WDCast

Let's give a standing ovation for… Ovation!

DIY assembly furniture, Swedish meatballs, enviable showrooms, & ball pits in Småland… sound familiar? Yes, we are talking about the iconic Home Furnishing store, IKEA. And to make you adore them even more we spoke with Seana Strawn, Head of Home Furnishing Identity & Retail Design, on IKEA‘s quest towards a sustainable planet. Seana comes with 23 years of experience in the home furnishing industry, and she shares her passion for how the brand is embracing climate change as an opportunity and big responsibility. One of the ways IKEA is taking action is through their Circularity Hubs designed for refurbished items only. Listen to the episode to learn more about IKEA's sustainability efforts, customer-centric practices, and their 5 principles of home furnishing identity.1:20 – Meet Seana2:47 – A Back Story on IKEA5:04 – Test & Learn Approach7:50 – It's About the People10:19 – IKEA's Target Customer11:14 – Let's Talk Sustainability16:19 – A New Circularity Hub22:57 – What's Next?24:41 – Big vs. Small IKEA Stores27:08 – Home Furnishing Identity28:20 – The Personal Side of Seana

Specialty Retail is at a crossroads and a new brand is paving the way for innovation. Jamie Schisler, Chief Comfort Officer of comfort clothing brand – UpWest, is welcomed on to WDCast to discuss the brand's business model, growth plan, and a new approach to resale retail. The brand's business model was set up for success from the beginning, with what Jamie refers to as having “all legs of the table.” Unknowingly, this prepared the brand for the soon approaching pandemic and the DTC online store began opening physical stores as COVID restrictions loosened, meeting the consumers where they were according to online sales. Alternatively, the brand's promise of comfort anticipated consumers' needs in a time it was craved the most. Learn more about how UpWest is manifesting comfort for consumers and its other creative ventures.1:34 – Meet the Specialty Retail Veteran3:44 – Starting a New Brand6:49 – From FOMO to JOMO9:32 – A Brand Focused on Wellness11:00 – From Online to In-store13:36 – The Growth Plan16:59 – SoHo + Scrap NYC19:11 – Solving the Circularity Problem23:15 – What About Malls?28:03 – Lee's Lightning Round

Do you ever really think about where the products you consume come from? For example, what does it actually take to source, make, and package the tub of butter you pulled from your fridge this morning? Have you thought about the farm, the farmers, the soil, or the agricultural practices that went into that single tub of butter? Probably not. Enter WDCast guest, Julie DiNatale. Julie is the Commercial and Strategic Partnerships Leader for Truterra, the sustainability business of Land O'Lakes, Inc., one of America's largest farmer-owned cooperatives. Truterra collaborates with forward-thinking farmers, value chain companies, conservation organizations, and ag retailers to help better deliver the future of on-farm sustainability. In this episode, Julie and Lee Peterson, EVP Thought Leadership at WD Partners, dive into obstacles farmers are facing, what Truterra is doing to support on-farm sustainability, and what it's like to work with the USDA.2:33 – Land O' Lakes is More Than Just Butter3:53 – 3 Obstacles for Farmers6:50 – Process, People, Education10:42 – What Are Cover Crops?13:00 – Revolutionizing Practices16:20 – Being Part of a Cooperative19:59 – The Sustainability Movement23:26 – Producing Crops Becomes Natural25:22 – Working With the USDA31:11– Julie's Hobbies

Gen Z'ers have picked up on a shopping "trend" that is paving a new way of shopping for generations to come: shopping used/vintage/resale goods. Why shop resale? We looked to an expert for some answers. Anna is a Gen Z'er in New York City that has shopped used products for most her life – including furniture, clothing, household items, etc. Anna shares her story on how she entered the world of resale and why introducing used sections in stores may be beneficial for retailers in industries across the board. There is plenty of opportunity for retailers both online and in-store to expand their markets by tuning into the latest trends.2:03 – Meet the Gen Z Shopper3:22 – Resale Store vs. Buying New5:26 – Trending Now: Vintage7:57 – Why Shop Used?10:35 – Tiktok's Influence11:50 – C2C Resale15:17 – In-Store or Online?18:06 – It's Just the Beginning

