10/2/00
HOME DEPOT OFFICIAL WILL BE AU VISITING EXECUTIVE-IN- RESIDENCE
AUBURN -- Kenneth R. Stephens, vice president of real estate for Home Depot, will be the Lowder Visiting Executive in the Auburn University College of Business on Wednesday and Thursday.
Stephens, who earned a B.S. degree in marketing from Auburn in 1978, will speak to a marketing strategy class Wednesday afternoon and later participate in a roundtable session with MBA students.
On Thursday, he speaks to an advanced business finance class, a risk and insurance class and a marketing strategy class. He also has meetings scheduled with John Jahera, interim dean of the College of Business.
Stephens, who lives in Orange, Calif., is responsible for overall real estate strategies and development of new stores for Home Depot, which is ranked among the 10 largest retailers in the nation.
Previously, Stephens was real estate director, regional manager and vice president of retail property for Home Depot.
The chain has more than 1,100 stores located throughout the United States and Canada, as well as Puerto Rico and Chile. Founded in 1978 in Atlanta, Home Depot, is the world's largest home improvement retailer with $38.4 billion in annual sales during 1999 and more than 201,000 employees.
The Robert and Charlotte Lowder Visiting Executive-in-Residence program provides students and faculty with an opportunity to interact with prominent executives for an open exchange of views on current issues and to gain insight into the business world.
The program is made possible through an endowment by Robert and Charlotte Lowder of Montgomery. Lowder, a 1954 graduate of the AU College of Business and a member of the AU Board of Trustees, is chief executive officer of Colonial BancGroup.
oct00:AU-homedepot
CONTACT: Dianne Townsend, 334/844-2342.