WHLI APRIL LUNCHEON NEWSLETTER

The West Houston Leadership Institute is excited to feature keynote speaker Jay Steinfeld at our April 12th luncheon at Norris Conference Centers – City Centre.

Jay is an Ernest & Young Entrepreneur of the Year recipient and the founder and former CEO of Blinds.com. After earning a BBA in Accounting with honors from The University of Texas in Austin, Jay worked as a CPA at KPMG; Vice President of Finance at Meineke Discount Mufflers; and owned Laura’s Draperies, Bedspreads, and More before becoming an early mover in e-commerce, launching the internet’s first blinds store from his garage in 1993. 

After growing quickly and acquiring competitors, Blinds.com became the largest online window coverings retailer, under the corporate banner of Global Custom Commerce (GCC). Jay’s vision was to make his business not only the world’s #1 online blinds retailer, but also the leading e-tailer of hard-to-buy custom categories of home goods. While under his leadership, GCC received awards for American Marketing Association’s Marketer of the Year, Houston's Best Place to Work, Best Companies to Work For in Texas, National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in Wellness, the Award of Excellence by the Better Business Bureau, and National Call Center of the Year. 

Jay was named the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2006. In 2013, Jay was ranked globally as one of the Top 60 CEOs on Social Media. Since 2011, Jay has written over 100 articles under the column entitled “Chief Effective Officer” for Inc. Magazine and CBS Market Watch about becoming a more effective leader.

In January of 2014, Home Depot acquired GCC and integrated its proprietary technology and sales platforms into Home Depot’s enterprise systems (encompassing its website and 2,000 stores, used by its 450,000 associates) enabling GCC to become Home Depot’s Center of Excellence for Configurable Products, including blinds, decks, storm doors, countertops, vanities, and others.

Jay remained CEO of GCC and joined the Home Depot Online Leadership Team until 2020, driving and integrating the Blinds.com platform into Home Depot’s interconnected retail strategy. A firm believer that one should not retire but “rewire,” Jay now lectures and serves as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Rice University’s Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business, serves on the Advisory Council at The University of Texas’s Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center, and is the author of Lead from the Core: The Four Principles for Profit and Prosperity.

He sits on the board of directors and audit committee for Masonite International Corporation (NYSE: DOOR) and 4 other start-up boards. Jay is part of the XPRIZE Innovation Board, whose mission is to bring about “radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity.” Jay is an advocate and frequent speaker on how company culture and authentic core values drive profitable growth.

Jay has been boxing for over 20 years and has been singing with the same college barbershop quartet for over 40 years since their days at The University of Texas. He lives in Houston, Texas with his wife, Barbara; is the proud father of Esther, Craig, and Alec; and grandfather to his “seven startups.”

Jay will be available to autograph his book, “Lead From The Core,” which can be purchased in advance here or you can purchase your book at the event.

Founded in 2004, The West Houston Leadership Institute is an experiential learning program designed to provide participants with a breadth of knowledge concerning healthcare, transportation, education, diversity, government, business and many areas of life in West Houston. The West Houston Leadership Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.