Brian has a unique career background, building his foundation in the retail sector before diving deep into the world of healthcare at Banner Health. His foundation offers a fresh perspective on the retail consumer side of the industry. Brian and Dan enthusiastically discuss new and unexpected retailers that are entering the healthcare market and how this can change the game for the patient experience including what services can be offered, how the services are consumed, how they can integrate with their current products/services, and how retailers can benefit by expanding into new markets. Brian is confident that this is the most exciting time to be in the healthcare retail space as the near future promises great innovation.0:57 – Brian's Role at Banner Health1:45 – An Untraditional Path to Healthcare3:36 – Retail as an Advantage5:46 – The Triple AIM7:47 – Transitioning Away From "Patient"10:11 – Big News for Amazon!12:43 – Are Big Retailers a Threat?14:47 – A New Type of Urgent Care18:23 – Dollar General as a Healthcare Provider24:40 – "Rightsizing" Business27:16 – Looking Into the Crystal Ball

With sustainability so top of mind these days, we wanted to turn to some real experts on the topic. We're not talking about ‘plastic pants made from water bottles' kind of sustainability, but real meaningful change that corporations (and their design/AEC firm partners

The Fur-ocious Future of the ShopperQR codes and NFC tags, DTC products in CPG, VR and AR…there are plentiful acronyms to navigate when it comes to talk of modern technology in the consumer experience. Lucky for us Shopper Innovation and Experience expert, Kenny Endermuhle, helps us break these terms down and gets us excited about what the future of the pet shopper's experience holds. Lee and Kenny's enthusiasm around the amount of innovation that is happening now between the consumer and retailers is contagious. By leveraging VR, retailers can develop a unique and stimulating in-store experience for any shopper through personalization, immersion, and streamlining the customer journey. Nestlé Purina is one of many companies that are exemplifying this right on their store shelves!2:05 – From Sports to CPG5:27 – A Day in the Life of Kenny7:59 – Testing & Learning With VR10:09 – A Note to the VR Doubters12:02 – Building a Virtual Environment14:09 – QR Codes vs. NFC Tags17:13 – Direct to Consumer Goods22:57 – Relationship With Physical Stores27:33 – The Consumer Drives Innovation28:33 – What Brand Is Doing It Right?32:00 – Immersive Experience at the Shelf33:33 – Lee's Lightning Round

This week's podcast sounds a little different (literally!) as we invited on voiceover talent, Jodi Krangle, to discuss her journey into finding her voice and using it to help build an identity for the brands she works with. For some brands, their vocal identity is equally important to their visual identity (think commercials). Jodi's role is more about acting than it is about the sound of her voice itself because her voice is dependent on the messaging that the client needs communicated to its audience. Listen in to hear how she stepped foot into such an interesting career along with some fun stories from her time in the studio. Interested in hearing samples of her work? Visit www.voiceoversandvocals.com1:40 – Meet the Voice Behind the Talent7:09 – A Background in Music8:40 – Sound as Branding10:14 – To Pitch or Not to Pitch13:53 – Stories on the Job21:10 – Big Stars & Influencers27:10 – Did I Hear You On…?28:47 – Jodi's Album31:07 – 5 Year Plan34:03 – Lee's Lightning Round35:57 – How to Connect With Jodi

Clayton Mitchell (Mitch) has a passion for leadership, much attributed to his years spent in the US Navy as he was able to look up to the great leaders surrounding him. He learned that it takes 3 major elements to being a leader: vision, communication, and character. These skills come to play in navigating conflict—a type of conversation that is often failed to be mentioned when it comes to discussing the healthcare industry. Health + Wellness expert at WD, Dan Stanek, points out that discussions surrounding healthcare tend to be collegial. In this episode, Dan & Mitch open up the conversation to critical, and often overlooked topics in the industry including its changing footprint, rethinking its structure, and how other industries can help inform it. 0:59 – A Background that Starts in Aerospace3:22 – What is Health Assurance?5:45 – Where Healthcare is Most Broken8:47 – Changing Footprints12:02 – Jefferson Health's Mission15:55 – The 3 Elements to Leadership 20:40 – Changing the Pace of the Industry22:50 – Looking into the Crystal Ball

