Lakeshore chief learns on the job - Los Angeles Times
Her first venture was a toy store on Lakeshore Avenue — hence the company's name — which she eventually sold for a "nice profit," Kaplan said. After realizing the "untapped market" in the education business, she opened a store in San Leandro, which still operates as a Lakeshore location, he said. Her retirement left the business in the hands of sons Charles and Michael, Bo Kaplan's father. "Grandma put us in a great industry," said Kaplan, who took over the top jobs in 2009. His younger brother, Josh, is president of merchandising. First job: Kaplan began working at Lakeshore at age 8. The boy needed money to repair his broken bike, and his father told him he could work on the company's assembly line for $5 an hour. "I fell in love with the company," Kaplan said. Michael Kaplan had an issue at the company and needed his son at Lakeshore immediately. "I look up to my dad endlessly," Kaplan said. '" Kaplan worked in every department at the company. "That is one of the reasons we've been able to innovate and stay in touch in our space," Kaplan said. Source: www.latimes.com
