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CEO OF THE WEEK: Jun 27, 2003
Ron Shaich
Panera Bread Company, Co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

COMPANY STATS
Panera Bread
52 WEEK HI: 52 WEEK LO:
$41.20 $23.64
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GROWTH
5-Year Revenue Growth 2%
5-Year Earnings Growth 67%
VALUATION
Market Cap (mil) $1.18
P/E (past year) 49.8
Price/sales 3.94
MANAGEMENT STRENGTH
Return on Equity 16.2%
Return on Capital 16.2%
Net Profit Margin 7.9%
Source: Thomson/Baseline,
as of 6/18/03


Panera, meaning "time of bread," reflects the vision and focus of a company whose mission is putting "a loaf of bread in every arm." The bakery cafe's stock has risen nearly 700 percent during the past three years and sales are expected to hit $1 billion this year. CEO Ron Shaich, who started this company 15 years ago, hopes to keep rolling in the dough.

Ron Shaich: Bio and Career Highlights
Age: 49

Education: Shaich received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Clark University in 1976 and an MBA from Harvard in 1978.

Resume: Shaich began his career in the bakery-cafe industry in 1981, when he co-founded Au Bon Pain Co., Inc. In 1993, he led Au Bon Pain's acquisition of the Saint Louis Bread Co., later renamed Panera. Shaich ultimately sold Au Bon Pain in 1998 in order to concentrate on the Panera brand.

He also serves as chairman of the Board of Trustees of Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, and is a member of the board for the Lown Cardiovascular Research Foundation.

Corporate Culture
Board of Directors: With the exception of Shaich, Panera's six-member board is independent.

Stock options: The company expenses its stock options.

Charity: Panera launched Operation Dough-Nation in 1992 to help feed the hungry. Cash donations are matched with fresh bread and cash that is distributed to local food pantries. Panera also delivers all unsold bread to local hunger relief agencies.

Says Shaich: "Often at the end of the night we have lots of baked goods left over. All of that goes to soup kitchens and charitable shelters around the country."

On quality ...
"We are really committed to doing bread right. We do it based on the traditions of bakers who have been baking for hundreds of years [with] stone deck ovens that cost $50,000. We use no chemicals, no preservatives," says Shaich.

No bonus for Shaich
"I used a charter jet for part of the year and I personally felt like I was more than well-compensated with my salary. I'd didn't feel like [a bonus] was something I should take."  Top of page
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Previous CEOs of the Week:
08/01/03: Mark Kachur
Chairman and CEO of CUNO Inc.
07/25/03: Gregory Swienton
Chairman, President & CEO of Ryder System, Inc.
07/18/03: Harold 'Terry' McGraw III
The McGraw-Hill Companies' chairman, president, and CEO
07/11/03: Glenn Epstein
Intermagnetics General, Chairman & CEO
06/27/03: Ron Shaich
Panera Bread Company, Co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
06/20/03: George David
United Technologies, CEO and Chairman
06/13/03: Phil Francis
PETsMART Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
06/06/03: Bob Walter
Cardinal Health, Chairman and CEO
05/30/03: Bill McGill
MarineMax, CEO and Chairman of the Board
05/23/03: Art Collins
Medtronic, CEO and Chairman of the Board
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Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.