Management and Business Distinguished Achievement Award Winner
Shep Murray ’93
Final subject approved
The Vineyard Vines catalog says it all. Two young men dive off a sailboat into sun-splashed
waters off Martha’s Vineyard wearing swim trunks emblazoned with the company’s island-centric
designs. Images of vacation-themed preppy apparel and accessories for men, women,
and children are interspersed with photos of customers sporting their favorite Vineyard
Vines gear and sharing their personal stories of living the good life, embodying the
promise of the company’s tagline, “Every day should feel this good.” By any measure,
the company’s co-founder and CEO Shep Murray ’93, has achieved the American dream. Taking in more than $100 million in retail store
and online sales last year and boasting licensing agreements with the likes of Major
League Baseball and a huge cadre of devoted customers nationwide (over 432,000 Facebook
likes at last count), Vineyard Vines was named the “official style” of the Kentucky
Derby in 2011. No wonder Shep and his brother Ian, the company’s co-founder, were
profiled as part of Entrepreneur magazine’s “Hot 500” list of America’s fastest-growing businesses in 2007. The accolades
haven’t stopped since. But the Connecticut natives did not always enjoy the limelight.
They’ve come a long way from the day they started the business in 1998 selling handmade
silk ties out of the back of a jeep on Martha’s Vineyard.
The story of how their entrepreneurial journey began is firmly entrenched in company
lore and is a case study in how hard work, staying true to what you love, and thinking
outside the box can transform the most fledgling and unlikely enterprise into a major
American success story. One important stop on that journey for Shep Murray was his
time at Skidmore College.
A talented singer and guitar player, Shep arrived on campus planning on majoring in
music, but found that he loved literature courses, and considered switching his major
to English before finally settling on management and business. He recalls the introductory
course BU107 as a seminal experience. “It gave students the chance to work together
as a team and come up with a solution for a real company. That’s exactly what you
do in the business world. It gave me the opportunity to roll up my sleeves and think
outside the box.”
That opportunity would bear fruit a few years later. In 1997 both Shep and Ian were
working for Manhattan advertising agencies and hating it, particularly having to wear
the dull corporate uniform of suit and tie—most especially, the tie. The brothers,
who had summered on Martha’s Vineyard since childhood, also dreamed of spending more
time there. That summer, they conceived a solution to their dilemma: creating and
selling handmade silk ties that signified the “good life” they enjoyed on the Vineyard,
ties that young professionals would find fashionable and fun. The novelty insignias,
including the signature Vineyard Vines pink whale and other island-themed images,
were meant to be conversation pieces that would bring people together. The following
year, the brothers quit their jobs on the same day, and starting with an $8,000 cash
advance from a credit card, began selling their ties on beaches and in boatyards and
bars, employing the motto “Don’t be just another suit. Tie on a Vineyard Vine.” They
were soon able to move themselves and several hundred ties out of their parents’ house
and into their first apartment, which doubled as their company headquarters. In 1998
they launched their first catalog, and started upon an astounding upward trajectory.
The company has grown from a dozen whimsical men’s ties sold on the Vineyard (the
brothers opened their first store there in 2005) and the Cape to a full range of shirts,
sweaters, jackets, caps, skirts, pants, belts, flip-flops, and totes for men, women,
and children sold across the county. The vacation-themed gear is currently available
in 32 Vineyard Vines stores nationwide, as well as online and in some 600 specialty,
boutique, and department stores, including Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, and Saks Fifth
Avenue.
Part of the brothers’ creative brand-building includes developing unique partnerships
with sports organizations and colleges and universities, cultivating legions of loyal
team fans and alumni. Its products hang in hundreds of golf and tennis pro shops.
As of 2011, Vineyard Vines has licensing agreements with Major League Baseball, the
National Football League, and the National Hockey League to produce custom ties and
totes for all teams. That year, it also renewed its partnership with the New York
Giants, and in the fall of 2010, one seat in the Giants’ home MetLife Stadium was
painted pink and embellished with the Vineyard Vines whale. In addition to the Golf
Collection’s presence in pro golf shops, custom products have been made for every
major PGA championship event. The company has also produced custom ties for some 150
schools and colleges, including Skidmore.
