Jerry W. Levin

Jerry W. Levin (born 1944), is an American businessman.

Levin is an experienced CEO, turnaround expert and mergers & acquisitions specialist. He is currently chairman and chief executive officer of Wilton Brands Inc., chairman and chief executive officer of JW Levin Partners LLC, and serves on the board of directors of Ecolab (NYSE: ECL); Saks (NYSE: SKS); U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB)

Levin graduated from the University of Michigan with B.S.E. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics and received an MBA from the University of Chicago in 1968.

From 1974-1989, Levin worked for the Pillsbury Company. In his initial capacity as head of corporate development, Levin completed hundreds of mergers, acquisitions and divestitures. Some of the transactions he led included Häagen-Dazs, Green Giant, Totino's Pizza, Steak and Ale, Chart House, and American Beauty Macaroni. Levin also became the chief executive officer of several operating units within Pillsbury, including Häagen-Dazs and the second largest restaurant group in the U.S. (comprising Burger King, Steak and Ale, Bennigan's, Chart House and Godfather's Pizza).

From 1989 until 1991, Levin was the chief executive officer of The Coleman Company, Inc., or Coleman. During his tenure as their chief executive officer, he divested non-strategic businesses to devote resources to their core camping business. He returned as chief executive officer of Coleman from 1997 until the sale of Coleman to Sunbeam Corporation in 1998.

From 1991 until 1997, Levin was the chief executive officer of Revlon, Inc. When he joined Revlon, it was suffering from significant losses and debt load, and had a number three, and declining, market share in the United States mass market for color cosmetics. By the end of his tenure as chief executive officer, the firm had been restructured with its debt load significantly reduced and the number one market share in the United States mass market for color cosmetics. Levin oversaw the divestiture of non-strategic businesses, and the development and launch of several new products and brands, including Colorstay.

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