“The Glik name is family to me, and I certainly do not just mean family by blood. The customers, teammates, and community members we impact are our family”. I asked Jeremy Glik, the newest member to the buying team, what the Glik name meant to him. His response is why we are excited that he is the second 5th generation member to begin working at Home Office.
Jeremy is very used to the business, as he grew up in it. From St. Louis, he frequently made it across the river to visit the Home Office and the numerous stores in Southern Illinois. Growing up, when people would ask him “what do you want to be when you grow up?” his answer was always the same: to be a buyer at Glik’s! To get to that dream, he moved to Colorado and studied at Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver, and dreams really do come true.
While graduating with honors, Jeremy started a full-time position with Shinesty, an apparel start-up in Boulder, Colorado. A hard worker, he started as a Merchandising Intern, and was then promoted to the Junior Product Line Manage (PLM) where he was held accountable to some of their buying categories. Shinesty saw how reliable Jeremy is and became accountable for assortment planning, forecasting, and merchandising. After the first year and a half with Shinesty, the business changed significantly to underwear being the central focus. During the final year and a half with Shinesty, he was the Senior PLM and only PLM who managed all eight categories. “It was certainly a bittersweet exit, but something my colleagues always knew was in my path”, Jeremy adds, “That path being to join my family and the Glik’s team back home”.
Jeremy’s first day at Home Office was nothing short of what he’d dreamed of. When Home Office when it made its big move to Collinsville, he already felt right at home. Jeremy was welcomed with open arms and everyone at Home Office enjoys his attitude and presence. Here at Home Office, Jeremy is a part of the women’s team where he buys women’s bottoms and branded outdoor apparel. Given his background in eCommerce retail, he is also assisting with the Web/Marketing team with eCommerce.
Being a 5th generation member, Jeremy wants to highlight that success of being a 5th generation business. Being involved in a family business means taking those steps to show the genuine interest around the industry. However, Jeremy felt that his work elsewhere, Shinesty, allowed him to bring ideas for the present and future growth. Jeremy has ideas, of course, but he was very pleased to see the business being well-run. With that, Jeremy said this, “…there’s no need to fix what isn’t broken. We will continue to bring excitement to the communities we serve with our unmatched assortment and experience”. Jeremy intends to bring different tools he utilized at Shinesty to help everyone work smarter, not harder.
What about 5, 10, 25 years from now when Glik’s is celebrating its 150th anniversary? Jeremy sees Glik’s continuing to be true to who we are and have been for generations. We are given the opportunity to serve our communities and provide jobs throughout the Midwest. We will never stop being stellar retailers, merchants, and community members, and as long as we continue with that mindset, Jeremy see success for future generations to come.
What Else Should We Know!
Walkout Song: “Can You Get to That” by Funkadelic
Favorite Travel/Vacation Spot: “I don’t care how rocky it is, I will set up a beach spot at any high alpine lake. That ice cold water after a long hike is something I just can’t get enough of. Then to pair that with a beer and fly rod? That puts one big smile on my face!”
Hobbies: Loves being outdoors, especially living in Colorado, he loves skiing or camping. Along with that, he enjoys to photograph those moments
Favorite Movie: The Shawshank Redemption
Favorite TV Show: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Who Do You Admire: Easy and simple, his family has been impactful all his life and they are the people he admires most.