Profile Of An Alumna

Loida Nicolas Lewis has come a long way. And she knows just where she�s going.

When you first look at this tastefully dressed business woman, she appears to be heading to work like the rest of New York�s nine to fivers. She wakes up early for the commute to the office and she boards the elevator to the floor where she works. But this is where any similarity ends. For Mrs. Lewis enters her office, an office surveying Central Park, the office of Chair and CEO of TLC Beatrice, the 68th largest privately held company in the United States.

Born and raised in Sorsogon in the Philippines, Loida Nicolas Lewis has come a very long way indeed. And it is fair to say entirely on her own merits.

An immigration attorney by trade, Mrs. Lewis has done what some shareholders threatened she couldn�t. With a deep religious conviction and an uncanny business sense, she has lead TLC Beatrice to profitability again.

When her husband died, African American business magnate, Reginald F. Lewis, Loida and her two daughters, Leslie Lourdes and Christina Savilla, were left with an incredible legacy. Mr. Lewis had done what no other African American had done before, he�d broken the glass ceiling by becoming one of the major leverage buyout players of the 1980s. He started his meteoric career by purchasing McCall Pattern and culminated it with his 1987 acquisition of the international operations of the Beatrice Companies, Inc. The result: TLC Beatrice International Holdings, Inc. is now the largest African American owned company in the United States.

But, TLC Beatrice did not become an overnight sensation. There were problems along the way. One of the biggest obstacles to the company�s growth was the health of Mr. Lewis. And after a hard-fought struggle, supported by the love and comfort of Loida and his two daughters, he died of brain cancer in 1993.

The helm of the company was initially taken by Mr. Lewis� brother, one-time professional football player, Jean Fugett. But he stepped down after a year. And Mrs. Loida Nicolas Lewis stepped in to take his place, leading the company with an unflinching approach tempered with fairness.

Mrs. Lewis has been preparing TLC Beatrice for the 21st Century. She has reduced underperforming assets, cut overhead costs in half, and increased sales to well over the 2 billion dollar mark. That�s right, more than two billion dollars.

Mrs. Lewis has carried on her husband�s legacy of hard work and success. And she has done it with her eye on the future. She is laying groundwork for future expansion into Asia, the Philippines included. She hopes to develop a presence in the Philippines with TLC Beatrice�s Leader Price stores. These expansion plans take time, �...it�s still down the road,� she says.

It sure seems like Mrs. Lewis has done a lot. But, with her husband�s inspiration, she has done much more. She has continued to give back to her community, never forgetting who she is or where she and her husband came from. Since 1987, the Reginald F. Lewis Foundation has given millions of dollars to a wide range of good causes. Their support has been invaluable to organizations such as the NAACP, Howard University and The University of the Philippines.

Yes, its true Loida Nicolas Lewis has come a long way. As a wife, mother, lawyer, author, philanthropist, and successful business woman, she has excelled in everything she does. What makes her such a success? Did we mention she is also a Filipina?