Bruce Thorn on military education
From 2023 Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame – Thorn · · servingohiovets
“"We don't just teach history at West Point. We make it."”
On , Bruce Thorn, Chief Executive Officer, President & Director at BIG LOTS INC, spoke about military education during 2023 Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame – Thorn on servingohiovets.
About Bruce Thorn
Bruce Thorn, CEO of Big Lots, has spoken publicly about his military service and its connection to his leadership. In September 2024, he described his time in the U.S. Army as "some of the best years of my life" and said the experience taught resilience. He stated that Big Lots' mission "to help people live big" aligns with supporting veterans, citing examples such as a veteran who lost a leg in combat finding camaraderie or a veteran with PTSD finding inner strength. In March 2024, Thorn was inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame. In a video for the Hall of Fame, he recounted his service as an Airborne Ranger during the Gulf War, including an incident in northern Iraq where he ordered his platoon to fix bayonets to calm a crowd of rioters. He said he did not serve for recognition but to give back to America, and called the induction "extremely humbling." In 2021 earnings calls, Thorn discussed Big Lots' financial performance and strategy. He noted that the company was "positively impacted" by stimulus distributions in early 2021 and rewarded store and distribution center associates with cash bonuses. He highlighted growth in the company's own brands, stating that Broyhill generated $194 million in Q2 2021 sales and that Real Living had "ramped up quickly" to over $400 million in sales. Thorn also addressed supply chain challenges, including increased import costs and temporary factory closures in Asia due to COVID-19 restrictions, which he said weighed on gross margins. He expressed confidence in expanding the company's store count by "hundreds of stores" in coming years and noted that e-commerce demand grew 10 percent over Q2 2020.