by Amy K. Lavender
Tickets are now on sale for the spring installment of the BB&T Lectures in Free Enterprise series, sponsored by the University of West Georgia’s Richards College of Business. This semester’s speaker will be former Southwire President and CEO Stu Thorn, who will bring more than 30 years of executive experience to students on February 8.
Stu’s topic for the event will be “How to Change the World Without Changing a Thing: Leveraging Capitalism to Create Shared Value.”
“My speech’s focus topic will be on how the power of capitalism, as it exists now, despite all its dangers, can be leveraged to solve social problems, via shared values,” said Stu. “As an example of shared values, I’ll draw on Southwire’s win-win educational initiatives.”
Stu said his lecture will also include a look at the power of capitalism and how it’s improved the world, along with capitalism’s dangers and how they can be resolved.
Stu was the third chief executive officer in Southwire Company history, serving 16 years with the electrical wire and cable manufacturer. He directed all North American operations and oversaw international business, legal, financial, information technology and human resources activities.
As Southwire’s first and only non-family chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors, Stu developed and executed the strategies that have earned Southwire top market position. His ability to integrate an innate understanding of international market conditions with operational leadership led to results that include a 300-percent revenue growth to $5.6 billion and pioneering new technologies that have shaped the wire industry.
In 2014, the Copper Club named Stu its Copper Man of the Year, the copper industry’s highest honor, and presented him with the club’s Anhk Award.
Prior to his career with Southwire, Stu served as chief financial officer and president and later as chief operating officer of Beaulieu of America, Inc., the largest family owned flooring company in the world. While there, Stu doubled sales and profits within three years, directing four major acquisitions and leading Beaulieu to $1.8 billion in revenue.
A veteran executive of multi-national Fortune 500 companies, Stu served in leadership positions with two corporations that represent household names across the world: Campbell Soup Company, Inc. and SC Johnson, producer of Windex®, Ziploc®, Saran Wrap® and other household brands. As vice president of international finance for Campbell Soup Company, Stu led two acquisitions and directed the global expansion of the company.
His tenure with S.C. Johnson spanned 16 years, progressing through titles including cost management analyst, corporate acquisitions director, regional controller for African and Near East markets and director of finance for North America consumer products. Directing large-scale acquisitions, including the $1 billion purchase of Drackett (Windex and Drano® brands), Stu executed long-term brand management strategies and led financial and planning initiatives for 10 of the company’s subsidiaries.
Stu completed his master of business administration degree in finance and decision science at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in 1979 after obtaining his bachelor’s degree in economics, graduating magna cum laude. Today, he serves in a leadership capacity on numerous boards and executive committees, including the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), the Electrical Manufacturers Club, the Curtiss- Wright Corporation Board of Directors, and the University of West Georgia’s Richards College of Business.
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