Julian Paul Raines (April 4, 1964[1] – March 4, 2018) was the CEO of GameStop, the largest retailer of video games worldwide, from 2010 to 2017.[2]
Julian Paul Raines | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 4, 1964 Costa Rica |
| Died | March 4, 2018 (aged 53) Colleyville, Texas, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Georgia Institute of Technology (1985) |
| Known for | CEO of GameStop (2010-2017) |
Early life and education
editRaines was born in 1964 in Costa Rica and raised in Atlanta, Georgia as an only child.[3] His mother, of Costa Rican descent, worked as a secretary and occasional translator, and his father, a Vietnam War veteran, became a district manager for a major convenience store operator, after a career in the United States Navy. Raines spent his summers in Costa Rica visiting his grandmother.[3] In 1985, Raines graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering and a minor in Spanish language.
Career
editRaines worked for 10 years at Kurt Salmon, 4 years at L.L.Bean, followed by 8 years at The Home Depot, where he was executive vice president for U.S. stores and president of the more than 2,000-store Southern division.[3] There, in 2005, he prepared for Hurricane Katrina by preparing extra supplies and generators to run the stores in the storm's strike zone.[4]
He joined GameStop as COO in 2008, became CEO in June 2010, and stepped down due to brain cancer in November 2017.[5]
He received total compensation of $9.1 million in 2015 and $7.8 million in 2016.[6]
Raines was a member of the board of directors of GameStop, J.C. Penney, and Advance Auto Parts.
Personal life
editRaines was married to Claudia, a native of Chile, and had two children: Victoria and Julian. In 2008, they moved to Southlake, Texas.[1] To understand his customers and to have fun, Raines played video games for 4 hours each week.[7]
Raines funded scholarships for Hispanic students at Georgia Tech and created GameStop's Gamer Fund to help employees in times of need.[8]
Raines was first diagnosed with brain cancer in 2014 and died of the illness on March 4, 2018.[3][9]
References
edit- ^ a b "J. Paul Raines Obituary - Colleyville, Texas". Legacy.com. March 4, 2018.
- ^ Kerr, Chris (March 5, 2018). "Obituary: Former GameStop CEO Julian Paul Raines has passed away". GamaSutra.
- ^ a b c d Halkias, Maria (March 5, 2018). "Former GameStop CEO Paul Raines, known for his personable leadership style, dies at 53". The Dallas Morning News.
- ^ "Engineering Enterprise" (PDF). Georgia Institute of Technology. 2007.
- ^ Morris, Chris (February 6, 2018). "GameStop CEO Paul Raines Resigns Due to Illness". Fortune.
- ^ "BRIEF-GameStop CEO J. Paul Raines' total compensation for 2016 was $7.8 mln". Reuters. April 28, 2017.
- ^ HEID, JASON (January 2013). "Breakfast With: J. Paul Raines of GameStop". D Magazine.
- ^ Makuch, Eddie (March 6, 2018). "Former GameStop CEO Passes Away At 53 After Battle With Cancer". GameSpot.
- ^ Grubb, Jeff (March 5, 2018). "Former GameStop CEO J. Paul Raines has died". VentureBeat.