Activating ideas, experiencing spaces, imagining the new, and pushing innovative solutions partially covers a day in the life of a creative. Brands are constantly facing new challenges given a hybrid environment and a changed (but not dead) retail world. This episode introduces the new WD EVP of Creative, Jay Highland. He serves as a catalyst, challenging clients to think outside the box for solutions and providing them with the tools to do so. Lee Peterson and Jay exchange ideas on their design perspective with an enthusiastic attitude for innovation (and shared love for live music).2:39 – Jay's Background6:10 – Being an Innovator7:52 – Creative Consulting9:02 – A Day in the Life12:50 – Finding New Opportunity16:46 – “My Brand Sucks, Please Save Me”19:38 – Expanding Empathy24:35 – The Inside Scoop31:50 – A Look into Jay's Life Outside WD33:29 – Lee's Lightning Round

As the daughter of a restaurant operator, Joanne Heyob started off her extensive career in restaurants at the early age of 16. Her lifelong experience in restaurants and retail have been an integral part of the operations team here at WD. Joanne has spent countless hours in parking lots– observing drive-thru lines and counting cars, as well as overseeing back of house operations. In this episode, Joanne recommends four key ways that restaurant operators can adjust their drive-thru strategy to give the consumers what they want. Who knew it wasn't all about 3-story, robot operated, elaborate drive-thrus? To learn more about Joanne's piece on drive-thru innovation, download the free POV: https://www.wdpartners.com/pov/drive-thru-break-through/2:27 – Joanne's early career 4:26 – A day in the life at WD6:09 – Drive-thru Break-through10:49 – Intuitive Wayfinding12:12 – App Adoption13:35 – Automation 16:57– Guest Journey Reimagined20:10 – What makes Joanne mad in the industry?22:53 – Bold predictions25:20 – Lee's lightening round

This episode of WDCast hits home, literally, as we talk about the success story of a well-known shopping center here in WD's home base: Columbus, OH! We invited CEO of Easton Town Center, Jen Peterson, to share how the space has transitioned from a shopping center to a welcoming neighborhood that has something to offer every guest. Strategizing vendors and fabricating experiences throughout the space are two integral pieces that make this shopping center earn #1 in the country by Chain Store Age. Warning: Listening to this episode will get you in the holiday shopping spirit. Listen now!1:49 – Meet Jen5:12 – The town of Easton Town Center7:00 – Strategizing Tenants9:53 – The Shopping Center of the Future11:10 – Multiple Choice of the Shopping Experience12:37 – Advice From Jen18:11 – The Man Behind the Curtain21:23 – Christmas ‘2122:24 – Coming Soon27:28 – Predictions for the New Year29:02 – Getting Outdoors

When you think of Big Tech in healthcare, who comes to mind? Microsoft probably isn't one of the first contenders on your list, however, this well-known tech company is making great strides in problem solving and innovation within the health care sector. In this week's episode, we invite Neil Jordan of Microsoft to educate us on how the company is doing just that. Neil offers a refreshingly optimistic approach to the future of healthcare and technology as he and Dan Stanek discuss topics including the consumer experience, emerging technologies, retailer relationships, and more.1:05 – Background on Neil3:20 – What Does Microsoft Have to Do With Healthcare?5:45 – Highlights of Microsoft in the Health Sector10:00 – Emerging Technology13:32 – Who Is Advanced in Tech?17:09 – Problem Solving in the Industry20:44 – The Importance of the Consumer Experience26:23 – Neil's Crystal Ball of Predictions31:31 – Let's Talk Costs34:24 – An Optimistic Viewpoint

