Premiere Speakers Bureau

Jim McCann likes to make things grow. Just as he built an international business from a single Manhattan flower shop, McCann, CEO of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, has helped expand the definition of retailing while positioning his company as one of the world's leading gift retailers.

Recognizing the enormous potential in providing on-the-go consumers with quality, gift-giving opportunities, McCann pushed traditional boundaries to create not just one, but several access channels. Today, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM customers can send a wide variety of floral products and other thoughtful gifts around the block or around the world by clicking a mouse on a PC, walking into one of its stores, or by dialing a 1-800-number.

Jim McCann acquired the 1-800-FLOWERS number in 1986 after successfully building his own chain of 14 flower shops in the New York metropolitan area. Using a thorough understanding of his customer base and market, he focused on creating a reliable brand name and instilling a sense of trust and convenience in an industry that had previously had no leader. As his business grew, McCann pioneered its entry into other retail access channels-going online in 1992 and opening a Web site in 1995.

McCann attributes much of his success to the training he received in his first job-as a social worker. As an administrator at St. John's Home for Boys in Rockaway, New York, McCann recalls, he had to help underprivileged children learn how to overcome the scourge of poverty, drugs and despair. Jim McCann's experiences greatly influence the open management style he uses today.

McCann's third book, A Year Full of Flowers, was recently published. He is also the author of Stop and Sell the Roses and Celebrations: A Joyous Guide to Holidays from Past to Present.

Active in numerous business and community organizations, Jim McCann is on the national boards of directors of The Boyd's Collection Ltd., Gtech Corporation, Willis Holdings Group, Hofstra University and Winthrop-University Hospital. He also supports programs for the developmentally disabled.

Jim McCann lives on Long Island with his wife and three children.