Jay Schottenstein

Jay Schottenstein (born 1954) is an entrepreneur from Columbus, Ohio. He has decades of retail experience and is the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE: AEO) and Executive Chairman of Designer Brands Inc. (NYSE: DBI), along with several other executive leadership roles.

Schottenstein is the son of Geraldine and Jerome Schottenstein. He has three sisters, Susan Schottenstein Diamond, Ann Schottenstein Deshe, and Lori Schottenstein.

His grandfather, Ephraim Schottenstein, was a Lithuanian immigrant who started the family business with a pushcart on the south side of Columbus, Ohio. It later became Schottenstein Department Stores, and Schottenstein’s father went on to grow the furniture side of the family business, Value City Furniture.

Schottenstein attended Indiana University Bloomington where he met his wife, Jeanie Rabe. He graduated in 1976 and began working in the family’s furniture stores full time.

Schottenstein also learned soft goods, commercial real estate, and liquidation sales from the family businesses. When his father passed away in 1992, he took over leadership of the family's companies, including Schottenstein Stores Corporation, a holding company that manages the family's business investments. The Schottenstein family of companies includes American Eagle Outfitters, Designer Brands, American Signature Furniture, Value City Furniture, Schottenstein Property Group, SB360 Capital Partners, and more.

Upon taking the reins of American Eagle Outfitters in 1992, Schottenstein was instrumental in developing the retail stores into a worldwide denim brand. He was the CEO from 1992 to 2002 and again from 2014 to present. Along the way, he guided the company through global expansion and the launch and success of Aerie, an intimate apparel and lifestyle brand, as well as the Todd Snyder and Unsubscribed brands.

Since 2005, Schottenstein has also been the Executive Chairman of Designer Brands, which includes Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW), The Shoe Company, and Camuto Group. He was previously CEO from 2005 to 2009.

He has additional leadership roles as the Chairman of Schottenstein Property Group, a commercial real estate management and development company; Chairman of American Signature Inc., a top 100 furniture retailer with several furniture brands including Value City Furniture and American Signature Furniture; and Chairman and CEO of SB360 Capital Partners, a firm dedicated to asset value maximization for retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers. Schottenstein served as a board member of Albertsons Companies, Inc. from 2006 to 2022.

Schottenstein and his wife Jeanie have three sons, Joseph (Lindsay), Jonathan (Nicole), and Jeffrey, who also work in the family businesses. The family shares a deep commitment to philanthropy.

Schottenstein and his family donate to causes in their home state of Ohio as well as nationally and internationally. They have supported numerous projects ranging from medical research, health, and education to civic and cultural institutions. As a couple, Schottenstein and his wife have contributed to The Ohio State University with an endowment for the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein Prize in Cardiovascular Science and a donation to help build an arena which would be named after his father – the Jerome Schottenstein Center and Value City Arena.