New York native, avid-traveler, co-founder of influence group, and apparently also a natural at podcasting, we introduce to you Michael Owens! Influence group produces invite-only leadership retreats, virtual roundtables and custom content in a variety of industries. WD invited Michael on to this week's episode to discuss all things Spaces. As you may have heard, we are attending RestaurantSpaces, RetailSpaces, and HealthSpaces LIVE. Michael exposes how influence group has had so much success in hosting these destination conferences, and many more, including how they have thrived through a period of virtual events during the pandemic.1:13 Meet Michael5:38 Going Virtual9:38 Spaces! Spaces! Spaces!14:46 Store Within a Store?22:47 Warby Parker – A Model for Success26:10 Healthcare Gone Retail30:11 Conference of the Future34:56 Michael asks Lee Who's Killing It?38:49 Impact of Work From Home41:53 Roadtrips, Playing Music, & Boxing

Healthcare is an ever-expanding industry. It's an evolving market that craves innovation. The industry has shifted from “can we do this” to “how do we do this.” Consumers are seeing changes in how patients receive care, new technology use, and structural changes in the industry itself. We invited Chris McFadden to chat with us on these essential topics. Chris is managing director of healthcare at KKR, a leading global investment firm. He joins WD's Dan Stanek to discuss the latest emerging topics in the healthcare industry, and what role the industry plays in the overall portfolio of the company.1:00 Meet KKR's Chris2:33 KKR's role in healthcare4:17 What characteristics are valued as an investment?6:28 Landscape changes11:39 Pros and cons of home health18:13 Big tech companies + healthcare22:55 The challenge of how24:39 The pandemic's lasting effects28:30 A conversation about industry structure

It all started with a good business model, some incredible people, and a cheesy gordita crunch. Meredith Sandland began her unexpected entrance into the restaurant industry as an executive at Taco Bell, then transitioned to work for the ghost kitchen role model: Kitchen United. Her extensive experience in the industry has led Meredith to publish a book, Delivering the Digital Restaurant, where she explores the digitization of the industry and the massive disruption facing American restaurants. (check it out here: https://amzn.to/3iCyfM6) Tune in to hear Meredith and Lee elaborate on ghost kitchens, sociology of consumers, and the future of restaurants.2:38 Introducing Meredith3:51 A transition to Taco Bell10:58 How Covid shifted the restaurant industry14:11 Kitchen United ghost kitchen21:25 Dominos as the original ghost kitchen24:00 Meredith's book release27:50 Sociology and food32:13 Reigniting Taco Bell's growth34:35 Who's killin' it?41:32 Public speaking tips from Meredith

The House of Sports – Where DICK's Sporting Goods turn the “What ifs” into “What is.” What if they have a location that has unique experiences for athletes? What if they have a different service model? Senior VP of In-Store Environment, Visual Merchandising & House of Sport at DICK's Sporting Goods, Toni Roeller, articulates her thoughts with WD Partners' Lee Peterson. WD Partners had the privilege to be a lead strategist and creative partner for the retail company in developing an experiential store. Listen in to hear how the company's perpetual optimism and forward-thinking has advanced their brand over the past year or so, alongside their plan to continue this growth moving forward.1:36: Meet Toni4:39 DICK's Sporting Goods as essential business10:30 House of Sports14:57 “The Field”17:37 A different type of store20:55 What's in the pipeline?23:36 Who's killin' it?26:23 2022 predictions29:18 An avid hockey fan

Wawa convenience stores have stood the test of time, with roots that go over two centuries back. The company began as a dairy farm in rural Pennsylvania and is recognized today as a well-known quick stop for coffee and fuel, now operating in 68 regions across the United States. In more recent years, Wawa was faced with a “Super Challenge” – how to operate both a manufacturing facility and storefront under one roof. Creating convenience in retail has become the name of the game over the past year or so as retailers were forced to shift their strategies to maintain business. In this episode, director of construction at Wawa Inc., Terri Micklin, waxes eloquently about how their company has grown from a food-first retailer to the full-scale convenience store we know it as today.

