L.L. Bean’s grandson dies; turned Maine cataloger into global player

Freeport, Maine -- The man who turned a folksy Maine mail-order outlet into a global billion dollar-plus multichannel business has died.



Leon Gorman, the former president and chairman of L.L. Bean, died Thursday of cancer at the age of 80. Gorman joined the family business as an $80-a-week treasurer in 1961. He became president in 1967 after the death of his grandfather, company founder Leon Leonwood Bean. Gorman held the post for 34 years, until 2001, going on to serve as chairman for 12 years before retiring in 2013 with the title of chairman emeritus.



Under Gorman’s leadership, L.L. Bean experienced explosive growth, with revenues rising from under $5 million in 1967 to an estimated $1.6 billion in 2014. When he became president, the company had one store, in its hometown of Freeport, Maine. Gorman quickly set himself to modernizing the business and expanding operations. As far back as the early 1970s, Gorman was computerizing different segments of L.L. Bean’s operations; in 1995, the company was taking orders on its website. He is also credited with formalizing the retailer's much-admired customer-first philosophy.



Gorman also grew the retailer’s U.S. store base, and expanded operations to global markets. Today, L.L. Bean operates 26 U.S. stores and 10 outlet locations, in addition to stores in Japan and a global online business. In May, the company announced plans to increase its retail footprint in the United States to at least 100 stores by 2020.



One of Maine’s richest citizens, Gorman still lived in the same house in Yarmouth, Maine, in which he was raised. He was an avid outdoorsman and a key figure in Maine’s conservation movement, and helped to preserve the Appalachian Trail's 100-mile wilderness. He was also known for his work as a philanthropist and volunteer, cooking breakfast in a local soup kitchen for more than 10 years.



In honor of Gorman's passing, L.L. Bean’s flagship in Freeport, which is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, will close on the day of his funeral, Sept. 13. The company has closed the store only twice before: after John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, and after the death of Gorman's grandfather in 1967.



The retailer leaves behind a rich legacy. As Portland Press Herald’s editorial board wrote, Gorman was a rare breed of executive:



“He created thousands of jobs and took good care of his employees, who repaid him with hard work and loyalty. Bean is a famously good place to work, not just for annual profit-sharing bonuses, but also for family-friendly policies, on-site fitness centers and opportunities to buy returned items at well below bargain prices. …. He took care of his customers, his employees and his community in ways that many successful business people don’t bother with."