Lessons learned

Brian Crowley
Position: Senior vice president and CFO, Beall's Inc.
Age: 49
Years with Beall's: 3
Previous experience: Robb & Stucky, Tervis, Macy's, Federated

Brian Crowley has worked for a retailer that filed for bankruptcy, furniture chain Robb & Stucky, so he knows the pain of the recession.

At Beall's, where Crowley is CFO, he's learned that a company, even a big one in a tight-margin industry, can succeed without over-relying on debt. “We are conservative, pragmatic and humble,” says Crowley. “But we are also entrepreneurial. We aren't afraid to take risks.”