Almost two years ago Walmart opened its first Walmart Health in Dallas, Georgia. Twenty-four locations later, the retail giant continues to embody the latter half of their company tagline: Save money. Live better. In this week's episode we bring back Dan Stanek, EVP and Health & Wellness lead at WD Partners, to talk with Marcus Osborne, Senior Vice President of Walmart Health, about the growth of Walmart Health and their approach to delivering healthcare services to markets in need. Hint: they start with the consumer and built their services, pricing and accessibility around the individual. :55 – Getting to know Marcus6:32 – What makes the Walmart model unique11:35 – Offering a mix of services17:24 – Assessing markets based on net health needs24:16 – Healthcare is a tough business28:37 – An omnichannel approach to healthcare33:31 – Where will Walmart Health be in 5-10 years

Cramming in patients, barely having time to eat lunch, spending hours at the end of the day writing notes from visits, and so many billing codes. This is not why Rushika Fernandopulle became a doctor. Rushika became a doctor because he wanted to help people and he realized he couldn’t do that given the current healthcare system. In this special episode, WD Partners’ Dan Stanek takes over as host of WDCast and sits down with the founder and CEO of Iora Health – Dr. Rushika Fernandopulle. They discuss what’s broken in the US healthcare system, how Iora Health is attempting to fix it, and what it means to be a human-centered healthcare organization. 1:14 – Rushika’s background & journey3:31 – I’m gonna change the system6:05 – The Iora Health difference10:25 – Human-centered principles12:13 – Value-based payment14:01 – The primary care lever18:20 – Changing the delivery system21:27 – The impact of the pandemic23:20 – The role of technology26:54 – CEO + MD

The digital channel and an on-demand retail world are here, front and center. There isn't a retailer out there who doesn't realize that digital retail is one of, if not THE most important element of their future. The amount of online order fulfillment that retailers are doing today is about 3 times what they were doing a year ago and the physical boxes (aka stores) are becoming less and less practical to fulfill that volume. In this episode we catch back up with Jordan Berke, Founder of Tomorrow Retail Consulting, who we spoke with almost a year ago about the notion of and need for dark stores. Jordan shares his expert opinions and predictions on the true rise of dark stores over the next year and what it means for stores to become fulfillment centers.01:04 – A refresher on Tomorrow Retail 02:06 – An on-demand retail world05:37 – The rise of dark stores (for real)09:10 – Stores as fulfillment centers17:18 – “Blank” from home20:17 – The boardroom’s reaction 24:22 – US vs. Asia (digital adoption)26:47 – Predictions for the future and obligatory football talk

Human Centered Design – type that puppy into google and you’ll get a myriad of definitions and approaches, but this episode’s guest defines it quite simply as using empathy, ideation and experimentation to put the needs of the human (end user) at the center of the problem-solving process. Meet Stephen Wurth, Sr. Manager of Category Experience Design at Purina. He chats with WD Partners’ Lee Peterson on how his team works with retail partners to design solutions in an omni-channel world, how Design with a capital D can (and should) be used as a thinking tool across an organization, and why design thinking is not a linear process. 1:01 – Getting to know Stephen5:00 – Human centered design9:20 – Leveraging design thinking to help solve problems12:15 – The advantage of design led companies18:58 – Cultural ways of working20:27 – How does tech fit into human centered design24:29 – Direct to consumer models29:08 – Why bonobos is killing it33:36 – Predictions for 202136:15 – Advice for public speaking38:00 – Cardinals fan through and through

Here’s some solid career advice: Identify a brand you have a passion for and seek out an opportunity. That’s exactly what our guest Gina Peterson did. Gina has been with Hershey for the last 11 years and to simply say she is passionate about her work is a massive understatement. Gina is the Sr. Manager of Retail Experience for the confections giant and has an amazing opportunity to identify new opportunities and holistic solutions (beyond selling another candy bar) with retail partners. Gina’s work is grounded in the voice of the shopper and her team partners with Hershey’s retail customers to create and activate playbooks and principles to drive growth in the space. In this episode Gina shares with Lee Peterson (EVP, Thought Leadership & Marketing at WD Partners) what digital first means for Hershey, the impact the great accelerator has had on the CPG industry, and how sweet it is to work at a place you love.1:30 – Hershey in her heart4:58 – A day in Gina’s life7:20 – Insights to activation9:42 – Voice of the shopper11:12 – Digital first for Hershey14:14 – The impact of the great accelerator18:26 – The 15-minute city20:46 – Who’s doing it right?24:15 – A take on social media25:38 – 2021 Predictions27:25 – The personal side of Gina

We pick up where we left off from our previous episode with Toby Barnes (yes, there was a part 1 episode and yes, you should definitely go back and listen to it if you haven’t already) and Lee Peterson as they discuss the future of retail. They kick off the conversation dissecting the term “digital first” and what Toby thinks it really means and dive into live stream shopping, tik tok, and the good and bad of social media.

