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...

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...

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...

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...

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.

From innovative partnerships with local retailers in response to civil unrest and Covid in 2020 to scrapping plans for holograms, the Mall of America is one of the most innovative properties out there. Hear why:

You shouldn’t have things in your closet or your life that you’re afraid of.

“A waitress who sees probably 100-200 people a day has more influence than the one customer who plays bridge with her six friends every week.”

Retail is just a secondary, tertiary output of how humanity interacts. It’s not a driver of humanity. It’s just a reflection.

A brand is all about showing to the world who we are, what we stand for, and where we are going.

When you find your own limitations and ask for help from other companies, you not only are authentic but poised for growth.

Front line associates can often be the brunt of bad shopper behavior. What can we do to show we are more alike than different?

You've got to find a way to communicate with customers that you have what they need. Retailers that don't, don’t go that far down the road.