Tiger Group has announced the passing of veteran retail executive and company co-founder Stephen Goldberger. The Boston resident passed away on Oct. 18 at the age of 70.
Prior to co-founding the asset valuation, advisory and disposition services firm where he remained a Principal until his death, Goldberger was a principal and managing director of Gordon Brothers Partners, a Boston-based retail advisory firm. Earlier in his career, Goldberger served as president and CEO of Hills Department Stores, the discount chain founded by his family, where he grew up learning the business from the bottom up. He later served as President and COO of Alexander’s Department Stores and CEO of Gallery of Gifts Shoppes Inc. (d/b/a Kitchens Etc.).
The organization that is now Tiger Group traces its beginnings to 2001and now consists of Tiger Capital Group LLC, Tiger Valuation Services LLC, Tiger Remarketing Services and Tiger/Daley-Hodkin, which was acquired in March 2011.
“All of us at Tiger who had the pleasure of working with Steve and learning from him are saddened by his passing,” said Tiger Principal and Managing Member Daniel Kane. “As a co-founder of our firm, Steve worked on many high profile bankruptcies, including Montgomery Wards, Kmart, Ames Department Stores and Fortunoff’s, to name a few. He was a great teacher to many at Tiger and had a real talent for projecting the recoverable value of inventory during a liquidation sale. He really loved the business and he will be missed by all of us.”
“Although Steve was a skilled executive, he always considered himself a merchant first,” added Tiger Managing Director Michael McGrail. “He had retail in his blood and understood merchandise better than anyone I have met in the industry. His experience growing up in a retail family gave him a unique ability to understand asset values. I will miss his friendship and wisdom.”
Goldberger earned an AB degree in economics from Brown University and an MBA from Harvard University. He was pre-deceased by his wife, Randy, and is survived by two children, Abigail Lee Goldberger and Seth Adam Goldberger and his wife, Tracy Rohrbaugh, as well as five grandchildren.