FREEPORT

We all know about L.L. Bean and the products it provides. For native Mainers, and those from away, the Freeport retailer’s link with the outdoors — and related activities — has been a given for generations.

But what about the people who work there, especially longtime employees who have witnessed dramatic changes at the billion-dollar company?

We, at The Times Record, decided to find out.

Meet Kevin Murray of Freeport. He has worked at L.L. Bean full time for 36 years. In a recent questionand answer session, Murray covered a number of interesting topics — everything from what his job entails and the company’s legendary customer service to the strong bond between the state of Maine and L.L. Bean. Q.

First of all, please give us your name, age (if you don’t mind), where you grew up and where you currently live.

A. My name is Kevin Murray. I’m 54 years old and I grew up (perhaps not completely yet) in Freeport and I still live here to this day.

Q. How long have you worked for L.L. Bean and what is your job there? Have you held any other positions?

A. I have been employed full time for 36 years and part time during high school four years before that. I have been a hunt/fish product developer for 23 of those years, an additional eight years with research and testing. In addition, I have held positions at the retail store and at the manufacturing facility when it was in Freeport.

Q. How has L.L. Bean changed over the years?

A. The biggest change is that we have realized phenomenal growth over the years. What began as a oneroom operation selling a single product, the Maine Hunting Shoe, has grown into a $1.56 billion company, selling thousands of products across our retail stores, the Internet and our catalogs.

But a few things haven’t changed. We are still family owned and while our business has grown over the years, we still adhere to the values of our founder, including his dedication to quality, customer service and a love of the outdoors.

While we have gone through exceptional growth and change, we have done a great job of maintaining our soul, our DNA as a company, which is not an easy thing to do in today’s challenging, fast-paced retail environment.

Q. Did you ever meet founder Leon L. Bean and, if so, what can you tell us about him?

A. I don’t actually ever recall meeting L.L. My father was also a longtime employee of L.L. Bean as well and back in the early ’60s he would bring me up to the old “shop,” as he liked to call it back then, but I wasn’t sure if L.L. was there or not.

Q. The impression one gets entering any of L.L. Bean’s stores is a place of efficiency and a welcoming politeness from employees. Is this a correct perception? Does your company work hard to treat customers properly?

A. Absolutely. Customer service is at the very core of our corporate culture and we have been very fortunate to have won many prestigious awards for our customer service ethos. Many consider it the benchmark in the retail industry.

As L.L. once said, “A customer is the most important person ever in this office, in person or by mail. A customer is not dependent on us, we are dependent on him. A customer is not an interruption of our work, he is the purpose of it. We are not doing a favor by serving him, he is doing us a favor by giving us the opportunity to do so.”

These sentiments are as strong today as they were in L.L.’s day. Through employee training and as part of our overall culture, treating customers with the utmost respect has become second nature to us.

Regarding efficiency, we work hard to employ the latest systems and technology and utilize industry best practices for store operations, which translates into a more efficiently run store and, in turn, a better overall customer service experience.

Q. Is the customer always right?

A. For us, that statement is generally true. Without them, where would we be?

As L.L. said, the customer is the reason why we are all here. They are 100 percent right in the sense that they are often telling us what they want and how they want it.

It’s very important for us to listen carefully to our customers. We can learn a lot about them — what they like, what they don’t and we can react to improve the overall experience for the customer based on their feedback.

It is up to us to fulfill their needs and wants to the best of our ability. We realize that we can’t make everybody happy all of the time, but I believe nobody does this better than we do.

Q. L.L. Bean is known as one of the nation’s top outdoor retailers. Do you and your family enjoy outdoor activities?

A. All week I consider how, where, or what I will fish or hunt for during the coming weekend.

Since I was a young boy, I have always been hunting and fishing, or following my father around on his outdoor adventures.

I dig for clams, I fish in the fresh and saltwater, I hunt birds, duck and deer, and I also train my own dogs for upland hunting.

As a family, we go on this great camping trip every summer. We have a group camping event with several families each year and we choose a different campground to attend for a whole week. During this trip we kayak, fish, swim and play lots of fun camp games.

My wife and kids are all active in the outdoors and will come along with me on my hunting and fishing trips. I am definitely trying to instill in my family a love and appreciation of the outdoors and our natural environment, but it’s a pretty easy task, considering how much they all love the outdoors — almost as much as I do!

Q. What’s the best part about working for L.L. Bean?

A. L.L. Bean, as large as it is with several thousand employees, still has a family feel to it. Though I have no data, I have to believe that our company has the most loyal, longtime employees of any comparably sized company out there. The retention level is very high and there are dozens of employees just like me that have been here for decades.

Let’s face it, we have it pretty good. You get to live in Maine — you have mountains, the ocean, woods and fresh water everywhere, and you have a company that treats employees well and helps to foster a love of the outdoor lifestyle.

L.L. Bean treats its employees pretty darn good. That alone is a good reason to be here. The company is also very benevolent, giving away millions each year to a variety of nonprofit organizations working hard to make the outdoors a better place for all of us.

Q. Maine and L.L. Bean seem to go hand in hand. Any thoughts on the ties between the two?

A. In 1992, our former governor, John McKernan, once said, “Is Bean Bean because of Maine or is Maine Maine because of L.L. Bean?”

I can say this: Maine and L.L. Bean are inextricably linked and we assuredly would not be the same company we are today if we had started somewhere else. Maine is a state unmatched in its rugged, natural beauty. Combined with the dynamics of the four seasons, its robust natural resources and the opportunities for a host of outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, biking, paddling and more, I can’t think of a better birthplace for L.L. Bean.

Also, in L.L.’s time, Freeport was one of the last stopping off points for hunters and anglers picking up some last-minute items as they made their way to northern Maine’s rich hunting and fishing areas. Today, still, tens of thousands of people stop by L.L. Bean on their way to go camping and hiking in Acadia National Park, or cycling the Midcoast area or hunting and fishing farther up north.

The state continues to have a profound impact on the essence of who we are as a company.

Q. Is there anything else you would like to add?

A. This last quote from our founder sums up what our company strives for and has become a bit of a mantra amongst our employees, the vast majority of who actively engage in the outdoors.

“The one thing I learned throughout my lifetime is the fact that outdoor recreation, such as hunting, fishing, camping and baseball games, has added years to my life span.”

So true, so true. It certainly has for me. I don’t look a day over 30 (wink).

ASSISTANCE PROVIDED by Mac McKeever, L.L. Bean Senior Public Relations Representative