Mansell said he had no grand plan of becoming CEO of a booming retailer when he joined Kohl’s as a divisional merchandise manager in 1982 when the chain had only 14 stores.

A former colleague at a much larger chain, discounter Venture Stores in his native St. Louis, recruited him to Kohl’s.

Mansell said he and his wife, Mary Jo, also a St. Louis native, decided to move to Milwaukee for a bigger job title at a smaller company.

“It really was about a great personal opportunity in a company that had a clear growth plan and a very unique concept,” Mansell said. “We came here hoping for the best, but at that age you don’t see 30 years down the road.”

Under the leadership of then-CEO William Kellogg, Kohl’s expanded from its Wisconsin base, and in 1986, his management group bought the company from BATUS Inc. The company’s strategy has remained to sell name brands, offer value, and provide convenience, Mansell said.

Mansell said the goals haven’t changed, but the delivery has. Kohl’s constantly upgrades its stores and its merchandise to differentiate itself from the department-store pack.

Mansell watchers credit him with expanding the “only at Kohl’s” exclusive merchandise lineup, but he said it wasn’t the idea of any one executive. Kohl’s has added products in response to consumer research that asked shoppers what they wanted, he said.

“It’s been a very significant success, which is not a surprise if you are listening to what the customer is saying,” Mansell said. “If you are, you have a good opportunity to win.”

Over the past several years, Kohl’s has maintained and grown its headquarters in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, where it has about 4,000 employees.

Mansell said the quality of the metropolitan Milwaukee employees is a major reason for the chain’s success, and Kohl’s has no interest in relocating.

Mansell and his executive team won’t spend any time patting themselves on the back for thriving in 2009. They plan to continue the formula of making Kohl’s the smartest place for value-conscious consumers to shop and likely will introduce more exclusive brands over the next several years, he said.

The chain also will continue adding locations—about 30 to the existing 1,059. Kohl’s also will remodel 65 stores, which is an increase of 30 percent from this year.

So far, Kohl’s hasn’t implemented major cost cutting as a strategy to maintain profits, Mansell said.

The company reduced inventories but, by investing in supply-chain management technology, carries ample merchandise that shoppers want, he said.

“You have to be aware of the recession, but, wow, what a marvelous opportunity for Kohl’s to gain market share,” he said. “It’s a very exciting time.”

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Rich Kirchen writes for the Milwaukee Business Journal.