Swing (Jan-Dec 1953)

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THE MAN OF THE MONTH 311 World War II, when he again became a director of the Chamber. Mr. Lee is proud that he is one of the original founders of both the Kansas City Merchants Association and the Missouri Retailers' Association. He was instrumental in organic ing both groups, and served terms as president of the two associations. In 1927, Fred Lee was made a director of the Charities Campaign for Kansas City. This drive was the first successful forerunner of today's Community Chest and United Fund drives. He has continued his association with many charitable groups and is a director of the United Funds committee and chairman of the Community Chest budget committee. Fred Lee has devoted much of his time to the Second Presbyterian Church, watching it grow through the years. For six years he was treasurer of the Second Presbyterian and now sits on the Board of Trustees. KEEPING faith with his ideal of integrity in business, Fred Lee has always supported the development of Better Business Bureaus across the nation. He was instrumental in organising Kansas City's Better Business Bureau, one of the first in the country. Mr. Lee says, "The quiet orderly work of these bureaus throughout the country, and certainly here in Kansas City, has virtually eliminated dishonest advertising and unethical business practices." In 1947 when R. H. Macy, Inc., of New York bought the John Taylor store, Fred M. Lee became Sec retary-Treasurer of Macy's, Kansas City. With 53 years of merchandising history and community service behind him, Mr. Lee feels that our basic ideals and concepts of doing business have not changed. Mr. Lee says, "You must still establish a pattern of honesty and integrity for your store. Today, we read a great deal about the importance of customer relations and employee relations. These concepts are really nothing new. In my early days with John Taylor these principles were always carried out. We simply never publicized it. In the early 1900's we provided a room for our employees to eat their lunch. This has grown into our modern employees' cafeteria of today. "In the early 1900's John Taylor's had already instituted employee group insurance, Christmas bonuses, and profit sharing. The profit sharing was discontinued during the worst part of the depression but is once more a feature of our program." Fred M. Lee's philosophy has always been that a store is part of the community in which it does business, and depends for survival solely on the good will of its customers. He feels retailers must always inspire confidence on the part of the public, and that a customer should receive the same kind of treatment he would find in visiting a good friend. Fred Lee's motto is, "Truth in advertising and truthful sales promotion are the foundation stones for building a reputation for integrity and satisfying service."