Your Morning Coffee Is In Danger! Will You Help? | Al Lopez | TEDxDupreePark

A 4th Generation coffee farmer from Honduras who migrated to the USA as a child, served in the US Army, and held C-Level Executive positions with Fortune 500 companies, returns to his roots to help coffee farmers. We do not want a coffeeless world!
Retired President & CEO of Blair Corporation, a +$426 million direct marketer of apparel and home goods, Al Lopez was born in a small Honduran village and migrated to the USA in 1977, settling in Chicago.
After the U.S. Army and a stint as a factory laborer, Mr. Lopez enrolled in the University of Illinois at Chicago and graduated with honors in accounting in 1988. Since that time, his professional career has spanned a wide range of corporate experience, both in the U.S. and abroad. While continuing his professional career, Mr. Lopez, a firm believer in the opportunities afforded by education, has attended a wide range of academic institutions, graduating in 1999 with an MBA from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management.
Prior to joining Blair, Mr. Lopez served as Group General Manager, responsible for five strategic business units, at Russell Corporation, a $1.4 billion branded athletic, activewear and outdoor company. Before joining Russell, Mr. Lopez served as CFO of Dole Fresh Fruit International, a $1.6 billion subsidiary of Dole Food Company, and as Regional VP of Frito Lay. Prior to those positions, he held a series of executive positions in Sara Lee Corporation and its subsidiaries and joint ventures. These included Group CFO for Sara Lee’s Branded Apparel, Latin American Group, and VP of Administration and CFO for Axa Alimentos S.A. de C.V., a joint venture between Sara Lee and AXA, a $1.5 billion Mexican conglomerate.
Mr. Lopez and his wife have two daughters and reside in Atlanta, Georgia. He and his family maintain close ties to relatives, business, and charitable activities in his native land of Honduras. Retired President & CEO of Blair Corporation, a +$426 million direct marketer of apparel and home goods, Al Lopez was born in a small Honduran village and migrated to the USA in 1977, settling in Chicago.

After the U.S. Army and a stint as a factory laborer, Mr. Lopez enrolled in the University of Illinois at Chicago and graduated with honors in accounting in 1988. Since that time, his professional career has spanned a wide range of corporate experience, both in the U.S. and abroad. While continuing his professional career, Mr. Lopez, a firm believer in the opportunities afforded by education, has attended a wide range of academic institutions, graduating in 1999 with an MBA from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx