Cheryl Krueger

Cheryl Krueger graduated from in 1970. Cheryl went on to graduate from Bowling Green State University in 1974.
Career
After college, Cheryl worked at Limited Brands, learning the retail business from company President and CEO Leslie Wexner. In 1981, Cheryl and her college roommate, Caryl Walker, had an idea for a new business and opened the very first Cheryl’s Cookies in Columbus, Ohio. The modest storefront sold six kinds of cookies, along with soda pop. Within just seven years, the company broadened its offerings to include gifts and desserts, and with this growth came a new name-Cheryl&Co. Initially Cheryl continued to work at The Limited in New York in order to finance Cheryl&Co. In 1986 she left The Limited to focus on Cheryl & Co. full time.

Today, Cheryl&Co. is a multi-faceted business composed of retail stores in Ohio, a high-traffic Internet business and a successful Business Gift Division, all headquartered in the Columbus suburb of Westerville, Ohio. A 2005 merger enabled Cheryl&Co. to become a part of the 1-800-Flowers Family of Brands. The company’s four divisions (Retail, Catalog, Business Gift Services and Internet) can be found at Cheryls.com.
Cheryl is also a Bob Evans Restaurants board member.
Philanthropy
Cheryl is also an active philanthropist. In the 1986, Krueger’s corporate giving became a bit more personal. Her longtime friend and early business partner, Caryl Walker, was diagnosed with and eventually died of cancer. Cheryl&Co. started to donate aggressively to Cancer Research.
“We did a Norman Rockwell cookie tin to help raise money for the American Cancer Society in the late ‘80s,” Krueger says. “I’ve also done a lot of speaking engagements over the years, and all of my donations for my speeches go to The James Cancer Hospital & Research Institute.”
In January 2003, when The Ohio State University won the national football championship, Krueger teamed up with OSU coach Jim Tressel to raise money for cancer research through sales of a commemorative, autographed cookie jar. Tressel lost both of his parents to cancer.
“We’ve now donated over a quarter of a million dollars to the Tressel Family Fund,” Krueger says. “For a company our size to donate that kind of money, that’s a big deal. It’s a very big deal. We’re really proud of it.”

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