CHOOSING COMMERCE
(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6)
convinced myself it was another golden opportunity,”
Lansing recalls. In 1995, he became president and
chief operating officer, and in 2004 was promoted
to president and CEO. Under his leadership, revenues
have grown by 800 percent. More than 25,000
team members now staff Levy’s more than 100
restaurants and food-service operations in sports
and entertainment venues.
Named one of Chicago’s top 40 business
leaders under 40 by
Crain’s Chicago Business
and
one of
Restaurant Hospitality
magazine’s Rising Stars,
Lansing is known for the unique business culture
he helps foster at Levy. “I hire for nice and I hire for
passion,” he says, explaining that “Are you nice?”
is one of the first questions he asks in job interviews.
“We can get a lot of talented people, but we
need the ones who are also nice. Kindness is a
core value for us.”
Lansing and his wife, Ellyn Mann Lansing
(JD ’87), are the parents of two teenagers. “I spend
every minute I can with my family, whether that’s
basketball or ballet recitals,” Lansing says. Reading
about and practicing his “geek passion,”magic,
claims the rest of his downtime.
“Although I don’t do shows anymore, I use it in
meetings and management conferences,” he says.
“Magic is one of the world’s greatest connectors,
bringing out innovation, thinking, and creativity.”
Complementary expertise
If Lansing’s journey from law to business was
based on staying open to unusual opportunities,
Mark Smithe’s (JD ’94) went exactly according to
plan. One of seven children, Smithe joined brothers
Walter and Tim in the family business, Walter E.
Smithe Furniture and Design, soon after earning his
undergraduate degree in business.
The company, founded in 1945 by Smithe’s
grandfather, was growing swiftly. It quickly became
apparent that a law degree would boost Smithe’s
effectiveness on the management team. “We had a
rapidly growing staff, leases for additional stores, and
contracts with new vendors,” he recalls.
“We needed more legal expertise. My brother
Walter was working on his MBA degree, and I
knew my earning a law degree would complement
his knowledge. Later, my brother Tim got his MA
degree in marketing. We’ve found those three
areas of expertise provide a balanced approach
to management, just as our different personalities
mesh well.”
With the help of supportive professors and
classmates, Smithe navigated the challenges of
working full time and studying law evenings and
weekends. “The evening professors recognized the
difficulties that those of us working full time had,
but they fortunately never compromised their
standards for us,” he remembers. “I made some
lifelong friends going through that process—I had
dinner with some last week.”
Smithe now serves as general counsel and
manages operations for the company, which has
grown to 11 stores and is stepping up its online
sales and design, including interactive options that
let customers explore different colors, fabrics, and
placement. He and his partner, Will Forrest, are car
enthusiasts and global travelers, and enjoy spending
time with their bulldog, Petey.
The comic TV commercials for which Walter E.
Smithe is famous were born of a clip of outtakes—
mistakes and bloopers—from shoots of more serious
commercials starring Mark, Walter, and Tim. Shown
on TV, the outtakes became an instant hit, and the
three brothers turned their advertising focus to
humorous commercials, most featuring the slogan
“You dream it; we build it.”Many parody news and
pop-culture trends of the day, from iPods to reality
TV to sports events. As a result, the company sharply
boosted its name recognition among Chicagoland
TV viewers.
“The commercials have been effective in helping
us stand out from the typical ho-hum furniture
advertising,” Smithe says.
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 11)
“THERE ARE ALL
KINDS OF SUBTLE
LEGAL ISSUES
INHERENT IN ALL
BUSINESS ACTIVITY;
MY RADAR’S
ALWAYS OUT.”
—MA R K S M I T H E ( J D ’ 9 4 )
Walter E. Smithe Furniture
and Design is famous in
Chicagoland for its quirky
“three brothers” TV commercials.
Mark Smithe, general counsel
for the company, stars in an
upcoming commercial shot
at the company’s Clybourn
Avenue store.
»
SPRING 2012
9
8
LOYOLA LAW
