PROFILES OF LEADERSHIP: James Scarborough

Leaving bankruptcy and entering profitability is a feat easier attempted than accomplished. Stage Stores got the job done under the leadership of James Scarborough, who returned to the parent company where he had once served as executive VP of merchandising for Bealls. In an interview, he discusses the turnaround. He cut the size of the company in half and brought it back to its historically profitable core configuration in the southern tier of the United States. In the process, Scarborough says, the company not only created value, but also saved more than 10,000 jobs. That has been one of the most rewarding aspects for him, he says. Scarborough believes that there will be acquisition opportunities for the company, although there are none on the radar screen today. This year, the company will probably open 20 new stores, he says.