M.B. Zale founded the Zale Corporation, an international jewelry chain, in 1924. He is widely respected as one of the giants in retailing. Donald Zale, the founder's son, is chairman of the M.B. and Edna Zale Foundation and a member of the class of 1955 at Texas A&M University. His challenge to three Texas universities to help retailing generated the creation of the Center for Retailing Studies at Texas A&M in 1983.

PAST HONOREES
The Inaugural Visionary Merchant Award was presented in 1998 to the three innovators at the helm of The Container Store, a store that launched a new retailing category with its opening in 1978. Like M.B. Zale, The Container Store principals,    Garrett Boone, Sharon Tindell, and Kip Tindell, bring more than merchandise to the marketplace.  Their creativity, superior customer service, and intense employee commitment foster the fun as well as the unusual time- and space-saving products customers find in their stores.

Robert L. Tillman, President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board, Lowe's Companies, Inc., received the second Visionary Merchant Award in 1999.  A 35-year veteran of Lowe's, Tillman is considered the architect of the big-store strategy that transformed the company into a Fortune 200 chain of state-of-the-art home improvement superstores.

Leonard Riggio, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and Founder, Barnes & Noble, Inc., was named the third M.B. Zale Visionary Merchart Award recipient in 2000. Acquiring the Barnes & Noble name and flagship store in the early 1970s, Riggio has delivered the Barnes & Noble "super" store experience to local neighborhoods from coast to coast. 

Gordon Segal, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Crate and Barrel, received the 2001 M.B. Zale Visionary Merchant Award. Described as a hands-on leader, Go