The Murray brothers collaborated with Teresa Heinz Kerry to create an exclusive red,
white, and blue tie and scarf design for Kerry’s campaign in 2004. Former President
George H. Bush, President George W. Bush, Robert Kennedy, Jr., Rudy Giuliani, Mayor
Michael Bloomberg, and Steve Forbes, among other high profile CEOs and television
personalities, also don the “good life” ties.
Their marketing strategy has always revolved around developing grassroots customer
loyalty, treating business partners fairly, and giving back to the community—values
that Shep says were imparted by former F. William Harder Chair and Department of Management
and Business Professor James Settel. Shep reflects, “He stressed the importance of
being ethical and honest. And that’s the way we’ve done it from the start. We were
never out there just to make money. Being ethical, treating our employees well, treating
our customers well, valuing partnerships, and giving back is a huge part of what we’ve
accomplished.”
Other Skidmore faculty members were important mentors for Shep. “Management and business
professor John Holmes taught me the importance of creating “win-win-win” situations
in marketing and in life. English professor Peter Griffin, an expert on Hemingway,
introduced me to great short-story writers and the importance of writing stories that
came from the heart. His idea of giving almost everyone an “A” if they just wrote
the best they could was really unconventional, but empowered us to explore and do
what we wanted rather than doing it to get a good grade. Management and business professor
Martin Canavan’s passion for entrepreneurship was incredible. If you put together
the lessons learned from these four faculty members—telling a great story, creating
a win-win-win situation, doing it in an honest, passionate way, and entrepreneurialism—you
have a great foundation for life. It has led me to success, both personally and professionally.”
The Vineyard Vines catalog and website, both of which feature customer wedding photos
and colorful personal profiles, trumpet the playful customer storytelling Shep and
Ian have used to build their brand.
Equally important to the Murray brothers, the company’s longtime commitment to community
service and philanthropy is evidenced by the Vineyard Vines Tied to a Cause program,
which provides custom ties, tote bags, and other items for their favorite charities
and donates all proceeds from the sales of the items to those organizations. The program’s
first partnership was formed with Waterkeeper Alliance, the advocacy organization
founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to protect water from polluters.
The extraordinary growth of Vineyard Vines has garnered the company a roster of honors
from the business community. Named Ernst & Young Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year
award in 2005 for the metro New York region, it was ranked 217 among the 500 fastest-growing
companies in the country by Inc. magazine the following year. In 2006, the company was also the recipient of the Men’s
Dress Furnishing Association Achievement Award, and in 2007 Shep and Ian were inducted
into Quinnipiac University’s Business Leaders Hall of Fame. Vineyard Vines was also
selected 2007 Brand of the Year by trendy fashion company DNR. In 2008, they were
featured in Fortune magazine and more recently, in such publications as the New York Times, Newsweek, People, InStyle, and Cosmopolitan. The brothers and their merchandise have also appeared on television, including CNBC,
the Today Show, and The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch. Shep and Ian have also been popular guest lecturers at Yale, Columbia, University
of Pennsylvania, Lafayette College, and Boston College. Shep was particularly gratified
to deliver a lecture and speak to business classes at Skidmore in 2010.
Their remarkable success hasn’t altered Shep’s original vision for Vineyard Vines.
“We went out there to start our own company and be masters of our own destiny—to live
the American dream. That’s exactly what we’ve done, but we’ve picked up a lot of people
along the way. That’s because of giving back and getting involved in communities.”
He adds, “It has been very rewarding. I get to wake up every morning and drive my
kids to school, create a product people love, and go to bed at night happy. I work
with great people, we have great customers, and it’s awesome to be able to make people
happy.”
He adds, “It is an honor to be recognized with this award. I’m greatly appreciative
of the experience I had at Skidmore; it shaped the framework of my life, both personally
and professionally.”
Shep currently lives in Riverside, Conn., with his wife and three children. The family
summers on Martha’s Vineyard and is in Florida as much as possible during the colder
months.