Susan Jacques

Summary

Susan Jacques is the President and CEO of Borsheims, the Omaha-based jewelry store acquired by Berkshire Hathaway. She is celebrated in Berkshire history for her rapid ascent from an entry-level sales role to Chief Executive.

Timeline & Role

• 1983: Joins Borsheims at age 23 as a sales assistant earning $4 an hour.
• 1983–1993: Demonstrates exceptional sales ability, gemological expertise, and management potential within the store.
• 1994: Appointed President and CEO of Borsheims. Buffett celebrates her promotion in the annual report. 1993 Letter

Strategic Importance

Jacques represents a classic Berkshire management success story:

1. Organic Talent Development: Her promotion highlights Berkshire's preference for promoting internal managers who thoroughly understand the customer experience and corporate culture, rather than hiring expensive outside executives.
2. Decentralized Excellence: Under her leadership, Borsheims continued to scale its high-volume, low-margin business model, maintaining its status as a massive cash-generating jewelry powerhouse.

🔗 Connections

• Entities: Borsheims, Warren Buffett
• Sources: 1993 Letter