Texas Jewish Post (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 72, No. 8, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 22, 2018 Page: 10 of 24
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BUSINESS
TEXAS JEWISH POST $ SINCE 1947
10 I February 22,2018
Neiman Marcus' Katz looks forward to next journey
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Stores and Neiman Marcus Online.
During the early 1990s, Katz was vice
president and general manager of the
company’s top-volume store in the
chain at NorthPark Center—the store
in which she had always loved to shop.
Years before, when considering how
she would put her education to work,
she mulled over going to business
school to earn an MBA. At times,
she toyed with the idea of becoming
a lawyer. Ultimately, she realized she
just needed a job and pursued a career
in retail. After graduating from The
University of Texas, she applied to both
Foley’s and Neiman Marcus’ merchant
training programs. It was Foley’s, now
a division of Federated Stores and
parent company of Macy’s, that hired
her. Ironically, Neiman Marcus turned
her down. She called her subsequent
success with Neiman Marcus “sweet
revenge.” Her Neiman Marcus career
spans 33 years — about half of her life.
Katz grew up in Preston Hollow,
where she attended Thomas Jefferson
High School. She and her husband,
Alan, moved back to Dallas from
Houston. He is in the oil industry.
They have a son, Alex, who lives in San
Francisco.
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"I'm excited about seeing what is
next for me. I'm still young enough
that I look forward to the future,"
said Neiman Marcus' Karen Katz.
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Dallasite Karen Katz grew up
shopping at NorthPark Center, and
her lifelong shopping spree at Neiman
Marcus began there when she was
a teenager. Those teenage shopping
years led to her ascension to president
and CEO of the upscale department
store in 2010. But Katz announced
in January that she would step down
from those roles, but remain an active
member of the board of directors.
“It will be interesting to be a
part of corporate strategy from the
other side of the table,” Katz said.
“Serving on the board will give me
an opportunity to look at the business
from a more conceptual perspective
rather than execution and day-to-day
performance.”
Katz joined the company in 1985
as a merchandise manager of the
Neiman Marcus Town & Country
store in suburban Houston. From that
small store, she began her move up the
proverbial corporate escalator. She was
appointed president and CEO of the
Neiman Marcus Group after serving
in several executive-level positions,
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touched and changed for the better
through the company’s efforts to
support the arts.
“I think that having grown up in
a strong Jewish family, you become
instilled with the commitment to
give back to the community, and
to be respectful of every part of the
community.” As an extension of her
commitment to tzedakah, Katz was
instrumental in creating the All Heart
Fund, part of the Heart of Neiman
Marcus Foundation, which is funded
by employees for employees facing
hardships and to support disaster relief
efforts.
Katz said, “I love being involved in
the Jewish community, and I’m proud
to be. I’m also proud of what Neiman
Marcus does for the community, and
particularly the Jewish community.
Support of Jewish organizations is
good for employers and employees at
large.”
Katz juggles her various business,
community and family endeavors by
making lists.
“To avoid feeling overwhelmed,
I write a list. I’m famous for my list-
making,” she said. “I break each list
down to small, achievable parts and
that makes each a small victory.”
She revealed other
recommendations for staying true
to yourself and on track with goals
— whether personal or professional:
“Manage your personal brand. Stay
true to your values. Use social media.
Work hard. The adage ‘The harder I
work, the greater my luck’ has proven
to be true in my experiences.
“I have always worked very, very
hard,” Katz added. “I believed that
working hard trumps a lot of things.
Working hard is part of your own
personal brand. I have every intention
of working as hard in this next chapter
of my life as I did during my retailing
career.
“I’m excited about seeing what is
next for me. I’m still young enough
that I look forward to the future.”
s RM
truths.”
Katz regards her leadership style
as one of mentor and a champion of
women. Regarding women who work
for Neiman’s, Katz commented, “I am
so proud that over half of our senior
executive team and a large percentage
of our store general managers are
women. Retailing is a very inclusive
and diverse industry and there are lots
of opportunities for advancement. It’s
business that is very people-centric.”
Katz readily acknowledges that
working with the team is one of
the things she will miss the most in
retirement. “Every Neiman Marcus
associate has such great passion for
our customers and our business and
I feed off their energy. I will also miss
our customers immensely. They are so
incredibly loyal.”
Beyond developing and mentoring
the team and growing the business,
Katz believes another of her enduring
contributions is the company’s
commitment to philanthropy
through the Heart of Neiman Marcus
Foundation that supports youth
arts education programs. In 2016,
donations from the Heart of Neiman
Marcus Foundation impacted over
1.2 million young people, and by 2017
the company’s support had increased
to more than 2 million people’s lives
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health options easier. Alan and I
very proud of him,” she said.
Neiman Marcus Group is a $5
billion company that operates several
successful luxury retail e-commerce
sites, as well as 42 Neiman Marcus
Stores, two Bergdorf Goodman stores
in New York, and MyTheresa, based in
Munich, Germany. The company has
a complex network of luxury vendors.
However, it is their “worldly and
wired” customers who are the focus of
everything it does.
As Katz said, “Our customer
is the center of everything we do.
The company was founded on
two enduring principles, the finest
merchandise and superlative customer
service. Today, Neiman’s is known
worldwide for our dedication to our
customers whether they shop in a store
or on the web.”
In reflecting on her long career,
Katz credits working with strong
mentors.
“When I ran the NorthPark store,
Stanley Marcus was a frequent visitor.
He was very forthcoming with advice
and counseled me to always stay
focused on the customer.”
She explained that he would often
send her notes about how he viewed
the store. She has kept them all. “They
are great artifacts detailing retail
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Wisch-Ray, Sharon. Texas Jewish Post (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 72, No. 8, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 22, 2018, newspaper, February 22, 2018; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1305629/m1/10/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .