Independent Thinking Podcast

Sr. Marketing Manager for Nationwide Marketing Group (NMG), Lauren Hylarides, sat down with Melisa Monroe of Podium to talk about how Podium products solve retailers major pain points, including time, staffing, marketing, and lead generation.

NMG's Jeff Rose sits down with Christina Espinoza to learn more about the King Koil's latest products and innovations — including the Intimate Collection and much anticipated Smart Life program.

Longtime host of the Independent Thinking Podcast, Rob Stott, shares a farewell message to listeners, with news about the future of the podcast.

DMI Appliance Group Executive Director & CEO Alan Joskowicz invited us into their Hamilton Township, New Jersey, headquarters and brand new 800,000-square-foot warehouse for a tour and chat about business. We look into the path that DMI has been on, what trends the organization is tracking, and how members of both NMG and DMI can benefit from the groups' partnership.

Before we get too deep into the calendar year, we wanted to take some time to sit down with Synchrony Financial to help set the stage for 2025. Dave Marsh, general manager for the brand, dives into some of the more important economic indicators as well as the programs and services retailers should tap into to be successful in the new year.

With the end of the year fast approaching, we take a moment – with the help of Wells Fargo's Steve Jermier – to look back at how the retail industry (and economy) ultimately performed in 2024, and look ahead to next year. Steve also gives an overview on the resources available to set retailers up for success in the new year, including waterfall programs.

It can be difficult to truly understand what it means to run an independent retail business unless you've actually been in the trenches and done the dirty work. Same could be said about working on the manufacturing side of the business, if we're being fair. Adam Fain, who recently joined the NMG field team, has experience on both sides of the business and brings that unique perspective to the group and our members.

To remain in business for nearly 40 years in the electronics and custom integration space, a business needs – and its people – need to understand what it means to evolve and adapt. That's exactly what Jim Fossile, owner of EDSTV in the suburbs of Philadelphia, has done in a variety of ways.

A lot has transpired since Julie Burns, Executive Director of Monogram, was last on the podcast over three years ago! We dive into the current (and future) state of the luxury appliance market and look at some of the truly creative and innovative partnerships Monogram has launched over the past year. 

Cybersecurity is a topic that's incredibly worthy of discussion no matter what month the calendar says it is, and that's exactly why we sat down with NMG's VP of IT & Technology Bryan Aller outside of October to talk about it.

It was a busy third quarter for the Business & Financial Services team, especially around the ENERGY STAR initiative and keeping members up to date on the Inflation Reduction Act.

From infusing their product with innovative technology to supplying retailers with an impactful story tell tell year round, Broil King is helping keep the conversation going around outdoor cooking and entertainment.

Bruce Walker, product evangelist at TCL, shares his perspective on the biggest trends and technologies impacting the TV market today.

A new vendor partner for Nationwide Marketing Group, Therabody made their PrimeTime debut at the August 2024 show in Las Vegas. While there, we sat down with Darryl Cole, SVP of North American Retail for the brand, to dive into how appliance, furniture, bedding and consumer electronics retailers can work Therabody's health and wellness messaging into their strategy.

What started as a group of retailers coming together to build a tool that could address some of their own delivery and installation challenges has grown into a major partner for the retail and service community in the form of DispatchTrack. We sat down with Co-founder Bob Bauer to talk about the growth of the service, how retailers can leverage their technology and more.

The team from No Child Hungry returned to the PrimeTime show floor in August. While there, we took the opportunity to sit down with Senior Vice President Mike Whitaker to get the latest on the meal packing initiative, other programs NCH has launched and the impact that giveback efforts can have on the businesses that participate.

Though making their PrimeTime debut this past August, Tereaux presented itself as a veteran in the space with a luxurious lineup and plan to help dealers tackle the booming outdoor entertainment category.

Tahira Dock Johnson, director of sales operations for Legacy Classic | Modern, joins us to talk about what's new and exciting for their brand, how they're helping drive traffic to independent dealers' stores and more.

Outdoor entertainment really seemed to come into the fore during the last few years as consumers put effort into creating lively spaces outside the four walls of their homes. Yet, as Furrion National Sales Manager Aaron Mellow shared, there's still plenty of education needed around this space – for both consumers and independent retailers.

When pursued with a proper plan, digital signage can have major, positive impacts on your retail business. We sat down with Lauren Hylarides to dive deeper into the topic of digital signage and how independent retailers can and should leverage this tech-powered platform.

Dave Mancino knew the stats full well when he opted to join the Navy SEALs. Only 15-20 percent of applicants end up making it through the training. He shared his story – and advice – with independent retailers at PrimeTime, and the message was one that resonated on more levels than we could have imagined. 

Former NFL long snapper turned magician and motivational speaker Jon Dorenbos has an incredible story that's filled with unbelievable peaks and valleys. Fresh off of the PrimeTime Main Stage, Dorenbos sat down to dive deeper into his past, how magic saved his life, and the tools he uses to maintain his positive perspective on life.

What's the saying, if you love what you do you'll never work a day in your life – right? That's something Nick Burnett, NMG's HR Business Partner, has put to practice in recent years, transitioning into a new role in a new business vertical within NMG. His story – an awesome one in and of itself – should resonate on many levels with independent retailers.

Coming off of a steamy week in Las Vegas, we sat down with Jeff Rose and Chad Fischer of NMG's Furniture, Bedding & Outdoor team to recap their experience at the Summer edition of Las Vegas Market.

We all know 2024 was going to be one heck of a rollercoaster, but how are things tracking? And what's the outlook heading into the back half of the year? Mike Derro, SVP of Home Appliance for NMG, shares what he's seeing and hearing across the channel.

Drew and Jonathan Scott are best known for their work renovating and selling homes across a variety of shows on HGTV. The Property Brothers recently turned their attention to one particular room in the home – the bedroom – with the goal of helping consumers improve their sleep.

