In a story appearing in the Boston Globe on 9 January 2017, the Maine-based company L.L. Bean gave a unique response to the #GrabYourWallet boycott effort which has turned focus to the retailer after discovering that Linda Bean donated money to the Trump campaign.
The chairman of the board, Shawn Gorman, posted this letter on Facebook on Sunday 8 January:
We were disappointed to learn that Grab Your Wallet is advocating a boycott against L.L.Bean solely because Linda Bean, who is only one of 50+ family members involved with the business, personally supported Donald Trump for President.
L.L.Bean has been a family-owned business since it began back in 1912. L.L.Bean is a values driven company that has long been inspiring people to live life outdoors. For the last 105 years, L.L.Bean has been singularly focused on offering high-quality, satisfaction-guaranteed products and outstanding customer service in the Maine tradition. This commitment has allowed us to not only employ 5,000 hard-working people, but also donate tens of millions of dollars to non-profit organizations promoting environmental stewardship, educational attainment and a host of other worthy causes at the local, state and national levels.
Our owners, employees, and customers hold views and embrace causes that are individual and diverse. We are united by our love for the outdoors and our guiding principles established back in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean himself who believed “do unto others” was not just a saying, but a way of life. We fully acknowledge and respect that some may disagree with the political views of a single member of our 10-person board of directors. Like most large families, the more than 50 family member-owners of the business hold views and embrace causes across the political spectrum, just as our employees and customers do. And as every member of the family would agree, no individual alone speaks on behalf of the business or represents the values of the company that L.L. built.
With this in mind, we are deeply troubled by the portrayal of L.L.Bean as a supporter of any political agenda.
L.L.Bean does not endorse political candidates, take positions on political matters, or make political contributions. Simply put, we stay out of politics. To be included in this boycott campaign is simply misguided, and we respectfully request that Grab Your Wallet reverse its position.
Shawn Gorman
L.L.Bean Executive Chairman
According to the Globe article, Linda Bean’s politics were already known having ran two unsuccessful campaigns to join Congress as a Republican. Her most recent sin was to donate $60,000 to the Making America Great Again LLC.
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