Walter Craig Jelinek (born August 8, 1952) is an American businessman, president and CEO of Costco since 2012, when he succeeded the company's founder, James Sinegal.
Early life
On August 8, 1952, Jelinek was born in Los Angeles, California to Walter Adolph Jelinek and Erdene Gordon. His father was of Czech descent. In 1970, Jelinek graduated from Antelope Valley High School.
Education
In 1975, Jelinek earned a bachelor's degree from San Diego State University.
Career
Jelinek started his career at FedMart.
In 1981, Jelinek joined Lucky Stores. In 1984, he joined Costco as a warehouse manager and became CEO in 2012.
Jelinek also sits on Costco Wholesale UK Ltd's board.
In 2018, Jelinek's annual base salary was $800,000 as stated by The Puget Sound Business Journal.
In 2020, Jelinek's base salary was $1,000,000 and total compensation was $8,279,552 as per SEC filing by Costco.
Awards
2019 Peter G. Peterson Business Statesmanship Award. Presented by Committee for Economic Development.
See also
Jeffrey Brotman
Hamilton E. James
References
External links
An Interview With Costco CEO Craig Jelinek (2013)