Helped launch some of the most innovative Nike concepts and has a British accent? Yes please! Meet Toby Barnes, Retail Futurist and former Nike Exec, in episode one of a two-part series as he discusses the future of retail and stores with Lee Peterson. Toby and Lee dive into the differences between the function of retail versus the function of a store and how retailers must rethink about what they deliver to the customer.

Businesses are just now realizing the importance of digital, but consumers have known this for a longtime. What was once an afterthought or bolt-on solution for brands, has become the place that people go to first when beginning their buying journey. Even when they don’t know that they actually want to buy something. Our guest this week built his company on knowing that a brand makes their first impression online. Joey Zornes, Co-Founder and Creative Director at Bonfire Red, sits down with Lee Peterson to talk all things digital. From staying up on trends, to the beauty of digital storytelling, and the role of digital in the physical space, Joey shares why his company was built on a digital first mentality.

We haven’t met anyone with a resume like Nita Rollins. She’s a journalist, meets film and art critic, meets marketer, meets critical studies major, meets cultural semiotician and futurist. And a doctor. Did we mention she’s a doctor?! While the organizations she’s associated with are impressive to say the least, Nita is on a new adventure. A company she launched called Stylograph—at a fundamental level, it’s a full-service organic content marketing consultancy, but with Nita at the wheel, it’s so much more. In this episode, Lee Peterson and Dr. Nita Rollins discuss how she got to her current career of choice, why it’s important for her to bring her personal passions into her everyday work, how brands (at least the good ones) recognize the importance of being a publisher, and her love of a beautiful head scarf.1:50 - One of the most interesting resumes in the world9:55 – The world could use Nita Rollins16:40 – Talk to us about Stylograph22:07 - The modern expression of a brand24:20 - The juxtaposition of Jumbo Shrimp27:48 - Sustainable fashion30:34 - Being inspired by nature33:14 – Cuba & the National Hotel36:23 - Fearless fashion

A self-taught artist, dad, avid reader, project doer, music lover and self-proclaimed imperfectionist, Joey Monsoon joins Lee Peterson in this week’s episode to discuss his process when creating art, how he handles criticism, what his legacy looks like and why children are the artists we should be watching and encouraging the most.

The customer is in charge. This isn’t a new idea, but it is new to the world of healthcare. As consumers have grown accustomed to receiving products at the speed of light, when and how they want it, the question becomes…how does this translate to healthcare? How can healthcare become personalized? A product with a service that you receive and interact with on your terms. Let us introduce you to this week’s podcast guest: Brian Slusser. Brian is the founder and CEO of Health In Motion Network. His company has a clear goal: to organize local providers (using innovation) onto a common patient platform in order to provide healthcare on-demand. He joins Lee Peterson to discuss the ins and outs of healthcare, how the global pandemic has brought these issues to the forefront and how is company is helping to solve them.

In a mere 8 weeks, we’ve seen a 5-year step change in American’s shopping behavior when it comes to everyday essentials. And it’s not stopping anytime soon. Consumers will continue to increase their reliance on online shopping in the coming months, and this week’s guest predicts that retailers will see over 50% of their growth and total sales coming from digital channels. Jordan Berke an ex-Walmart executive and Founder of Tomorrow Retail Consulting, joins Lee Peterson to discuss the trends he lived through while leading Walmart’s China eCommerce & Digital Operations and why brands must adapt their approach to digital transformation within the store environment and throughout the customer journey.

