<p class="ingestion featured-caption">Shawn Gorman outside L.L. Bean's store in Freeport.Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images</p><ul class="summary-list"><li><a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/style/llbean-wicked-good-slippers-review">L.L. Bean</a> has grown from a small-town business to an international outdoor brand.</li><li>The company is still owned and largely managed by descendants of founder Leon Leonwood Bean.</li></ul><p>L.L. Bean field jackets, <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ll-bean-products-now-sold-on-zappos-latest-wholesale-deal-2020-10">shoes</a>, and other outdoor apparel are popular — even stylish — for many consumers.</p><p>But unlike many big brands, L.L. Bean remains a family affair.</p><p>The company has been owned and managed by Leon Leonwood Bean and his descendants since Bean founded it in 1912. The company has not gone public, and while its CEO is from outside the family, Bean's heirs still play a commanding role.</p><p>Here is the story of L.L. Bean's founding family:</p><p><em>Do you work for L.L. Bean and have a story idea to share? Reach out to this reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com</em></p>