John V. Shields Jr. (March 23, 1932 – October 31, 2014) was an American businessman who was the CEO of the American grocery store chain Trader Joe's from 1988 to 2001.[1] Shields was voted the Master Entrepreneur of the Los Angeles Area in 1993.
Early life
Shields was born on March 23, 1932, in Illinois. He attended Serra High School in San Mateo, California and graduated in 1950. In 1954, he earned a BA degree in European from Stanford University, followed in 1956 by an MBA from the same place. He was a member of Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity at Stanford.
Shields also served in the military for two years.[2]
Career
Shields joined Macy's California, a department store chain, in their executive training program, rising to the position of Vice President of Operations.