Richard Braddock, CEO
Braddock took over as CEO of the online grocer earlier this yera.
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What one factor is most important to success?
It’s being really dedicated to what you’re doing, and enjoying it enough to put out the extra effort. And to do so in a balanced way.
What do you look for in an employee?
Integrity, relevant background, enthusiasm, and intelligence as it relates to the job. Also stability, staying power.
What’s the best way to save money?
I think the best way to save money is by building a business that has good service dimensions to it. I’ve found if you deliver a good business proposition for your customers-you know, bad service costs money, basically-that good service saves money.
What’s the best way to spend money?
I think against a sort of a focused idea of an opportunity that you can both evaluate and create and be comfortable taking risks against. That’s the most fun way to spend money.
What’s your greatest pleasure?
Well, I’m 63 years old so I’ve had a fairly long career in business. But I think when you get this far along you fall back on your family and the ones around you. I have a very large family: six kids-five of who are married-nine grandchildren, and a tenth about to arrive. I take a lot of satisfaction in that.
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?
Usually it’s to grab a cup of coffee. I don’t necessarily think about work first thing in the morning. Sometimes I think about what I’ve got on my plate, but my work life is so diverse nowadays that it’s not always the first thought-and it’s not always thinking first about business.
How do you deal with stress?
I try to overcome it with some discipline, self-discipline. To have certain outlets for it is helpful, too. But I try to recognize that usually the best way to deal with stress is to get at the cause of it and resolve it in one way or another.
What one lesson do you hope to pass on to your children?
Work hard and try to be a good leadership model for those around you, both personally and in business.
How do you bounce back from adversity?
I’m thinking it’s to create a set of expectations for yourself that are both aspirations and very realistic.
What’s your favorite thing about Queens?
Well, my new favorite trip out there so far is to FreshDirect. I’m headed out there right now. I think we have an opportunity to create a great business here, and we’re already on our way. One that helps a lot of people from Queens, employs a lot of people from Queens-and serves a lot of people from Queens.
He may be new to the Long Island City-based FreshDirect (he started as CEO there earlier this year), but Richard Braddock is an old hat when it comes to keeping companies successful. Formerly CEO of Cadbury, he now runs the online grocer that grossed over $100 million in revenue last year.
