The Costco Connection is published by Costco Wholesale. All
editorial material, including editorial comments, opinion and statements of fact appearing in this publication, represents the views of
the respective authors and does not necessarily carry the endorsement of Costco Wholesale or its officers. Information in The Costco
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Publishing offices are located at 999 Lake Drive, Issaquah, WA 98027.
Copyright © 2015 Costco Wholesale.
®
PUBLISHER
Ginnie Roeglin groeglin@costco.com
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Tim Talevich 425-313-6759 ttalevich@costco.com
EDITOR, U.S.
T. Foster Jones 425-313-6748 tod.jones@costco.com
EDITOR, CANADA
Stephanie E. Ponder 425-427-7134 sponder@costco.com
EDITOR, UK
Will Fifield 425-313-6988 wfifield@costco.com
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Lorelle Gilpin, Ottawa 613-221-2009 Lorelle.Gilpin@costco.com
Sue Knowles, London 011-44-1923-213113 sknowles@costco.co.uk
Nora Wang, Taipei 886-2-8791-9988-216 norawang@costco.com.tw
Sylvia Youngsun Yoo, Seoul 82-2-2630-2606 sylviayoo@costcokr.com
ONLINE EDITOR
David Wight David. Wight@costco.com
REPORTERS
Steve Fisher Steve. Fisher@costco.com
Christina Guerrero cguerrero2@costco.com
Hana Medina hanamedina@costco.com
COPY EDITOR
Miriam Bulmer
CONTRIBUTORS
Jennifer Babisak, Clay S. Conrad, Barbara Bronson Gray,
Rachel Hartman, Susan Hirshorn, Amanda and David Horowitz,
Kerry Johnson, Aisha Langford, Suze Orman,
Don Sadler, Marc Saltzman, Fiona Sims,
Rachel Stafler, Michael Tabman, Devora Zack
ART DIRECTOR Doris Winters dwinters@costco.com
ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Lory Williams lwilliams@costco.com
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
Ken Broman, Bill Carlson, Susan Detlor, Steven Lait,
Chris Rusnak, David Schneider, Brenda Shecter
DIGITAL ASSE T COORDINATOR
D. Ted Harris dtharris@costco.com
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Pam Sather psather@costco.com
ASSISTANT PRODUCTION MANAGER
Antolin Matsuda amatsuda@costco.com
COLOR SPECIALIST
MaryAnne Robbers mrobbers@costco.com
ADVERTISING MANAGER
Jane Klein Shucklin 425-313-8277 jshucklin@costco.com
ASSISTANT ADVERTISING MANAGER
Kathi Tipper-Holgersen 425-313-6581 ktipper@costco.com
ADVERTISING COORDINATORS
Kelli Critchfield 425-416-6235 kcritchfield@costco.com
Alexandra van Ingen 425-313-2558 avaningen@costco.com
ADVERTISING COPYWRITER
Bill Urlevich 425-313-2877 burlevich@costco.com
NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESEN TATIVES
West; Texas/Northeast: Frank Colonno 201-962-2759
fcmediapartners@optonline.net
Midwest: Harold Leddy 847-446-8764
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Marshall Leddy 763-416-1980
marshall@leddyandassociates.com
BUSINESS MANAGER
Jane Johnson
CIRCULATION MANAGER
Rossie Cruz 425-313-6715 rcruz@costco.com
ASSISTANT CIRCULATION MANAGER/EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Dorothy Strakele 425-313-6899 connection@costco.com
COSTCO WHOLESALE
P.O. Box 34088, Seattle, WA 98124-1088
999 Lake Drive, Issaquah, Washington 98027
Fax: 425-313-6718
Email: connection@costco.com
from the publisher’s desk
Ginnie Roeglin
WE ARE PLEASED TO present Brené Brown on our
cover this month. Brown, a Costco member, University of
Houston professor, researcher and best-selling author,
recently spoke at a Costco leadership event for the second
year in a row. Brené, as she prefers to be called, was
incredibly down-to-earth, real and engaging as she told
relatable, personal stories to illustrate her points.
When I first learned that Brené talks about such topics as vulnerability, courage, authenticity and shame, I
thought those are not traits and feelings that I typically
associate with successful business leaders. Then, as she
explained, I quickly understood that examining and
understanding those traits and feelings can lead to “wholeheartedness,” which affects
and improves every aspect of our lives and makes us more authentic, better leaders,
employees, spouses, parents and friends. You can read more about Brené’s research and
findings in our cover story beginning on page 30 and in her new book, Rising Strong,
available in our warehouses this month.
Did you know that Costco sources our fresh produce from many local, family-owned
farms? Three of our family-owned suppliers—Bybee Produce, Hartley Produce and
Sunset Produce—are profiled beginning on page 62. The families behind these companies have worked hard together for nearly four decades and today grow onions and other
vegetables on 24,000 acres of farmland in eastern Washington.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are at their best quality and value at the peak of their season. To highlight our many fresh food suppliers, as well as help you know what is in season, we are including a new monthly advertising section called “Farm to Table The
Costco Way” in this and future issues. You’ll find colorful photos of in-season fresh
fruits and vegetables and delicious, healthful recipes provided by our suppliers beginning on page 65.
Last, as school starts up again, make sure to read our Buying Smart feature on page
96 this month for some healthful lunchbox options that your kids will actually eat. C
Ginnie Roeglin is Senior Vice
President, E-Commerce and
Publishing, and Publisher of
The Costco Connection.
from the editor’s desk
Tim Talevich
AS YOU CAN SEE in this month’s issue, our special section focuses on Kirkland Signature™, Costco’s exclusive
line of private-label products. Starting with just a few
items 20 years ago, these products are now found in
nearly every aisle of your local warehouse (and online at
Costco.com) and have become an important part of how
we work to make your membership worthwhile. They
really represent Costco’s mission of offering high-quality
products at the lowest possible price.
Developing a Kirkland Signature product enables
our buyers to essentially start from scratch and build the
best mousetrap (or peanut butter, men’s trousers, cookware, athletic wear, etc.). As our
story on Kirkland Signature Comté cheese shows, for food items this process begins with
exhaustive research into what’s already on the market, followed by extensive tests and
tastings to come up with the perfect formula. For other items, it’s a matter of determin-
ing the best specs—the right yarn for a comfortable sock, the right leather for a belt—
then finding a manufacturer who shares our goal of commitment to quality.
As you’ll see on page 39, many members are “Crazy for Kirkland Signature.” That
was the goal from the start—to build a useful, trusted brand. Having a private label is
also a smart business strategy. It gives us the option of creating our own product if we
feel it would offer a better deal than what’s available.
Currently, about 20 percent of the products in the warehouses are Kirkland Signature.
We expect that percentage to grow in the coming years as opportunities arise. Maybe
there will even be a Kirkland Signature mousetrap someday. At any rate, whenever you
see Kirkland Signature on the label, rest assured that a lot of thought and effort went into
creating the product—and that it’s constantly scrutinized for improvement. C
Tim Talevich is Editorial
Director of The Costco
Connection.
FRONTend
