Meet Bealls' new president

She's a self-described "good, 100-degree girl" from Texas, who does not fear the heat of Florida summers.

"I'm not afraid of the summers," said Lana Cain Krauter, the chic new president of Bealls Department Stores, Inc., during an interview at the Bradenton retailer's headquarters. "I'm a good, 100-degree girl, so everyone keeps telling me, 'You're going to hate it during the summer.' Well, you know, I lived through it. It's not like I'm moving here from the North."

Krauter, 56, started work April 28 and is the company's highest-ranking woman. She leads a wholly owned subsidiary that operates more than 85 department stores in Florida.

A graduate of the University of Texas, Krauter has worked for Specialty Retailers, Inc., the parent company of Bealls Texas; Sears; Goody's Family Clothing, and most recently, was an executive vice president manager at JC Penney Co., Inc.

In the early years of her career, she managed a bridal store, and that's where her business philosophy began to take shape.

"It was there I learned, even in one store, how this is a business of 1,000 details," said Krauter. "But every one of the details points back to something very specific: And that's the customer. And understanding the complexity of what customers want is really how great companies are built."

Krauter, slim in a zebra-stripe outfit, said in her lilting Texas twang that it was the strength of Bealls as a company that drew her here.

"This company is very well-positioned," she said. "What attracted me to Bealls is that it's been a company I've studied for the last 15 years. Because of the strength this company has created in this community and in Florida - they say it on the stores - 'Live the Florida lifestyle.'

"Nobody does it better."

She is focused on what motivates the customer, on ensuring the company serves the client's needs, and instilling that elusive "feel-good factor" that attracts shoppers to a store.

"I think when the economy suffers that people want to feel happy and that brightening up your wardrobe is another very psychological way to just feel good when times are tough," she said.

Though she did not feel her career had been marred by sex discrimination, she said at one point, job reviewers told her: 'You need to think more like a man.'"

"It made me feel even more passionate about being the person I am intrinsically," Krauter said. "I like to think I've taken what comes naturally, and turned that into the ability to lead people."

Bealls Chief Executive Officer Steve Knopik interviewed dozens of candidates over several months, concluding Krauter was the clear choice.

"On one hand, her professional profile was nearly a perfect fit for our needs. It was as if every experience in her career was a step towards this position," said Knopik on Wednesday. "She had the merchandising, brand development, sourcing, marketing and leadership skills that I was seeking. I was convinced that she would immediately add value in each of these areas."

Equally important were her personal values, which Knopik felt would "enhance the culture that we've worked so hard to create and sustain here at Bealls."

Divorced two years, Krauter gave up owning pets because she traveled so much. She has moved to downtown Sarasota, and in her free time enjoys reading, art, music, movies and people-watching at events packed with crowds.

And even though reconnoitering other companies' stores is an essential part of her professional duties, she enjoys shopping during her free time as well.

"I like to be in the store," Krauter explained. "...Stores are like theaters, places for entertainment. Customers want to be dazzled, they want to be interested and happy - and we're no different."