Knopik, Bealls CEO, survives, thrives in first decade of leadership

BRADENTON -- When promoted in 2006 to be the first Bealls CEO outside of the bloodline, Steve Knopik had no idea that his first years on the job would be some of the hardest for the regional clothing retailer.

Florida's economy was a year away from an economic collapse that crushed the housing industry and saw thousands of Floridians lose their jobs. Bealls Department Stores lost shoppers and profits dwindled with the downturn. Another company might have left a new and untried CEO out in the wind to fail.

That wasn't the case at Bealls.

"I never quite felt that way," said Knopik,

who has been a Bealls executive since 1984. "I didn't feel like the family was pitching me into a pool to see if I could swim."

To the contrary, Knopik's predecessor, R.M. "Bob" Beall II, worked with him almost daily to make sure the company would come out of The Great Recession in one piece. While the company did lose sales volume, the episode proved that the family had made the right choices about its retail strategy, and about its top executive.

Looking back, Knopik said he's pleased to see Bealls emerge from the recession as a stronger company.

"My theme for that period was survive to thrive," he said. "I don't think there was any great risk of us not surviving the period."

Today, nine years into leading the $1 billion retailer, Knopik, 59, is working through challenges other retailers face. With national competitor Wal-Mart vowing to increase its minimum wage to $10 an hour, Bealls is considering increasing its own wages to compete for the same workers. And as the company continues to grow, Knopik is constantly searching for ways to keep both its bricks-and-mortar stores and its online operation attractive and exciting for shoppers.

Knopik has risen steadily through the executive ranks at Bealls in over 30 years with the company. Starting out as a finance director, he moved into leadership roles in information technology, human resources and distribution. He worked as president of Bealls Inc., the retailer's parent company, before getting the keys to the top office in the C-suite.

Knopik is not isolated in the executive offices: He's in touch with the people he leads. On a walk through Bealls corporate offices and department store distribution center, he is soft-spoken and friendly, greeting workers by name. For their part, co-workers from the newest shipping employee to senior leaders hardly seem surprised to see him.

An admirer of how three generations of Bealls leaders built the company before he became the chief executive, Knopik said he is always willing to borrow the best ideas the market has.

Touchstone companies he looks to for those ideas include grocer Publix, discount retailer and Marshalls parent TJX, Victoria's Secret parent L Brands, as well as Amazon, Google and Apple. He stays particularly close to Publix, serving on its board of directors.

His own company has been innovative, spinning off its Bealls Outlet brand from its department stores. The outlets comprise the majority of the Bealls-branded stores the company operates.

The choice to add that sector to the company's business, Knopik said, helped insulate the retailer against the economy's collapse during the recession.

"Bealls Outlet really was a pretty solid shock absorber for us," he said.

Knopik enjoys working for a company that bucks trends. Still family owned, Bealls competes against a number of publicly traded companies. And while retailers tend to turn over their workforces regularly, Bealls tends to retain many of its employees for decades. That includes the current CEO.

Knopik admits his longevity is a bit unusual in the retail executive world. He has spent the bulk of his career with Bealls. He said he might well be able to make more money working for a publicly traded company, but cannot imagine working with another set of co-workers or in a more stimulating environment.

"Anybody who is excited to come to work every day stems from how much they like the people they are working with," he said.

Working for Bealls also keeps Knopik close to home. He grew up in Sarasota, having moved there as a child with his family in the 1960s.

He still lives there, with his wife, Beth, and 16-year-old son Rogers. The couple's late teenage daughter, Leanna Mae, died of a rare heart ailment in 2012.

"She's our angel," Knopik said.

Matt M. Johnson, Herald business reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7027, or on Twitter @MattAtBradenton.

This story was originally published March 8, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Knopik, Bealls CEO, survives, thrives in first decade of leadership ."