10 Things You Didn't Know About Ross Stores CEO Barbara Rentler

Barbara Rentler is the CEO of Ross Stores, a popular retailer that is based out of New York, New York. Barbara has an interesting career history and she's been with the company for some time. We wanted to learn more about her, so we set out on a quest to find out about her background and how she came to become the influential leader that she is today. Her are 10 things that you didn't know about Barbara Rentler.

1. She didn't start out with Ross as a leader

When Barbara Rentler first joined Ross Stores in 1986, it wasn't at the top of the leadership ladder. She began with an array of merchandising positions. She did very well and her performance was remarkable. After putting in sixteen years with the company, she was appointed to the position of Senior Vice President and General Merchandise Manager. She served in this capacity until moved to a Sr. VP and Chief Merchandising Officer with the company in 2004.

2. Rentler was promoted in 2006

Barbara Rentler was only in the Executive VP and Chief Merchandising Officer for one year. In 2006, she was named as the Executive Vice President of Merchandising and put in charge of all of the Apparel and related products for Ross Stores.

3. She was promoted again in 2009

Within just three years of her last promotion, Barbara Rentler was made the President and Chief Merchandising Officer at Ross Stores. The promotion was made in 2009 and she continued on with the company in this position until her next career recognition would move her even higher in the company's leadership team.

4. One leader retires and another takes their place

In 2014, Michael Balmuth, CEO of Ross Stores retired. The company needed a replacement and the person who best met the qualifications for the job was Barbara Rentler. The officially became the 25th CEO of Ross Stores on June 1, 2014.

5. Rentler was appointed Counselor at Ross

In December of 1993, Barbara Rentler served as Counselor for Ross. She maintained this position until February of 1996. She was also made Director of Ross Stores Inc in 2014. She still maintains the position of President along with her post as CEO.

6. She's compensated in millions

Barbara Rentler receives a substantial compensation package for her contributions to the leadership of Ross Stores, Inc. She's one of the highest paid executives in the company. Her total annual compensation package as of 2017 was $12,400,570.

7. Barbara Rentler is humble and doesn't like the spotlight

Barbara is one of those rare leaders who does her job and is recognized for significant accomplishments. She has a quiet style of leadership. She's effective and she's become a wealthy woman for her efforts. Perhaps one of the most impressive characteristics of her style is that she doesn't like to be spotlighted. We recently learned that when a Fortune Magazine article with her name was ran, she wouldn't even give them a photo to include. She does her job while keeping a low profile.

8. She doesn't share personal information

Fortune Magazine makes a habit of highlighting remarkable women in key leadership positions. They reached out to Barbara and asked for some basic information. One of the questions was about where she attended college and what degrees she earned. We learn that she did not respond to Fortune's request for the information. While most people would be happy to provide information that cast them in the role of a positive figure in the industry, she preferred to keep her education and other personal things about herself private.

9. Rentler owns a lot of stock in Ross Stores

We did learn that Barbara trades a lot of stock in Ross Stores. She sold 50,481 units in March of 2017. She made an estimated $3,336,794 in the sale. Statistics show that she trades just under 13,000 units every 51 days and has done so since 2016. As of the Fall of 2018, she was still owner of 455,891 units of Ross stock.

10. Her net worth is impressive

Barbara Rentler's net worth was estimated to be a minimum of $69.9 million in the fall of 2018. This figure was determined by adding the value of her stock units with Ross Stores Inc along with the salary and other types of compensation that she receives annually. She's become a very wealthy woman during her years working for Ross Stores.