Steven Lefton Sharp, President and CEO, Geo. Z. Lefton Co., Chicago, Illinois

Steven Sharp takes time out from a fishing vacation in upstate Illinois to talk with Gifts & Dec about his company's roots on the occasion of its 60th anniversary.

Meredith Schwartz -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 10/1/2000

Gifts & Dec: How did Geo. Z. Lefton Co. first get started?

Steven Lefton Sharp: My grandfather, George Lefton, founded the company in October 1940. He had emigrated from Hungary in 1938, and started selling Plaster of Paris. He drove from the East Coast to the West selling, then jumped on a boat to the Orient to buy more product. He began buying porcelain figurines from Occupied Japan. When he started out, the industry was nonexistent, so anything he brought in, sold.

Gifts & Dec: How did the business develop?

SLS:My grandfather created the birthday girl figurines. He was very inventive, and the things he made lasted. Some are still in the catalog. He was one of the first to go to Japan and start the decal business, bringing in dinnerware and wildlife figurines at a price point that was affordable to people in the postwar years. That's why he came up with his slogan, "It's Lefton, it sells." We recently changed it to "Generations of Quality." I think that best sums up our company. Over the last 60 years, people have become accustomed to us creating product that looks good whether it's a $5 or a $150 item.

Gifts & Dec: When did you join the company?

SLS: I started in high school. My first year, I swept the warehouse. My grandfather put me out on the line and taught me the old way of taking inventory: walking around checking boxes for dust. I started full time when I graduated from college, and spent a year going through the different departments: order entry, customer service, and credit. Ultimately, I handled 500 Colonial Village customers. My grandfather passed away, and my mother and I purchased the business from his estate in March 1999. There's a pattern of third-generation companies not succeeding, but I could not be prouder running a company that my grandfather founded six decades ago.

Gifts & Dec: What is your mother's role at Geo. Z. Lefton?

SLS: My mom has been with the company for over 30 years. During my grandfather's life, she primarily did product development. She still works closely with development, going to overseas factories to translate her ideas, but these days she also does operations. Her title is executive vice president of research and design, and her main role is ambassador; no one represents the company better. My mother also chairs the George Zoltan Lefton Family Fund at Chicago Children's Hospital.

Gifts & Dec: Do you feel that the industry is headed in a particular direction?

SLS: There will always be a collectible business, but that's not where the large growth is. These days, people want more than a figurine; they want functionality. I see more potential in general giftware and tableware. Inspirational giftware is also growing, because there's a large spiritual movement right now. We've created two inspirational lines: Passages and Spirit of Unity.

Gifts & Dec: What does the future hold for Geo. Z. Lefton Co.?

SLS: Our goal is to maintain our revenues and get through the next few years until our industry heats up again. I wouldn't say it's in a recession, but it is not in a growth state. When the economy is good, our industry is bad, because people spend money on big-ticket items like homes, cars, or vacations, not impulse product. Beyond that, I want to give our customers no less than 500 new items per year and find better ways of selling at retail.

Gifts & Dec: What is your key to success in these lean times?

SLS: Being creative at the right price. We're focusing on product in the $50 and under range. That's probably the most viable sector of our industry. We are doing something we've never done before: developing exclusive lines for mass marketers to diversify our customer base. We'll be introducing them in mid 2001. We've always been aimed at mom-and-pop retailers, and we're not alienating them: This will be non-competing product for mass retailers. So we'll get the best of both worlds.

Gifts & Dec: How will you celebrate your anniversary?

SLS: We considered having a convention, but eventually decided to have a party for our corporate employees in Chicago. We have a lot of longtime employees, and I'd like to keep the party intimate for them, because without them we wouldn't be the company we are today.