Edward J. Schnuck
Co-Founder
Schnuck Markets, Inc.
Laureate 2006
When Edward J. Schnuck, first child of Edwin and Anna Donovan Schnuck, was born on a Sunday morning, the church bells rang! Sunday’s child, according to folklore, is “witty and wise” and perhaps the bells signaled that he was born to make a difference. He certainly never stopped trying. Ed was a hardworking youngster who enjoyed helping his family sell meat and special recipes out of the family kitchen in St. Louis. As a youngster, Ed held a variety of odd jobs throughout the neighborhood and at age 13 became an apprentice bookbinder. Adept at reading and executing blueprints, the industrious young man constructed shelving for the family’s first seven stores. Ed worked at McDonnell Aircraft but left in 1945 to open his second store in north St. Louis. He oversaw the construction of the Overland store in 1955, the first store built from the ground up. In 1953, Ed and his brother, Don, incorporated the family’s chain of stores. At the time, Ed was vice president of Schnucks, a position he held until 1961. He served the company as president from 1961 to 1970 and chairman from 1970 – 1984. Ed Schnuck, the charming, charitable and good natured youngster, grew up to be an admired businessman and philanthroper. Thanks to Ed’s dedication and vision, the corner confectionary has grown into a successful grocery company with more than 100 stores in seven states. Ed lived his life by the philosophy of a handwritten note he always kept in his desk. The quote from German philosopher Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe read, “Treat a person as if they were what they ought to be… and you can help them become what they are capable of becoming.”
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