FREEPORT, Maine — Leon Gorman, grandson of L.L. Bean and longtime leader of the iconic outdoors store, has died from cancer. He was 80.
Gorman, known among employees for his soft-spoken manner and for often bringing his hunting dogs into the office, helped to take the family business from a folksy $4.8 million catalog company to a $1.61 billion retailer with retail stores in Japan and across the United States.
After retiring as president in 2001, he became the company’s chairman and increasingly focused his attention on volunteer and philanthropic causes, giving his time and money to conservation groups as well as many charities in Maine, where he lived with his wife, Lisa.
Gorman died at his home in Yarmouth.
“Leon has been a great presence in my life for the past 32 years,” L.L. Bean President Chris McCormick said in a companywide message. “I know that he also played a significant role in the lives of many of you. He was a boss, mentor, coach, community leader, dear friend and inspiration. Most importantly, he was the most decent human being you would ever want to meet. We will all miss him greatly.”
Gorman stepped down as the company’s chairman in 2013, when his nephew, Shawn Gorman, replaced him. L.L. Bean has been family-owned since Leon Leonwood Bean founded it in 1912 in Freeport.
For the fourth time in company history, the 24-hour Freeport store — which has no locks on the doors — will close during his funeral service. The company released his obituary Thursday, announcing that a memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, at Westbrook Performing Arts Center. Media reports indicated that the store would close from 8 a.m. to noon that day.
As news of Leon Gorman’s death trickled through Freeport, employees were subdued.
“This is a man that is integral to the company,” Carolyn Beem, an L.L. Bean spokeswoman, said. “Many of us here worked with him and were mentored by him. There is a great deal of sadness.”
Beem called the outdoorsman, who championed the customer as always right, a “hero as a business and community leader and a man of great values.”
More than a retail store, L.L. Bean embodies the Maine lifestyle. Gorman, who started working at the company in 1960, shortly after graduating from Bowdoin College, is responsible for its growth.
In his 2006 book, “L.L.Bean: The Making of an American Icon,” he said “my proudest accomplishment is growing my grandfather’s company from employing less than 100 people in 1960 to employing tens of thousands of good Maine people over the generations; building a company based on solid Maine values of integrity, customer service, respect for people, a love of the outdoors, and above all, perseverance.”
Gorman also was a noted conservationist and philanthropist. In 2014, he donated 28-acre Lanes Island, one of his grandfather’s favorite hunting spots, to the Maine Coast Heritage Land Trust, with the intent of conserving the Yarmouth property and preserving public access to it. He also played influential roles in other local and statewide land conservation efforts.
Clearly a larger-than-life figure, his passing prompted several politicians’ condolences.
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins released this statement Thursday: “Leon Gorman was a great American who loved the state of Maine and built an iconic brand in L.L. Bean. His visionary leadership of the company created thousands of good jobs for Mainers.”
Collins, who was friends with Gorman, said, “Along with his wife, Lisa, Leon was an extraordinarily generous contributor to countless causes, including educational institutions and conservation organizations, reflecting his belief in our state’s future and his determination to preserve its legacy.”
U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree also issued a statement Thursday morning, praising Gorman’s contributions to Maine.
“Over his lifetime, Leon Gorman benefited the people of our state in so many ways,” Pingree said. “Under his leadership, L.L. Bean saw incredible growth, which raised the profile of Maine internationally and created thousand of good-paying jobs. He was a truly generous member of the community as well.”
Former Gov. John Baldacci, former U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe and Sen. Angus King also issued statements praising Gorman and offering condolences. King called him “a wonderful man and a gifted leader.”
Information from Reuters is included in this report.