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Tom Gould's normally sunny face turns cloudy. An article in a recent issue of Forbes magazine portrays his opponent, Stanton Bluestone, president of Carson Pirie Scott & Co., in a favorable light. The story also takes a jab at Gould, Younkers Inc. chairman and chief executive officer.
"It's a joke," he says curtly.
Gould, 48, is commander of the fort that has been under siege by Milwaukee-based Carson since last fall.
He's also been under the careful -- and at times critical -- watch of his own shareholders, who became frustrated last year when the retailer's stock price dipped to a low of $12.25.
Now Carson wants Gould's head. The Milwaukee retailer has sent letters to Younkers stockholders asking them to vote Gould and two others off of the company's board of directors at its annual meeting next month.
Their plan: get three people on the nine-member board who will push other directors to put Younkers up for sale.
But Gould, described by some as egotistical, is not exactly impressed by his adversary.
Forbes characterized Bluestone's progress at Carson, which recently emerged from bankruptcy reorganization, as logical and innovative.
By contrast, Forbes wrote of Gould's negative response to Carson's offer: "In the fast-consolidating retail world, Younkers is vulnerable, having just come off two years of poor earnings. Younkers' Gould can argue that Bluestone's offer is too low, but considering the results he can scarcely argue that he can do a better job running the company than Bluestone."
Is Gould quaking in his boots? Nah.
"Of course I'm worried," Gould says. "But here's a company that went bankrupt, gave their creditors 40 cents...