Talk Retail to Me

Organizational Change Management and DEI Converge

In this episode, guest Michelle Bogan joins our discussion. Michelle's firm, Equity at Work, provides consulting to companies focused on developing DEI strategies to align business objectives, employee experiences, and company values. Equity at Work also supports company leaders in driving the appropriate changes.  This episode also features Kathi Toll and Carrie Habel, who both lead Parker Avery’s Organizational Change Management Academy and OCM projects for the firm's clients, as well as Tricia Gustin, the firm's marketing leader.  The discussion focuses on:

• Michelle's extensive retail background
• How and why she started her firm Equity at Work
• The parallels between omnichannel retail and DEI efforts
• How organizational change management can support DEI efforts

Michelle also provides her advice for companies embarking on or struggling with navigating diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

• Learn more about Parker Avery's change management services: https://parkeravery.com/change-management-leadership/
• Learn more about Equity at Work: https://equity-at-work.com/
• Meet Michelle Bogan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleebogan/
• Meet Kathi Toll: https://parkeravery.com/pag-team-kathi/
• Meet Carrie Habel: https://parkeravery.com/pag-team-carrie/
• Meet Tricia Gustin: https://parkeravery.com/pag-team-tricia/

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Core Merchandising Deep Dive

In this episode of Talk Retail to Me, we kick off a series that will focus on specific business areas across retail and CPG.  Over the next few months, we’re going to take a deep dive into all areas of merchandising, planning, supply chain, forecasting, omnichannel, and more.

For each of these business areas, Parker Avery's team of experts gets into basics and details, covering questions like:

1. What does this area encompass?
2. What key capabilities are the most important?
3. What retailers or consumer brand companies excel at it?
4. What common mistakes or challenges do you see?
5. What innovations can improve a company’s capabilities in this area?

This week we focus on core merchandising, featuring: 

• Marty Anderson, Principal
• Heidi Csencsits, Senior Manager
• Tricia Gustin, Senior Director of Marketing (and host)

To learn more about Parker Avery's retail and CPG experience and our array of consulting services, we invite you to visit: https://parkeravery.com/.

Featured on the Best 60 Retail Podcasts

Introduction music:  On My Way by Kevin MacLeod | Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4163-on-my-way | License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ | Cover image by Jorge Guillen from Pixabay.

Welcome to The Parker Avery Group Randi Nolan

This week, Clay Parnell, Parker Avery’s President and Managing Partner, and Tricia Gustin, Senior Director of Marketing, welcome retail industry leader Randi Nolan into the firm. Randi has an extensive list of executive titles across global retail and apparel brands—and her accomplishments are widely recognized throughout the industry.  The trio discusses Randi's extensive career in retail, as well as their perspectives on key focus areas for retailers as they navigate 2022 and beyond. 

To learn more about Parker Avery's team, we invite you to visit: https://parkeravery.com/pag-team/.

Featured on the Best 60 Retail Podcasts

Introduction music:  On My Way by Kevin MacLeod | Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4163-on-my-way | License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ | Cover image by Jorge Guillen from Pixabay.

Changing the Paradigm of Retail Inventory Management

This episode of Talk Retail to Me features Les McNeill, the Chief Technology Officer and founder of Impulselogic, Inc., along with Parker Avery store operations experts, Senior Director Rob Oglesby, and Tricia Gustin, Senior Director of Marketing. The trio of experts talks about the causes of in-store inventory management issues as well how changes to the overall store inventory paradigm and business processes, along with strategic use of new technologies, can help drive better results not just in stores, but throughout the supply chain and even upstream into merchandising and assortment planning decisions. 

To support this paradigm change, Impulselogic provides advanced predictive analytics powered by artificial intelligence to create the optimal product flow through the store.  The system, along with business process alignment and execution consistency, helps to ensure product availability for both in-store and online customers, reduce waste, improve labor efficiency, and increase profits.  

To learn more about Parker Avery's array of retail consulting services and expertise, we invite you to visit: https://parkeravery.com/services/.

To learn more about Impulselogic, Inc., please visit: https://www.impulselogic.com/

Featured on the Best 60 Retail Podcasts

Introduction music:  On My Way by Kevin MacLeod | Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4163-on-my-way | License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ | Cover image by Jorge Guillen from Pixabay 

Introducing Dave Seeley and the Principle of Simple Retail Execution

This week, Tricia Gustin is joined by Parker Avery's President and Managing Partner, Clay Parnell, along with Dave Seeley, who recently joined The Parker Avery Group as a Senior Manager. Dave brings a tremendous amount of retail industry experience, across operations, merchandising, and IT.  In this episode, we discuss Dave's extensive retail industry background, his continued interest in integrating AI and advanced analytics with the business of retail, and why his principle of keeping retail execution simple is paramount for success in any initiative.  The trio of experts also provides an insider's view of The Parker Avery Group's culture, how it strengthened during the pandemic, and why the firm is busier now more than ever. 

