Stew Leonard’s began as a small dairy store founded in 1969 with just seven employees. Today, Stew Leonard’s is still family-owned and operated, but has grown to become a nearly $600 million business with more than 2,000 employees. The company has received worldwide acclaim for excellence in customer service and quality and was selected to FORTUNE magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work for in America” list for ten consecutive years. In addition to the headquarters in Norwalk, Conn., Stew Leonard’s has stores in Danbury and Newington, Conn., Yonkers, Farmingdale and East Meadow, N.Y and a food and wine store in Paramus, NJ. Stew Leonard's was dubbed the "Disneyland of Dairy Stores" by the New York Times, because of its costumed characters, scheduled entertainment, petting zoo and animatronics throughout the stores. The company has received worldwide acclaim for excellence in customer service and quality and is featured in two of management expert Tom Peter's books: A Passion for Excellence and Thriving on Chaos. In 1992, Stew Leonard's earned an entry into The Guinness Book of World Records for having "the greatest sales per unit area of any single food store in the United States."