Stew Leonard’s

Stew Leonard Jr. is President and CEO of Stew Leonard’s, a unique family-owned farm fresh food retailer recognized as one of FORTUNE Magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work for in America.” Stew Leonard’s started as Clover Farms Dairy in the 1920s in Norwalk, CT, and opened its first retail store in 1969.

He took over as president and CEO from his father, Stew Sr., in 1991 and grew the company from one retail food store in Norwalk, CT, to eight stores across Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. Stew Jr. is a regular guest on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Good Morning America, and CBS’s This Morning, sharing his insights on food and wine retailing and industry trends.

Stew graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in accounting and earned his MBA from UCLA. He received an honorary Doctorate from Quinnipiac College and has served on many community boards. Today, he spends most of his time on water safety awareness through his family’s Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation, which has raised $6 million for water safety awareness and education.

Patrick Joseph Leonard, Stew’s great-grandfather, immigrated from Ireland to Danbury, CT, in 1888 with his wife and 12 children. He resides in Westport, CT., with his wife of more than 40 years, Kim, and together they have four daughters and five grandchildren.