Harry A. Lawton III (born July 4, 1974) is an American businessman. He is president and chief executive officer of the retailer Tractor Supply Company. He is also a member of the company's board. He was formerly president of Macy's.[1][2][3][4]
Hal Lawton | |
|---|---|
 Lawton in 2020 | |
| Born | July 4, 1974 Kingsport, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Alma mater | North Carolina State University and University of Virginia |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | CEO at Tractor Supply Company, former president of Macy's |
Early life and education
editLawton was born in Kingsport, Tennessee in 1974. He attended Sullivan South High School. His father worked at Eastman Chemical Company. As a child, Lawton played basketball at the Boys and Girls Club, delivered papers for the Kingsport Times-News, and attended St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.[5]
Lawton holds an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering and another in pulp and paper science technology from North Carolina State University, where he was a Caldwell Fellow.[6][7][8] He holds a master of business administration from University of Virginia Darden School of Business, where he was given the William Michael Shermet Award.[9][10][11][12]
Career
editLawton started his career in a paper mill in rural North Carolina. In 2000, he joined McKinsey & Co. and was an associate principal until 2005. From 2005 to 2015, Lawton held different positions at The Home Depot, including President Online and SVP Merchandising.[13][14][15][16] From August 2015 to September 2017, Lawton was the SVP of eBay North America. From September 2017 to December 2019, he served as the president for Macy's.[17][18][19][20]
In January 2020, Lawton returned to Tennessee and began work as the chief executive officer and president of Tractor Supply Company. He is a member of the company's board of directors. During Lawton’s first year as CEO, more people began gardening and owning pets and livestock due to the COVD-19 pandemic and Tractor Supply Company saw revenue growth of 27 percent.[21] In 2022, Tractor Supply reached #294 on the Fortune 500 list. In February 2023, Tractor Supply extended the terms of Lawton’s contract for another three years, to 2026, with an evergreen extension going forward.[22]
Lawton serves on the board of directors of Sealed Air Corporation located in Charlotte, NC and previously served on the board of Buffalo Wild Wings.[23][24][25][26][27]
As of 2022, was a member National Retail Federation board of directors. He was a member of the Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups.[28]
Lawton is a member of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. He chairs its Talent Solutions Council.[29]
Personal life
editHe lives with his wife, Jodie, in Nashville, TN. They have three children.[5]
Awards
editLawton was named to the list of "Most Admired CEOs" for 2023 by the Nashville Business Journal.[30]
References
edit- ^ Nassauer, Sarah (April 8, 2020). "Tractor Supply CEO Talks Pet-Food Hoarding During the Pandemic". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ La Monica, Paul R. (December 5, 2019). "He tried to fix Macy's. Now he is the new Tractor Supply CEO". CNN. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ Loeb, Walter. "Macy's President Hal Lawton Resigns". Forbes. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ "He tried to fix Macy's. Now he is the new Tractor Supply CEO". WRAL.com. December 5, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- ^ a b "Tractor Supply CEO enjoyed Kingsport's 'out here' lifestyle while growing up". January 16, 2022.
- ^ "NCstate – Summer 2012 – page61". ncstatemagazine.gtxcel.com. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- ^ "Wall Street Thinks His Tractor's Sexy". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- ^ Steiner, Ina (December 5, 2019). "Former eBay Exec Named CEO of Tractor Supply Company". EcommerceBytes. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- ^ "Biografía de Hal Lawton – The Official Board". www.theofficialboard.es. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ "Millennials ditching cities for the US countryside are boosting sales at rural businesses, the CEO of a $22 billion agriculture retailer says". Business Insider. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- ^ "Tractor Supply Appoints Macy's Executive Hal Lawton As CEO – Quick Facts". www.nasdaq.com. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- ^ Kellaher, Colin (December 5, 2019). "Macy's Executive Departs to Run Tractor Supply". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ Shoulberg, Warren. "Tractor Supply, With New Acquisition, Continues To Outperform Retail Sector". Forbes. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- ^ "Harry A. Lawton III – President and Chief Executive Officer at Tractor Supply Company". The Org. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- ^ Crets, Stephanie (June 21, 2018). "Macy's names a Home Depot technology executive as its chief technology officer". Digital Commerce 360. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- ^ "Macy's new president marks a bold move in the fight against Amazon". www.herbertmines.com. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- ^ Ramos, Rachel Tobin. "Home Depot Web site gets major renovation". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- ^ "Leadership Advice for CEOs and Entry Level Professionals from Hal Lawton '96, President & CEO of Tractor Supply Co". Poole Thought Leadership. March 5, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- ^ "Who is Tractor Supply Co, and Why Did Hal Lawton Go There?". The Robin Report. December 19, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- ^ "President and Chief Executive Officer". www.businessroundtable.org. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- ^ "How poultry and a pandemic put Tractor Supply ahead of the pack". Fortune. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ^ "Tractor Supply gives CEO big vote of confidence; names new chairman". Chain Store Age. February 10, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ^ "Tractor Supply CEO expects shift to e-commerce to continue". postalnews.com. April 9, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ "Market Rally Continues as Shares of Technology and Retail Firms Rise". The New York Times. Associated Press. August 23, 2017. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ "Macy's President Leaves as Company's Troubles Mount". Fortune. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ Moin, David (December 5, 2019). "Hal Lawton Leaving Macy's to Run Tractor Supply Co". WWD. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ "Macy's exec takes top spot at Tractor Supply". Chain Store Age. December 5, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- ^ Sichko, Adam (June 10, 2022). "Inflation and an invitation: Tractor Supply CEO recounts his one-on-one call with President Biden". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
- ^ "Talent Solutions Council". Nashville Chamber. Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
- ^ "Hal Lawton". Nashville Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved October 31, 2024.