S3: EP20 Robert Sakowitz - Fashion Business

Join us for a truly special episode as we welcome Robert Sakowitz, the man who led the legendary Sakowitz high-fashion specialty store and now heads the Hazak Corp. as a global business consultant.

Robert shares the incredible four-generation history of his family's business, which began in 1902 when his great-grandfather, an immigrant peddler, settled in Galveston. After the 1915 hurricane, the family moved the business to Houston, where it flourished alongside the city.

The store's destiny was cemented in 1929 when banker Jesse Jones offered the Sakowitz brothers the first five floors of his new skyscraper. This favorable deal allowed the store to survive the Great Depression, building a reputation not just for high fashion but for community integrity—famously giving credit to men who needed a suit for a job interview.

Robert details his own journey: from an internship in Paris and training at Macy's Herald Square to becoming President and CEO, growing Sakowitz to a $155 million international retail brand. He emphasizes that a brand is something earned through confidence and loyalty, a principle he carries into his current work as a multi-national strategic consultant.

Don't miss this fascinating story of entrepreneurship, resilience, and the power of building a business on trust and community.