1998 Retailer of the Year

October 5, 1989

 

 

10/05/98

 


CONTACT:
Margie Yu
Public Affairs Assistant
(323) 343-3047

 


Calendar
of Events

CAL STATE L.A. HONORS PROFESSOR BERNARD CODNER
AS RETAILER OF THE YEAR AT AWARD LUNCHEON

Retailing scholarships totaling $12,800 also to be awarded

 

Los Angeles, California - October 5, 1998 -- On Thursday, October 22, the Institute of Retail Management and the School of Business and Economics at California State University, Los Angeles will honor Bernard Codner, professor of retailing, at its 1998 Retailer of the Year Award Luncheon. Professor Codner is embarking on his 44th year as a faculty member at Cal State L.A. He is founder of the Institute of Retail Management which launched the first West Coast retailing major for business students, and has served as its director since 1980.

The gala affair, which is considered to be one of the retail industry's most significant annual events, will begin at 11 a.m. at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles. Proceeds from this luncheon will be used to support the educational activities of the Retail Institute and to provide student scholarships.

During the luncheon, 16 retailing scholarships of $800 each will also be awarded to Cal State L.A. students Rainiah Brown (Los Angeles), Veronica Castaneda (Los Angeles), Samuel Diaz (Los Angeles), Sonia Flores (Los Angeles), Carlos Galvan (Los Angeles), Monica Gonzales (Los Angeles), Maria Huerta (Los Angeles), Cam Hong Huynh (Los Angeles), Maria Moreno (Los Angeles), Jose Ruiz (Los Angeles), Leakhana Chhur (Los Angeles), Bruce Mendizabal (Los Angeles), James Lomas (Los Angeles), Abel Calderon (Rosemead), Ling Shun Fung (Temple City), and Nellie Hernandez (La Puente).

Professor Codner joined the Cal State L.A. faculty in 1955. He has been actively involved with the retail industry since 1963. He directed several important research studies for the National Retail Merchants Association, and has organized, served as chairman, or presented papers at numerous retail national, regional and local meetings. He is the author of the following books: Incoming Producing Services, published by the National Retail Merchants Association, and Marketing, published in Chinese by the Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China.

Since 1982 the Institute has recognized leading executives for dedicated and outstanding contributions to American retailing. The past honorees include William S. "Bill" Davila, The Vons Companies; Jack H. Brown, Stater Brothers Markets; Wilfred C. Stroud, Strouds; Edward L. Butterworth, Fedco, Inc.; John V. Shields, Trader Joe's Company; David I. Fuente, Office Depot; Alfred A. Plamann, Certified Grocers of California, Ltd., and Roger M. Laverty III, Smart & Final, Inc.

In 1991, the Institute created the College Incentive Program (CIP), designed to motivate Los Angeles inner-city high school students to finish high school, enroll in college and prepare for business and professional careers. Initially limited to Fremont High School, the CIP has been expanded to include six others. The program, funded by the federal government, is administered jointly by the Institute, the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Private Industry Council of Los Angeles and the Community Development Department, City of Los Angeles. It also receives strong support from the retail industry. The CIP is recognized as one of the nation's finest programs for inner-city youth.

The School of Business and Economics (SBE) at Cal State L.A. is the University's largest academic school with nearly 4,000 undergraduate and graduate majors. The SBE offers three baccalaureates and five master's degree programs and has been accredited by the prestigious American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) for more than 30 years. Twelve bureaus, centers and institutes, including the Institute of Retail Management, administered by the School provide vital services to local and national businesses, matching the expertise of talented faculty and students with diverse community needs.

For a photo of Professor Bernard Codner or more information about the luncheon, call the Cal State L.A. Institute of Retail Management at (323) 343-2970.

 

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