Healthcare in general is 15-20 years behind retail. The industry has had the luxury of doing things on their terms instead of their patients’ (or as this week’s guest calls them—customers) terms. While a shift toward customer-centric healthcare has been mounting, the recent pandemic crisis has catapulted the industry into major change. For example, telehealth has come to the forefront, with forced adoption for both patients and doctors as many states enacted stay-at-home orders. In fact, some people will have no desire to go back to in-person doctor visits after experiencing the convenience of telehealth. This week, Dan Stanek, EVP at WD Partners, joins Lee Peterson to discuss the shift for the health and wellness industry to focus around the customer need states and changing demands.

Grocery stores have been hard at work figuring out ways to get customers in and out, replenish shelves and keep associates safe. They’ve been able to muscle through it so far, but there are many operational considerations and logistics to finetune including labor, technology and equipment. The demand of curbside pick-up, delivery to home, and contactless payment is changing the industry not only today but in the future in ways that are yet to be seen. Retailers have changed their operations more in the last 6 weeks than they have in the last 10 years and things are just getting started. In this episode, Joanne Heyob, SVP Operations Strategy & Design, joins Lee Peterson to discuss how brands have to experiment with different ways of shopping (pick-up, delivery, showroom) to meet the needs of their customers and what operations considerations come into play along the way.

Circular, back & forth, roundabout and all the ways in between getting to what’s next after all of this won’t be a straight line for many brands. The idea of testing & learning has never been more necessary. As the landscape continues to change how are consumer expectations also changing as they embrace the idea of ‘contactless shopping’ and begin to reengage in a physical shopping experience. Jody sees the ‘wins’ as being the brands walking the talk. Those that are helping their communities, customers & associates in a purposeful way. In this episode, Lee Peterson & Jody Wasbro, SVP Strategy & Experience Design at WD Partners, discuss trends like delivery, order ahead, and BOPIS that have been accelerated due to the crisis, as well as the opportunity for brands to blur the lines of their offering (services, products, community involvement) to come out on top.

Whole Foods is known for quality, education and localization and as the Sr. Director of Store Design, Gabby Rosi has played a major role in the customer experience and aesthetic of the brand. For the past 26 years Gabby has been working for a brand that she loves and has been involved in the design and creation of nearly 100 stores. Her artistic roots go deep as both her mom and dad are artists and her grandmother was an opera singer who traveled the country in the 30s. Gabby, a fellow Chicago native, joins Lee Peterson this week to discuss her career, the growth of Whole Foods and the importance of stores.

This week let’s discuss the haves and the have nots. Which retailers and restaurants will come out on top on the other side of this? Some of the larger retailers that made early on investments will continue to not only scale but grow and even have permission to expand their products and services. Yet, size alone won’t protect a company, it will come down to where they are in their distribution strategy, exclusive products and pricing, and the dependencies or opportunities that they see through service & labor models. This week John Bajorek, EVP Strategic Growth & Innovation at WD Partners, joins Lee Peterson to discuss his pragmatic outlook on the rest of 2020 and predictions on who will survive.

If you weren’t implementing BOPIS before this pandemic, you definitely are now! Mostly because you weren’t given a choice;) But that’s okay, because there is no time like the present to learn, adapt and do it all again. The time is now for brands to invest in their BOPIS programs—what does this crucial service look like for a specialty store, a grocery store and a restaurant? This week Jeff Arps, Sr. Director Business Development at WD Partners joins Lee Peterson to discuss what the post-covid shopping experience looks like, what brands are already winning at it and why restaurants need more than a drive-thru to make it in this new and crazy time.

Imagine getting a call from your friend about an upcoming trip you have planned to Wuhan, China in which he tells you, ‘hey buddy you might want to wait a couple weeks and see how this whole virus thing shakes out.’ That’s exactly what happened to Zak Dychtwald, a self-proclaimed Coronavirus Refugee. But Zak’s relationship with China goes back way farther than last December, Zak is an expert on the post 90’s generation in China (what we call millennials in the states). In fact, he’s done Ted Talks on it (google it, it’s amazing), he’s written a book on it and he’s even started a company about it (The Young China Group). This week we’re honored to have Zak join Lee Peterson where they discuss many things including the cultural divide between Hong Kong and mainland China, the sea change in China in the past years and how we’re seeing both the best and the worst of the Chinese government in response to Covid-19, and the stress test taking placed between young people and the Chinese government.

