Harold Alfond American businessman, founder of the Dexter Shoe company and creator of the first retail store at the factory. Date of Birth: 06.03.1914 Country: USA

Biography of Harold Alfond

Harold Alfond was an American businessman and philanthropist, best known as the founder of the footwear company Dexter Shoe. He was born in Swampscott, Massachusetts, to Russian Jewish immigrants Simon and Rose Alfond. Raised in Swampscott with his brother and four sisters, Harold showed exceptional athletic abilities and was actively involved in sports. After graduating from school in 1934, he started working at the shoe company Kesslen in Kennebunk, Maine, where his father also worked. Harold quickly rose through the ranks and became one of the factory superintendents.

In 1940, Harold and his father purchased a shoe factory in Norridgewock, Maine, and established their own company, Norrwock. In 1943, the company was sold to a large shoe corporation, but Harold remained its president for 25 years. In 1956, he left Norrwock and bought an old woolen mill in Dexter, Maine, where he founded the Dexter Shoe Company. Initially, Harold manufactured shoes for private catalogs and sold his products in stores such as Sears, JC Penney, Spiegel, and Montgomery Ward & Co. The Dexter Shoe Company became successful from the start, but Harold grew tired of relying on a few major buyers.

In an effort to diversify his business, Harold developed his own line of shoes, hired a sales force, and began selling his products in various retail stores across the country. He is often remembered as the creator of the first retail store at a factory. Recognizing that there would always be imperfect shoes in the production process, Harold started selling these defective shoes to his employees for a dollar per pair, which they would then resell for around five dollars. To meet the demand, Harold also added excess inventory of first-quality shoes to the store, which had yet to be sold for various reasons. This turned out to be a highly successful decision, and soon similar stores began appearing throughout New England.

By the 1990s, the Dexter brand had over 80 stores, and Harold started renting spaces in supermarkets instead of opening new locations. The company continued to thrive in the 70s and 80s until Harold decided to sell it to the conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway. Despite his significant wealth, Harold never allowed his resources to accumulate and devoted a considerable portion of his spending to charitable causes. He established the Harold Alfond Foundation to coordinate his philanthropic projects, which became Maine's first private charitable foundation. From 1950 to 2003, the foundation donated over $100 million to various causes.

Harold actively supported colleges and universities, particularly in the development of sports facilities. In 1943, he married Dorothy Levine, and they had three sons and one daughter. Harold Alfond passed away on November 16, 2007, at the age of 93.