To learn more about Parker Avery's array of retail consulting services and expertise, we invite you to visit: https://parkeravery.com/services/.

 

Featured on the Best 60 Retail Podcasts

Introduction music:  On My Way by Kevin MacLeod | Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4163-on-my-way | License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ | Cover image by Jorge Guillen from Pixabay 

Giving Back and Moving Forward: The JEDI Challenge

This week, we took a departure from our usual industry focus and talked about an initiative that’s near and dear to The Parker Avery Group's culture—our partnership with RetailROI and the JEDI Challenge.  We began this relationship early in 2021 with a sponsorship of RetailROI’s SuperFriday event, which led to another sponsorship of their March Gladness event. Those two events began a series of conversations among Parker Avery’s team about what more could we could do to help, beyond sponsorships, ultimately leading us to create an entrepreneur program for young Jamaicans.

In this episode, we discuss the JEDI Challenge with Greg Buzek, President and Secretary of RetailROI, along with key principals from the Fergus Simpson Foundation, Janeth Brown, Carol and Lawrence Madden. We dive into what our young entrepreneurs have been up to since the JEDI Challenge ended late last year, as well as our plans going forward. 

For more information about RetailROI: https://www.retailroi.org/

To participate in March Gladness: https://www.retailroi.org/march

For more information about the Fergus Simpson Foundation: https://fergussimpsonfoundation.org/

To learn more about the JEDI Challenge: https://parkeravery.com/industry-experience/the-parker-avery-group-develops-entrepreneur-program-in-jamaica/

To get involved in JEDI 2.0 (slated for summer 2022): contact tricia.gustin@parkeravery.comgivin

Introduction music:  On My Way by Kevin MacLeod | Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4163-on-my-way | License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ | Cover image by Jorge Guillen from Pixabay 

A Demand Analytics Time Machine

This week, Tricia Gustin sat down with The Parker Avery Group's Chief Analytics Officer, Sam Iosevich, along with Senior Manager Dmitry Magas, who joined the firm almost exactly a year ago. The trio talked about Dmitry's analytics background and history with Sam, as well as some highlights of past client projects focused on forecasting and demand analytics.  They also discussed some recent Parker Avery pricing and analytics projects including a recently completed price optimization project for a global grocery retailer.  Learn about Dmitry's development of what Parker Avery's analytics team calls their "time machine," as well as why analytics is just one part of the overall forecasting and demand planning solution.

To learn more about Parker Avery's advanced analytics services and expertise, we invite you to visit: https://parkeravery.com/advanced-analytics/ 

 

Introduction music:  On My Way by Kevin MacLeod | Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4163-on-my-way | License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ | Cover image by Jorge Guillen from Pixabay 

Implications and Perspectives of Homegoods‘ E-Commerce Launch

Just in time for the holiday shopping frenzy, retail experts Kathi Toll, Heidi Csencsits, Carrie Habel, and Tricia Gustin discuss the recent launch of Homegoods' e-commerce platform, and the implications of this strategy on store operations, roles and responsibilities, merchandising, customer perception, inventory management, and more.  Enjoy this entertaining and casual conversation that not only veers off into other retail segments, but also highlights the deep industry expertise and the consumer perspectives of these professionals.

To learn more about Parker Avery's retail and consumer goods consulting services and expertise, we invite you to visit: https://parkeravery.com/services/ 

 

Introduction music:  On My Way by Kevin MacLeod | Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4163-on-my-way | License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ | Cover image by Jorge Guillen from Pixabay 

Leading Analytics in India: Meet Dinesh Helwade

This week, Chief Analytics Officer, Sam Iosevich, and Director of Analytics, Dinesh Helwade, discuss their decades-long working relationship as well as Dinesh's plans for the firm's analytics team in India.  Learn how their deep analytics expertise, combined with a strong organizational culture, create compelling analytics solutions for Parker Avery clients. 

To learn more about Parker Avery's analytics services and expertise, we invite you to visit: https://parkeravery.com/advanced-analytics/

 

Introduction music:  On My Way by Kevin MacLeod | Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4163-on-my-way | License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ | Cover image by Jorge Guillen from Pixabay 

A Refreshing Change: Why Traditional Change Management Methods Fail

In this episode, Parker Avery’s change management leader Kathi Toll, along with experts Carrie Habel and Heidi Csencsits talk about the firm’s best-of-breed approach to change management and why it raises the bar above more traditional methods.  

In this lively discussion, the team touches on:

• Why a more tailored approach to change is needed in every client environment and project
  
• Situations where we’ve seen clients “wing it” or use outdated tools/philosophies—and expect success (but are usually disappointed)
  
• At what point in a project change management activities should start
• Key tenets for success in helping clients navigate change
  

To learn more about Parker Avery's change management services and expertise, we invite you to visit: https://parkeravery.com/change-management-leadership/

 

Introduction music:  On My Way by Kevin MacLeod | Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4163-on-my-way | License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ | Cover image by Jorge Guillen from Pixabay