J. Paul Raines Explained

Julian Paul Raines
Birth Date:4 April 1964
Birth Place:Costa Rica
Death Place:Colleyville, Texas, U.S.
Alma Mater:Georgia Institute of Technology (1985)
Known For:CEO of GameStop (2010-2017)

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]

Early life and education

Raines 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

Raines 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

Raines 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]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: J. Paul Raines Obituary - Colleyville, Texas . . March 4, 2018.
  2. Web site: Obituary: Former GameStop CEO Julian Paul Raines has passed away . Chris . Kerr . . March 5, 2018.
  3. News: Former GameStop CEO Paul Raines, known for his personable leadership style, dies at 53 . Maria . Halkias . . March 5, 2018.
  4. News: Engineering Enterprise . . 2007.
  5. News: GameStop CEO Paul Raines Resigns Due to Illness . Morris . Chris . . February 6, 2018.
  6. News: BRIEF-GameStop CEO J. Paul Raines' total compensation for 2016 was $7.8 mln . . April 28, 2017.
  7. News: Breakfast With: J. Paul Raines of GameStop . JASON . HEID . . January 2013.
  8. News: Former GameStop CEO Passes Away At 53 After Battle With Cancer . Eddie . Makuch . . March 6, 2018.
  9. News: Former GameStop CEO J. Paul Raines has died . Jeff . Grubb . . March 5, 2018.