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Call him cerebral. Call him careful. Hell, call him lucky, which is what some of his competitors like to mumble. But whatever you do, don't call him while is backcountry fishing.
It's the escape that keeps Steve Raymund, chairman and CEO of mega-computer distributor Tech Data Corp., going. Caught right smack in the middle of one of the most competitive industries in the world, Raymund prefers the freedom of the salty ocean air to the confined and restricted business atmosphere.
"He's not cut our to be in a suit," says his wife, Sonia, of 11 years. "He's very competitive, but he's not obsessed with the business."
Make no mistake, Raymund puts a good 50-plus hours into Tech Data every week. His private time, however, is his own.
Raymund is known in the industry as a careful businessman who makes very calculated moves. He is not one to rush into a situation. Although this reactionary strategy has drawn criticism, it's hard to argue with success. Tech Data remains one of the most highly valued channel stocks on Wall Street.
"His approach to building Tech Data has been more cautious as opposed to others who have been more aggressive," says Merisel Inc. president John Connors.
Indeed, Tech Data delayed getting into the lucrative software distribution business until 1992, when the company form an application-software division. That was years after competitors already derived a big chunk of their revenue...