Bob Phibbs, The Retail Doctor

Matt Lafone is the president and general manager of The Athlete's Foot (TAF) North, South and Central America. Lafone joined The Athlete’s Foot with strong experience across branding, retail, merchandising, marketing and franchising. The Athlete’s Foot launched StAART, the Strategic African American Retail Track, in 2020 as an initiative to grow diversity and representation in the sneaker industry through franchising. The Athlete's Foot has 564 stores and e-commerce shops across 32 countries which generated sales of USD 400 million in 2020.

Serge Khalimsky serves as the Senior General Manager of Westfield Old Orchard. In this role, Serge is responsible for delivering Old Orchard’s long-term revenue growth for parent company Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW), in addition to leading the asset’s day-to-day business operations, managing complex tenant relationships with more than 150 property retailers and restaurateurs, overseeing taxation and land-use negotiations with relevant municipality and elected officials, as well as directing meaningful community relations initiatives alongside key philanthropic partners and local nonprofit organizations. Notably, Serge was also the driving force behind THE CUBE, Old Orchard’s architecturally stunning glass pavilion hosting dynamic events and activations for premier brand partners such as Samsung, Dyson, Nespresso and Kia. Serge is also proud to actively serve on the Board of Directors for several worthwhile local organizations including the Skokie Chamber of Commerce, the Skokie Economic Development Commiss

Elizabeth Herbst-Brady is currently Head of Global Revenue & Client Solutions at Yahoo.

Bruce Winder a Toronto-based retail analyst, business instructor and author of the book, Retail Before, During & After COVID-19.

Steve Cook, business owner of Cook Feed and Outdoor and podcast host of The Better Business Podcast.

Helen Herrick is the Studio Director of MBH Architects in New York. She has a focus on cultivating a culture of creativity, engagement and connection for retailers, hospitality, and other commercial businesses.

Soon Yu is the former global VP of innovation officer at VF corporation home to over 30 global apparel companies. He advises startups how to grow and innovate. In addition, he is a popular speaker and the author of the new book Friction.

Howard Prager is a speaker, author and leadership consultant. He recently wrote a book about how you show up for others called Make Someone's Day: Becoming a Memorable Leader in Work and Life.

The be-back bus travels in one direction and it's not to your store. You have a choice every time someone comes in the door: There's a chance to just get a transaction on the register or to help someone improve their life. Although rooted in the mattress industry, this wide-ranging discussion has implications for all retailers.

What lens should retailers use when reading so many different messages about the consumer economy? With retail stores being vindicated as not just viable but critical in 2021, where should retailers look for 2022?

What does a consumer want when visiting a retailer? How can retailers hold onto employees? What can a guy who writes poetry tell us about physical retail?

Data is all the rage but what does it actually tell retailers? Our guest today has been on a quest since his early days with NCR and others. Hear what he believes the next big battle will be in retail.

There is a certain intimidation factor when customers see all you offer. This especially true with footwear. Hear how this onetime customer became an advocate for cutting edge technology used in brick and mortar stores.

Robert Christie is President of A&G Central Music, a school service company with two stores in Southeast Michigan. Robert received degrees in music and business from Valparaiso University and was a NAMM Music Business Scholarship recipient. He is an active member of NASMD and has served on the association's board of directors. Robert is deeply involved in his community serving on the boards of several arts organizations and is a vocal advocate for area school music programs. Before purchasing Central Music, he worked as an educator, touring musician, jingle writer, and retail manager. Robert lives with his wife Peggy in suburban Detroit.

Ron Thurston loves retail. And he's proud of it. Ron has led the retail teams for some of America's most prominent brands, inspired thousands of store employees, and traveled relentlessly across the country to sit and listen to what they have to say. From a part-time sales associate to a Vice President of Stores, Ron has put in the hard work that a retail career requires and wrote this book to share what he learned along the way. ​ In 2021, Ron was named one of the world's Top 100 most influential people in retail and is a featured keynote speaker, podcast guest, and in-demand industry expert. ​ Ron most recently led the retail organization for INTERMIX, sits on the board of directors for GOODWILL NY/NJ, and is an advisory board member and mentor for several retail technology brands.

Continually pushing the boundaries of experiential retail, Melissa Gonzalez is an award-winning innovator, seasoned visionary, and brand storyteller. She is the CEO of The Lion’esque Group and Principal and Shareholder at MG2. Always pioneering the integration of physical environments and cutting-edge technologies she works with companies such as Nexcom, Nordstrom, and Burrow foster foundational consumer engagement and evolve their offering. A passionate mentor and strategist, Melissa works hand-in-hand with clients to understand their greatest aspirations. She leads creative teams to deliver authentic solutions from concept to completion, helping clients achieve their ultimate vision. She was honored with the ‘Women In Design’ award of the year by Contract Magazine and in 2019 was recognized as one of LinkedIn as well as design:retail’s ‘Top 10 Retail Design Influencers of the Year’. When she’s not recording podcasts or dreaming up innovative retail spaces, Melissa can be found seeking inspiration in unexpec

Be the company you want to work at. Bob Phibbs interviewed Tom Sullivan, founder of Lumber Liquidators about going public, about his first steps at founding the largest specialty flooring company in the nation, and what bugs him - and me - about brick and mortar stores.  About our guest: Tom Sullivan, the founder of Lumber Liquidators, owner of Gracious Home, founder of Cabinets To Go and a serial entrepreneur.

The shopping is firmly underway for a once-in-this-generation retail holiday season. Despite the fascination with supply chain shortages - consumers are buying.We’re talking marketing and a new Brightpearl survey reveals in their new study that 54% of us plan to shop on non-traditional shopping channels, like Alexa, TikTok and Pinterest, this holiday season. Are you prepared for more social buying!?  About our guest:Founded by two brothers in 2017, Snap Supply was born from 40 years of experience within the appliance repair parts industry. Nick and Shawn Ernst are appliance repair professionals who have utilized their hands on experience to launch an appliance parts business that really knows how to take care of the customer.What initially began with Nick selling parts on Amazon and Ebay during his lunch break, quickly grew to become one of the most highly respected suppliers of appliance parts in the American Midwest. Today, the company trades across its new Shopify Plus-powered direct-to-consumer and wholes

Ethan is the VP Marketing for Placer.ai. Prior to Placer, Ethan was the Director of Corporate Marketing at SimilarWeb and the Vice President of Headline Media. Ethan holds his BA in Government, Diplomacy and Strategy from the IDC Herzliya and his MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics.

This episode is devoted to how one of the biggest malls in the world is coming back from Covid better than before on this episode of Tell Me Something Good About Retail.    Key Links Mall of America website Mall of America LinkedIn Jill Renslow LinkedIn   Follow us on Linkedin. Subscribe to the podcast here https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/tell-me-something-good-about-retail/id1377517695 ----- Sign up for our weekly newsletter here https://www.retaildoc.com/newsletter-signup-old  Tell Me Something Good About Retail is a product of The Retail Doctor and is produced by Simpler Media Productions.