Public And Private Sector Standout

The name Lew Frankfort is not familiar to most people. As an executive he has achieved something not many managers can boast of; excelling both in the public as well as the private sector.

Frankfort held a number of positions as an employee of the New York City government. His most notable accomplishment as a public servant was as Commissioner of the Agency for Child Development. He played a big role in restoring the city’s Head Start and day care programs. This was during the mid-70s when there was a fiscal crisis. He held this position for 3 years, and served in the in the city government for 10 years.

While we’ve heard of successful businessmen going into public service like Michael Bloomberg the billionaire who became mayor of New York City, Frankfort took the other direction going from public to private sector.  Could better pay have been the reason? Whatever the case just like in the public sector he performed very well in the private sector.

Frankfort joined Coach in 1979 as vice president of New Business Development.  He made his presence felt, heading the company’s push with Coach Stores.  He also led Coach’s expansion into the international market.

Even when Coach was acquired by Sara Lee Corporation in 1985, Frankfort’s star didn’t diminish; he became Coach’s company president.  By 1995 Frankfort was named Chairman and CEO. During the Sara Lee regime, he held a number of senior executive positions in the Sarah Lee organization as well.

Frankfort guided Coach’s transformation into a publicly traded company with its listing in the New York Stock Exchange in 2000.  Under his stewardship Coach has emerged as an iconic American accessories brand from its origins as a cottage-industry leather goods manufacturer. It now has presence nationally as well as internationally.  For being a $6 million annuals sales company its sales now surpass $3 billion annually.

Frankfort has been cited in numerous occasions for being a top performing executive in transforming Coach to what it is today.  He has still kept his sense of public service by being a board member of institutions like Teach for America, whose objective is to eliminate American educational inequity.