DENVER – Jim Sinegal the Co-Founder of Costco Wholesale Corp., recently visited the University of Colorado Denver Business School for a conversational presentation with Dr. Wayne Cascio, the Robert H. Reynolds Distinguished Chair in Global Leadership in the Management program at the CU Denver Business School. The presentation, entitled, “Building a Business for the Long Run,” touched on a wide range of topics that imparted stories and knowledge developed over the course of Sinegal’s illustrious career.

Sinegal served as the CEO of Costco Wholesale Corporation for 27 years, before retiring in 2012. He has continued to serve as a Costco Director, as he has since the inception of Costco Wholesale Corp. in 1983, and Company Advisor. Some of Sinegal’s notable achievements include:

• Designated one of Business Week’s “Best Managers” in 2003
• Named to Time Magazine’s 2006 list of the 100 most influential people
• Chosen as one of the 30 most respected CEO’s by Barron’s Magazine
• Selected “Outstanding CEO of the Year” by Morningstar Investments in 2011

Sinegal addressed a crowd of Business School faculty, staff, and students, as well as members of the Denver business community in the CoBank Lecture Hall in the CU Denver Business School Building. Sinegal spoke candidly about his career, including his college experience in San Diego, working under his mentor and legendary retailer Sol Price, his successes and mistakes, and the negativity he faced in the early years of Costco from people who thought his business model was crazy.

Sinegal also discussed the challenges of going into new markets, and the particular difficulty of multinational expansion. Under his leadership, Costco has expanded to 626 stores in nine countries, Puerto Rico, and 42 U.S. states. Today, the company has annual revenues in excess of $100 billion. The company employs more than 175,000 people worldwide, and has earned a justifiable reputation as a fair and progressive employer.

This reputation is clearly important to Sinegal, who spoke passionately about leadership succession, promoting and hiring internally, and keeping happy employees. Costco is known for high employee wages and great benefits, as well as the longevity and loyalty of employees. According to Sinegal, much of the reason Costco employees are so faithful to the company is because they believe in the business.

In a message aimed specifically at students, Sinegal stressed the importance of finding a mentor, and to doing something they are passionate about. If you aren’t doing something that you love, says Sinegal, “run, don’t walk away.”