Leon Gorman, Former LL Bean Leader, Dies at 80

The company says Gorman died Thursday at home in Yarmouth after battling cancer.

A grandson of L.L. Bean who led the outdoors retailer after the founder's death has died. Leon Gorman was 80.

The company says Gorman died Thursday at home in Yarmouth, Maine, after battling cancer.

Gorman led the Freeport, Maine, retailer as CEO or chairman for 46 years before retiring as chairman of the board in 2013. He retained the title "chairman emeritus."

After his grandfather's death, Gorman transformed L.L. Bean from a catalog company with a single retail store and 100 employees into a multi-channel retailer with more than 5,000 employees and sales topping $1.5 billion.

Gorman was a key figure in Maine's conservation movement and rolled up his sleeves as a volunteer. He worked once a week cooking breakfast at a Portland homeless shelter for more than a decade.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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