave of unionization efforts across parts of the U.S. retail footprint. He pushed renewed investment in partners and stores and defended the company's approach in public forums. In March 2023, he handed the CEO role to Laxman Narasimhan, underscoring the company's ongoing leadership succession and global ambitions.

Personal Life and Philanthropy
Schultz married Sheri Kersch Schultz in 1982, and together they co-founded the Schultz Family Foundation in the 1990s to support youth employment, entrepreneurship, and veteran transitions. The foundation worked to create pathways to jobs and to scale community-based solutions through public-private partnerships. His family life, shaped by the economic insecurity he witnessed as a child, reinforced his belief that employers can play a role in stability and mobility for working families.

Legacy
Howard Schultz is widely identified with building Starbucks into a global brand while advancing a model of employee-centered retail. Around him, key figures such as the founders Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker set the original quality standards; investors like Bill Gates Sr. enabled the Il Giornale launch; and executives including Howard Behar, Orin Smith, Jim Donald, Kevin Johnson, and Laxman Narasimhan helped steer the company through phases of growth, crisis, and reinvention. His career is marked by a belief that consistent values, craft, and community can coexist with scale, and by the view that a business can be both high-performing and socially engaged.

Our collection contains 10 quotes who is written by Howard, under the main topics: Motivational - Success - Servant Leadership - Vision & Strategy - Business.