Why is company culture so crucial to branding and the customer experience?  Today we’re joined by Jim Ingles, President of Inglis Retailing and author of Breakthrough Retailing: How a Bleeding Orange Culture can Change Everything. Jim is a world-renowned expert with sixty years of experience in the retail home-improvement industry and a former Executive Vice President of The Home Depot company.  Listen along as we take an inside look at retail expansion strategies for large-box retailers, what made Home Depot the largest home center in the world, and how company culture helps gr ..read more

The Fundamental purpose of both digital media and brick-and-mortar retail are rapidly changing.  Today we’re talking through those changes with Retail Prophet, Doug Stephens. Doug is one of the world’s foremost retail industry futurists. His intellectual work and thinking have influenced many of the world’s best-known retailers, agencies and brands including Walmart, Google, Home Depot, Disney, BMW, Coca Cola, and Intel.  Listen along as we discuss how brand media impressions take place within physical retail, what the retail metaverse is and how it will radically ..read more

As the world continues to emerge from the COVID-19 Pandemic, IPSOS’ Latest E-Commerce Experience Report  revels how grocery stores and quick service restaurants have altered their customer service and which brands come out on top.  Today we’re joined by Carlos Aragon, Vice President at IPSOS. IPSOS is one of the largest consumer data aggregators on he planet. Together we'll take a deep dive into the latest IPSOS report and discuss why 3/4 of consumers are continue with their online purchasing behavior. Listen along as we discuss what the continued online behaviors means for retailers ..read more

Mall of America is not your typical mall. Instead it is truly an entertainment destination. What makes Mall of America different is its sheer size. In short the mall is massive with a sprawling 5.5 million square feet, 7 acre indoor theme park, 520 stores, 60 dining establishments, 2 hotels, and and a dozen other attractions.  Today we’re joined by Jill Renslow, Exectutive Vice President of Marketing and Development for Mall of America. Renslow works with top Mall leadership to provide direction and vision for the expansion to the Mall.   Listen along as we discus ..read more

To stay relevant, retailers are turning their brick-and-mortar storefronts into experience immersion tools.  Today we’re joined by Howard Tiersky, Founder & CEO of FROM, the digital transformation agency and author of Winning Digital Customers: The Antidote to Irrelevance.  Listen along as we discuss how retailers can leverage digital to provide a greater customer experience and value proposition to the consumer; how legacy retailers are adapting to compete with digitally native brands; and why organizations may resist change ..read more

Howler Bros, One of the coolest emerging men’ s clothing brands, tells us how experiences drive everything in retail whether its in store or DTC.  Today we’re joined by Rick Wittenbraker, Chief Marketing Officer for , a clothing brand with timeless style of sports with modern influence from waves, water, geography, fashion and art Listen along as we talk through how Howler Brothers evolved from a digitally native brand to having a presence in retailers across 4 countries, the why behind the brand and how they work, and how they strategize for their ecomm ..read more

Retailers are working hard to stay relevant in a post pandemic world. Those that will continue to thrive has found a balance between a solid omnichannel ecommerce site and experiential brick-and-mortar retail.  Today we’re joined by Michael Osborne, President of Wonderkind. Wunderkind is a leading performance marketing engine that delivers tailored experiences at scale. Listen along as we discuss how retailers can compile behavior data in exchange or better consumer experience, how the halo effect can lead to customer loyalty, and how online data and sales and experiential brick-and-morta ..read more

After a devastating 15 months on the service industry, and two missed Queen's Feasts (July 2020 and Jan. 2021) due to COVID, Charlotte Restaurant Week is back, kicking off this Friday, July 16 and running through July 25. Due to restaurant staffing shortages, this year's Restaurant Week is scaled back to 41 restaurants in a five-county footprint.  Today we're joined by Bruce Hensley, who co-owns Charlotte Restaurant Week with his wife, Jill. Listen along as we discuss why this years restaurant week is more important than ever (and why you need a reservations), how the community can h ..read more

The Coronavirus Pandemic accelerated growth in Charlotte and made businesses either adapt or shutter their doors. Today we’re joined by Katie Peralta Soloff, Reporter for Axios Charlotte. Axios Charlotte, formerly Charlotte Agenda, is a modern local news organization that exists to make Charlotte smarter and better connected. Listen along as we talk through the ever changing retail landscape, what the closing of legacy staples means for the Identity of Charlotte, and as we discuss what’s next for the city ..read more

The biggest disruption to the grocery sector over the course of the pandemic has been grocery delivery.  Today we’re joined by Pradeep Elankumaran, CEO and Cofounder of Farmstead. Farmstead is an artificial intelligent powered farm-to-doorstep delivery startup out of California.  Listen along as we discuss the artificial intelligence delivery interruption in the grocery sector, Why farm to doorstep delivery is thriving above other grocery delivery services, and what’s next for the grocery sector ..read more