Lee Feist, 58, revived failing corporations

Lee Feist of Copper Beech Lane, a longtime Ridgefielder who helped revive the Remington electric razor company, died April 14 in Arlington, Va., after a long battle with cancer. He was 58.

Mr. Feist joined Remington in 1981 to help then-owner Victor Kiam turn around the failing electric razor company. Among other things, Mr. Feist was put in charge of Remington’s retail operations, which included a small group of shaver service centers. As president, Mr. Feist expanded the service centers into Remington Shavers and Knives, a nationwide chain of retail stores. The stores eventually became one of the most profitable parts of the Remington business. Mr. Feist expanded the chain to become a fixture of shopping malls across the country.

In 1992, Mr. Feist left Remington to build a consulting firm specializing in turning around troubled companies. His firm built and turned around companies ranging from a small country music record label to a category-killer baby store for Service Merchandise, to an industrial textile company. His last project was a turnaround of USCI, a telecommunications company that had suffered heavy losses. While Mr. Feist fell ill to cancer, the turnaround was underway as the company stemmed its losses and approached the break-even point.

The Feists moved to Copper Beech Lane in 1981. During his time in Ridgefield, Mr. Feist was active in the schools, including supervising float-building for Ridgefield High School homecoming parades, serving as girls softball league coach, and participating in the Ridgefield Host-Homes program that helped troubled young Ridgefielders find a temporary place to live with a Ridgefield family. He was also active in Temple Shearith Israel.

Lee Feist was born in Memphis, Tenn., on April 24, 1943, son of Herbert and Betty Feist of Ripley, Tenn. He grew up in Ripley where he was an Eagle Scout, captain of the high school football team, and president of his class. He attended Vanderbilt University and received his MBA from Cornell University. He was awarded a Fulbright lecture grant to teach business administration at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad from 1967-1969. In the 1970’s, Mr. Feist took the helm of Remnant House Fabrics where he built a chain of three dozen fabric and notions mega-stores throughout the South.

He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Bobbye Walsh Feist; his children, Tamara Feist Whinston of Nederland, Colo., and Sam Feist of Arlington, Va.; a grandchild, Morgan Julia Feist; sisters, Carol Feist Hoxie of Memphis, Tenn., and Alice Feist Conte, formerly of Ridgefield and now living in Neptune, Beach, Fla.

The funeral is today, April 18, in Brownsville, Tenn.