Hal Lawton

Hal Lawton
Lawton in 2020
BornJuly 4, 1974
Kingsport, Tennessee, U.S.
Alma materNorth Carolina State University (BS)
University of Virginia (MBA)
OccupationBusinessman
Known forCEO at Tractor Supply Company, former president of Macy's

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]

Early life and education

Lawton 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

Lawton 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

He lives with his wife, Jodie, in Nashville, TN. They have three children.[5]

Awards

Lawton was named to the list of "Most Admired CEOs" for 2023 by the Nashville Business Journal.[30]

References

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Loeb, Walter. "Macy's President Hal Lawton Resigns". Forbes. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  4. ^ "He tried to fix Macy's. Now he is the new Tractor Supply CEO". WRAL.com. December 5, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Tractor Supply CEO enjoyed Kingsport's 'out here' lifestyle while growing up". January 16, 2022.
  6. ^ "NCstate – Summer 2012 – page61". ncstatemagazine.gtxcel.com. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  7. ^ "Wall Street Thinks His Tractor's Sexy". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  8. ^ Steiner, Ina (December 5, 2019). "Former eBay Exec Named CEO of Tractor Supply Company". EcommerceBytes. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  9. ^ "Biografía de Hal Lawton – The Official Board". www.theofficialboard.es. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ "Tractor Supply Appoints Macy's Executive Hal Lawton As CEO – Quick Facts". www.nasdaq.com. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  12. ^ Kellaher, Colin (December 5, 2019). "Macy's Executive Departs to Run Tractor Supply". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  13. ^ Shoulberg, Warren. "Tractor Supply, With New Acquisition, Continues To Outperform Retail Sector". Forbes. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  14. ^ "Harry A. Lawton III – President and Chief Executive Officer at Tractor Supply Company". The Org. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ "Macy's new president marks a bold move in the fight against Amazon". www.herbertmines.com. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  17. ^ Ramos, Rachel Tobin. "Home Depot Web site gets major renovation". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  18. ^ "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.
  19. ^ "Who is Tractor Supply Co, and Why Did Hal Lawton Go There?". The Robin Report. December 19, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  20. ^ "President and Chief Executive Officer". www.businessroundtable.org. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  21. ^ "How poultry and a pandemic put Tractor Supply ahead of the pack". Fortune. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  22. ^ "Tractor Supply gives CEO big vote of confidence; names new chairman". Chain Store Age. February 10, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  23. ^ "Tractor Supply CEO expects shift to e-commerce to continue". postalnews.com. April 9, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  24. ^ "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.
  25. ^ "Macy's President Leaves as Company's Troubles Mount". Fortune. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  26. ^ Moin, David (December 5, 2019). "Hal Lawton Leaving Macy's to Run Tractor Supply Co". WWD. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  27. ^ "Macy's exec takes top spot at Tractor Supply". Chain Store Age. December 5, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  28. ^ 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.
  29. ^ "Talent Solutions Council". Nashville Chamber. Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  30. ^ "Hal Lawton". Nashville Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved October 31, 2024.