Nationwide Marketing Group's Service Leaders Network recently hosted its fourth Virtual Service Conference, a unique event that provides training, education and networking opportunities for every aspect of a servicing dealer's business. We sat down with Mark Pollitz, director of service for NMG, to see what he and the servicing community learned from the recent event.

As the first states start to roll out their interpretations (and rules) around the Inflation Reduction Act, we sit down with NMG's own IRA expert Frank Sandtner to understand the implications.

When he was a part of the NMG team, Mike Manthey was a driving force behind the group's data initiative. Now, as a part of the King's Great Buys Plus team, he's leveraging NMG's data-powered tools like PriMetrix to help grow and evolve the business while also exploring new markets.

There are many different elements that help to build (or develop) a company's culture. How much emphasis you place on certain areas can ultimately help set that culture. For Martin Appliance in central Pennsylvania, education is one area that they've decided to invest heavily in – and it's paying off in a major way.

There are so many factors that go into the overall success of any independent retail business, but it's those one or two special areas that you excel at that truly take your business to the next level. For Lee Burns, CEO & Founder of Mattress Direct, it's been his commitment to an exceptional (and innovative) in-store experience. 

Carlos Warlick, owner of CW Technologies in Southern California, has one of the craziest AV industry origin stories out there. After getting his start by doing intern-like work at a big music studio, he found himself pimpin' rides well before Xhibit was doing his thing on MTV. That parlayed into a successful and growing custom integration business that he runs today.

Josh Trevithick founded his custom integration company, PROJECT: automate, a little over two decades ago, but he just recently joined Oasys Residential Technology Group – and he's already realizing the return on his investment. During the recent Oasys Summit, Trevithick sat down to talk about his early experience in the group and how he hopes to pay it forward.

Just a few weeks after being formally introduced as a consultant for Nationwide Marketing Group's Custom Integration division, Frank Sterns was with the group in Austin for the second-annual Oasys Summit. There, we sat down with him to talk about his first in-person experience with the group as a part of the team, and we dove into his career history and his vision for the group.

In an industry where the battle for margins enhancement is ongoing, something like product protection programs should be a no-brainer to business owners. But how you – and your sales team – approaches product protection with your customers can make or break the pitch. Howard's is a great example of a retailer that understands what makes its sales team tick, and leaning into that to improve their attachment rates.

Founded in 2009, BEDGEAR has quickly become one of the fastest-growing performance sleep brands in the world, and it's no accident either.

What if there was a way to benchmark your business against others in just about every aspect? That's exactly what NMG's new Cost of Doing Business study aims to solve.

Victrola is helping independent retailers capitalize on the resurgence of the record industry by offering innovative and modernized turntables. Don Inmon, head of product and brand there, dives into the category and their portfolio.

It was a truly action packed PrimeTime for the NMG Furniture, Bedding & Outdoor team. At the end of it all, we caught up with Jeff Rose, VP of the division, to talk about the new vendor introductions, the first-ever tour offered to Members of the World Market Center campus and other trends impacting the furniture, bedding and outdoor industries.

The TV market is a truly fascinating one to follow. Screen sizes continue to get bigger and picture quality continues to get more vibrant and clearer. But how much better can these displays actually get? We sat down with Bruce Walker, product evangelist at TCL, to get a – ahem – clearer picture of what's in store for TV technology.

A year in, we sat down with Chris Whitley to talk about the launch and growth of Ellipsys Commercial Technology Group and what's ahead for his expanding network.

You can't have a conversation about the retail industry without talking about the current status of the economy or where it's heading. We did just that with Velicia Sutton, managing director and general manager for Wells Fargo. In addition, Velicia dives into the world of inventory financing and shares how independent retailers can leverage this available benefit to free up cash to focus on other areas of their business.

Founded by Ken Dudley in 1978, Tip Top Furniture in Freehold, New York, has seen three generations of Dudley's take their place at the head of the family business. Currently run by Donna Mae, she and son Colby sat down for an interview during PrimeTime to talk about the keys to their multi-generational success and how they manage to merchandise a store that – at 35,000 square feet – can truly hold the entire population of Freehold.

While with us in Las Vegas for his first experience at a PrimeTime event, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Program Manager Dan Cronin sat down for a podcast. Cronin recounted his experience at the show, talked about the just announced Partner of the Year Awards (of which, NMG was an honoree) and much more. 

The odds of a family-owned business making it past the second generation are never really great. So, the fact that Oaklyn, NJ-based Nastasi's is currently a fourth-generation owned and operated independent retail store is simply miraculous.

Unveiled during PrimeTime in Las Vegas this week, OneShop is Nationwide Marketing Group's revamped and upgraded digital solutions platform that's tailored to the needs of the independent retail channel.

Powerhouse Alliance Executive Director Dennis Holzer dives into the world of distributor buying groups with us and talks about the trends in product and purchasing that they see on the distributor side of the business.

Larry Carrico was presented with a unique opportunity early in his career to take over a rent-to-own business deep in the south. From that one location, he's been able to grow Rent One into a massively successful multi-state, 100-store operation.

Legends Home has been hard at work over the past few years evolving as a company, expanding into new categories and providing independent retailers new and streamlined ways of doing business.

Announced late last year, SlimTech looks to be one of the biggest innovations in the refrigeration category in nearly half a century. Why? And how? We sat down with Mario Gonzalez, senior manager of product marketing for the JennAir brand, to dive deep into the new technology and all the impacts it could have on this space.

Bob Maricich, Chairman and CEO of ANDMORE – the brand behind the Las Vegas, High Point and Atlanta furniture market events – graciously stopped by the Nationwide Marketing Group showroom during Las Vegas Furniture Market.