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Conversations From the Corner Office

BIO

Starbucks Corp. Chairman Howard Schultz

Howard Schultz is CEO of the Starbucks Corp.

Though he's not technically the founder of Starbucks, Howard Schultz is clearly the significant imprint on the company. In 1987, Shultz — then director of operations and marketing — took over the company and convinced investors the future lay in moving from selling coffee beans and coffee equipment to selling coffee drinks.

Schultz grew up in housing projects in Brooklyn, New York, and he often discusses the importance of his upbringing on how he runs the company. In particular, he cites the story of his father — a delivery driver who never made more than $20,000 a year, and who broke his leg on the job and had no health insurance — as his motivation for providing all Starbucks employees, including part-time, with coverage.

Schultz was the first in his family to graduate from college, earning a bachelors degree in communication from Northern Michigan University. He attended college on a football scholarship. To this day, he's a huge sports fan. For a number of years, he owned the Seattle Supersonics and the WBNA's Seattle Storm.

He's the author of a book called "Pour Your Heart Into It," which details much of his personal and management philosophy.

Schultz was born in 1952. He is married, with two children. Forbes ranked him as the 354th richest person in the United States in 2006, with an estimated net worth of about $1.1 billion.

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