Consumer >> CEO Interviews >> March 5, 2001
ROLANDO DE AGUIAR joined Ames as Executive Vice President, Chief
Financial Officer in April 1998 and was named to the additional post of
Chief Administrative Officer a year later. In April 2000 Mr. de Aguiar
was given formal responsibility for all e-business activities and named
President of AmesPlace.com, a subsidiary of Ames Department Stores, Inc.
From 1991 to 1993, he was Vice President, Planning and Development at
Sears in Mexico where he initiated aggressive change in the company
resulting in Sears de Mexico becoming one of the leading retail
organizations in the Americas. In addition, at Sears in Mexico, Mr. de
Aguiar was instrumental in the design and implementation of advanced
information systems. Mr. de Aguiar has also spent 10 years at Occidental
Petroleum Corporation in several senior positions including Manager of
Mergers and Acquisitions, CFO of the Minerals Division and Director of
Internal Audit for the company's worldwide operations. In addition, Mr.
de Aguiar has held senior financial positions at AMNEX, Inc., at Gruma,
and in the venture capital community. Mr. de Aguiar received his MBA and
BS degrees from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts and he
is a Certified Public Accountant. He is also a member of the American
Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Financial
Executives Institute (FEI), and the International Mass Retail
Association (IMRA). Profile
JOSEPH R. ETTORE, a retail executive with 39 years of discount industry
experience, is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ames
Department Stores, Inc. He joined the company in June 1994 and is
responsible for all facets of Ames' day-to-day operations and has been
directing Ames' growth since he joined the company. Mr. Ettore has
received many industry awards and honors over the years. His retail
peers have elected him to an unprecedented three terms as Chairman of
the International Mass Retail Association (IMRA). In 1999, he was named
a Humanitarian of the Year by the Housewares Charity Foundation for his
philanthropic accomplishments in the community; honored as Retail
Executive of the Year by Discount Merchandiser magazine; received the
Discounters in Service to the Community (DISC) Award from Discount Store
News; received the 1999 Business Leadership Award from the University of
Hartford; and was presented with the Corporate Leadership Award by the
National Council on the Aging. Prior to joining Ames, Mr. Ettore held
executive positions at Jamesway Corporation, Stuarts Department Stores,
Kings Department Stores and Unishops Inc. Mr. Ettore received a BS
degree in 1961 from St. Peters College in Jersey City, NJ. Profile
company?
Mr. Ettore: Ames is the largest regional discount department store in
the country today. We have 447 stores in 19
