The Albers Executive Speaker Series features Ron Vachris, President & CEO of Costco Wholesale, the third speaker for the 2024-25 season. Register to attend his talk on 2/19, 5:30-6:30 p.m., at Seattle University. The event is free and open to the public.

Ron Vachris demonstrates Costco’s commitment to growing talent from within. He started as a forklift driver in 1982 at Price Club (which merged with Costco in 1993) and has worked his way up through the company over the years becoming CEO in January 2024.

Along the way, Vachris held several management positions including warehouse manager in both Colorado and Arizona. He was promoted to Vice President of Operations in the San Diego Region in 1999 then moved to Washington in 2010 where he was promoted to Senior Vice President of the Northwest Region.

In August 2015, Jeff Brotman, who started Costco Wholesale with Jim Sinegal, asked Vachris to become the VP of real estate development giving him experience in working on international and domestic new markets and expansion. Shortly after, then CEO, Craig Jelinek asked Vachris to oversee buying for Costco and he became the Executive Vice president of merchandising in July 2016. In February 2022, Costco’s Board of Directors appointed Vachris to the position of President and COO and elected him to the board.

About Costco Warehouse

Costco is a membership warehouse club, dedicated to bringing members the best possible prices on quality brand-name merchandise. With more than 800 locations worldwide, Costco provides a wide selection of merchandise, plus the convenience of specialty departments and exclusive member services, all designed to make your shopping experience a pleasurable one.

The company's first location, opened in 1976 under the Price Club name, was in a converted airplane hangar on Morena Boulevard in San Diego. Originally serving only small businesses, the company found it could achieve far greater buying clout by also serving a selected audience of non-business members. With that change, the growth of the warehouse club industry was off and running. In 1983, the first Costco warehouse location was opened in Seattle. Costco became the first company ever to grow from zero to $3 billion in sales in less than six years. When Costco and Price Club merged in 1993, the combined company, operating under the name PriceCostco, had 206 locations generating $16 billion in annual sales. Today, as the company evolves, it stays true to the qualities that helped attract and retain millions of loyal members around the globe:

About the Albers Executive Speaker Series

Since 2002, the Albers School of Business and Economics has organized the Albers Executive Speaker Series, live panels featuring top business leaders from the Puget Sound Area. Guests talk about a topic of their choice and respond to questions from a panel and the audience. The Speaker Series is yet another way Albers is committed to build student connections with the Seattle business community.

The Albers Executive Speaker Series is free and open to the public. Register to save your seat, submit questions for the speaker and to be emailed any updates on the event.

About the Albers School of Business and Economics

Located in the heart of Seattle, the Albers School of Business and Economics at Seattle University is one of the premier business schools in the Northwest United States. Small class sizes and low student-to-faculty ratios ensure that a student is never just a number. Students benefit from the school’s deep business connections through mentorships, internships, and employment opportunities. Finally, Albers is distinct for its nearly 80-year legacy in championing the responsibility of business to create a better society.