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| Golf Town President and CEO Stephen Bebis founded “a Toy Store for Golfers” 10 years and 50 stores later, his vision has “EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS” |
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story Maureen Scott photographs Steve Uhraney He golfs in Pebble Beach, California, in Naples, Florida, travels the continent on buying trips, but like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Golf Town President and CEO Stephen Bebis says “There’s No Place Like Home”. “What most people don’t know about me is that I’m a very dedicated family man and a very private person,” says Stephen. “I’m most happy when I’m home with my family. A lot of people think that as a CEO I would be golfing all the time and enjoying dinners out, but I spend ten times the energy on my family life than I do on my professional life. You must have a balanced life to be successful.” Success is Stephen’s middle name. It’s 11 a.m. and the handsome, athletic- looking Stephen strides into one of his two Mississauga locations, having already driven to Milton to cut the ribbon at the Grand Opening of his 50th store. You might call Golf Town the McDonald’s of the golf world. Stephen’s McGrowth story began with one small store in Scarborough in 1999. “We celebrated our 10th anniversary last year,” says Stephen with obvious pride. The concept of Golf Town was born after a frustrating shopping trip. “As a golfer and a consumer I didn’t like the experience as a shopper in Canada,” says Stephen. “On a business trip, I saw this great store in Minneapolis, so I came back and started from scratch. I invented, copied and modified. Sam Walton didn’t invent retail. He invented, copied and modified and in fact, he says that in his book. Yes, I would say that Sam Walton is my hero.” And he’s not an ex golf pro. “I’m a retailer in the golf business not a golfer in the retail business,” says Stephen. “With 37 years in retail, I’ve learned how to take best practices in retail and put them into the golf world, such as systems, inventory control, site selection and people. That’s why we are the number one golf retailer in Canada and number three in the world.” Prior to founding Golf Town, Stephen established Aikenhead’s Home Improvement which became Home Depot Canada, and held senior positions with both Home Depot and Sears. “I didn’t think we (Golf Town) would be as successful as it has become,” admits Stephen. “Golf Town has exceeded my expectations. I thought 25 stores for Canada. But we are at 50 stores and growing.” (Stephen says from 2004 to 2008 the numbers of golfers has surged from 5 million to 6 million in Canada alone). How does a golf store sustain itself in the winter months? “Thirty- five percent of our business is done during the winter months,” says Stephen. “We are a gift giving store at Xmas and we have seen huge growth in snowbirds buying clubs and travel bags to head off to Florida. But Father’s Day is our Christmas!” Golf Town, or “Toy Town” as it’s fondly called, is an 18,000 square foot golfer’s “sanctuary”. Customers can even sign up for a lesson from a CPGA certified instructor at the in-store Golf Academy. Staff members undergo an extensive training regimen at “Golf Town University”, created by Stephen Bebis. “Our web-based training is state of the art.” Stephen starts his day by reading four newspapers before heading into head office in Markham. He rarely wears a tie; “unless I’m visiting Bay Street,” he laughs. “The first thing I do every morning is review the sales figures for every store across the country. Every day I can measure our success. It’s customers who validate our success.” The majority of the company is owned by OMERS, but Bebis is its second largest shareholder. Stephen travels extensively for business and pleasure and takes his family on golf vacations. How much time does he spend on the golf course? “Not enough,” he laughs. “I also love spending time with my family at our cottage in the Muskoka area.” He’s an avid boater and snow skier. When asked to describe his job as CEO, Stephen says; “My job is to keep everyone within the lines. And to keep the team focused on sales and customer service. I also remove barriers to getting things done.” Stephen’s priority right now is expansion south to the US. (Stephen says the location is top secret for now but he is making almost weekly trips to scope out potential sites). Now, his top priority awaits. “I need to make sure I get home on time tonight to attend Parent Teacher Night at my daughter’s school.” GL |
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