The Glimcher File
Michael Glimcher
Chairman and CEO
Glimcher Realty Trust
Born: Columbus, Ohio
Education: Bachelor of science in political science, Arizona State University
What was your very first job?
I did work at Youthland, which was a children’s clothing store. I worked there for a couple summers and part time over Christmas break. It was me and five women. I changed the light bulbs and I’d sit in the back room with the steamer and steam all these little miniature clothes. Anything that involved getting on a ladder and moving things around was my responsibility. I can still wrap a gift really nicely.
Who has had the biggest influence on you?
It’s probably a compilation of people. Obviously, I’ve spent a lot of time with and worked a lot with my dad, so he’s obviously had a huge amount of influence on me. You learn different things from different people’s management style. I’ve been fortunate to be exposed to a lot of pretty interesting people over the years.
What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you?
A great piece of advice I got was, ‘Put everyone else before yourself.’
If you could sit down with anyone, past or present, who would it be and why?
President Ronald Reagan. When you think about my style of relying on great people, delivering the right message, being positive and trying to inspire people, he certainly inspired me.
