Courtesy / Bull Moose
Shawn Nichols has been named president and CEO of Bull Moose.
May 24, 2022
Bull Moose retail chain, now employee-owned, names new CEO
By Jessica Hall
After more than three decades, Portland-based music and entertainment chain Bull Moose has a new leader.
Founder and Chairman Brett Wickard on Tuesday said Shawn Nichols has been named president and CEO. Nichols joined Bull Moose Music in February 2021 as vice president of operations.
Wickard previously held those titles. The changes are effective immediately.
While Wickard will remain chairman, he will be focusing much of his time on growing FieldStack, a retail management software company he launched in 2014.
“It has been an honor of a lifetime to establish and grow Bull Moose to where it is today,” said Wickard. “I was barely 20 years old when I started selling tapes and CDs with a larger vision to support and cultivate Maine musicians and artists. What exists today is beyond my wildest dreams. Bull Moose is in great hands and many great things are to come.”
In January, Bull Moose became 100% employee-owned, creating an employee stock ownership plan, or ESOP, for its more than 170 employees in 11 stores.
Nichols, a lifelong Mainer, joined the Army directly after high school. Upon returning he attended the University of Maine at Presque Isle, majoring in political science and began his retail career at Walmart. Since then, Nichols has held a variety of positions, from store manager to district manager, at national retailers including Staples, and Starbucks. In 2017, he joined Goodwill as director of retail operations and oversaw 17 retail locations in Maine.
“Bull Moose is an iconic New England brand and I am thrilled to be part of this incredible group of people who are genuinely passionate and expressive about the arts,” Nichols said. “There is no doubt about it, this is a dream come true for me.”
Nichols, a lifelong fan of music and writing, wrote and published a book of poetry in 2019.
“When you can carry your personal passion into your profession, that’s the ultimate career goal. I couldn’t ask for a better place to work or a better group of people to work with,” he said.
He said he sees great opportunities for Bull Moose to become more active in the New England community of artists, as well as to expand beyond its current footprint in Maine and New Hampshire.
Bull Moose was started by Wickard in 1989 while he was a student at Bowdoin College, selling CDs and tapes from a small storefront in Brunswick. The retailer has since expanded into books, movies, games and pop culture items.
Nichols added that “since the ESOP change earlier this year, Bull Moose employees have taken on a true ownership mentality in their work. Many employees’ LinkedIn profiles now say 'owner,' and this shift has driven creativity, productivity, and overall stability to the brand’s infrastructure.”
Day-to-day operations and strategic direction will be led by Nichols as president and CEO, Chris Brown as vice president of finance, and Manny Archibald as vice president of administration.
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