A Look at The Men’s Wearhouse, Inc. (MW) Founder George Zimmer

Zimmer is also known for his stance that people all deserve a second chance. As a result, The Men’s Wearhouse, Inc. (NYSE:MW) employees don’t undergo criminal background checks. That stance was largely tied to Zimmer, so its future may be in jeopardy.

Zimmer’s end may not be a period, but merely a semicolon. The board may bring him back in some capacity, and his voice is certainly worth a great deal to the company. For now, though, it seems like he’s on the outs. In an interview from 2010, Zimmer was asked how he managed to stay in a leading role as founder, when so many other founders are pushed out by boards.

He said, “I have the, I think, advantage here of being the television spokesperson, so that although I have an independent board, like any public company, I have a little more leverage than most CEOs, I believe.” It looks like that leverage finally ran out.

After the announcement, Zimmer told CNBC that he had expressed concerns about the future of the company, and that his removal was a way to silence those concerns. For investors, this will likely be a big turning point for the business. With Zimmer gone, the board will be free to focus more exclusively on shareholders and generating higher earnings. Whether that trade-off — more cash for less consciousness — will work for the company in the long run remains to be seen.

The article A Look at Men’s Wearhouse Founder George Zimmer originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Andrew Marder.

Fool contributor Andrew Marder has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned.

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