The man, the myth, the legend. We may be biased, but our special guest this week is our own CEO Chris Doerschlag. Leader of over 400 people, architect by trade, father to 8 kids, son of 2 immigrants, music junkie, and a creative wizard in the kitchen…Chris has some stories to tell! This week Chris joins Lee Peterson where he shares his philosophy of working with and managing people, why understanding human nature helps him empower others, his vision for WD, and so much more.

As one of the thought leaders behind the podcast Business Wars Daily, Elaine Appleton Grant has insight into the trends, technology, opportunities and threats impacting our world today. A longtime journalist and entrepreneur at heart, Elaine joins Lee Peterson to discuss a myriad of subjects from her prediction of the podcast phenomenon, to the importance of sustainability, and how AI is already a part of our daily lives.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably used some form of BOPIS (buy online pick-up in store), ship from store or ship to store. Retailers are pulling out all the stops to get goods to their customers on their terms. Yet most companies are ‘bolting-on’ the operation of these services, and not properly assessing or accounting for the additional needs (space, associates, product) of these growing orders. Well that’s where this week’s guest comes into play as Lee Peterson talks with Joanne Heyob, SVP Operations & Strategy Design at WD Partners. Joanne shares how her team works with brands to understand the floor plan, product flow, peak traffic times and so much more in order to create seamless experiences for the associates and customers.

The cannabis industry is exploding…lotion, drinks, gummies, make-up…you can’t turn around without seeing or hearing about CBD. Products are showing up everywhere from the shoe store to the pharmacy to specialty clothing boutiques. This new industry isn’t short of challenges including legal ramifications, product education, a slew of competitors and of course ecommerce. This week, Kathy Milette, eCommerce Director in the cannabis industry, joins Lee Peterson to discuss how she and her team are approaching the business, why her brand is different than other cannabis companies and the even more convoluted THC industry.

How does a CEO make sure his 5,000 associates not only understand the vision of the company but also feel like they are a part of the plan and future? By making sure those people can do the things they need to do. Whether it’s solving problems, clarifying communications or clearing up miscommunication, the plates are in the air and they are a spinning. In this episode Tom Krouse, CEO of Donatos, joins Lee Peterson to discuss his path to becoming a CEO, his leadership style, the success of running a family business and why having fun is so important.

Is the retail apocalypse real? Or is the industry just correcting for past mistakes? Many past mistakes. It’s convenient to blame the rise of ecommerce, but in actuality there are other forces at play (too many malls, being over-stored, bad real estate investments) causing the mass exodus of both store brands and brick-and-mortar locations. This week Daphne Howland, reporter for Retail Dive, joins Lee Peterson to discuss said apocalypse as well as the history and future of malls, the 800-pound gorilla Amazon, and the rise/fall of department stores.

Due to their size, capital and footprint, Big Box stores are quick to meet customers’ needs today—whether in a store, via delivery or pick-up, we’re seeing consumers responding (positively) and doubling down on their loyalty to those Big Box stores. This week Áine Cain, Senior Retail Reporter with Business Insider and expert on all things Big Box, joins Lee Peterson to discuss how Big Box stores are competing with ecommerce giants (we’re looking at you Amazon), the reality of stores acting as distribution centers and the impact all of these changes have on their associates.

Pop-up stores have been around for 10+ years (can you believe it?!). As technology booms, stores close and Amazon sells more Alexas, the role (and opportunity) that a pop-up store has within a brand’s ecosystem has never been more interesting. The Lionesque Group (pop-up retail architects) was founded on the idea that a pop-up store is a space for brands to tell a story. This week their founder and CEO Melissa Gonzalez joins Lee Peterson to discuss the various roles of a pop-up store, the importance of balancing an experience with real-world ROI and why brands must fuse digital and physical to provide personalized experiences for their customers.

The adage “the customer is always right” is not new. But never has it been truer than this year. The “Uberization” of retail—give me what I want when and how I want it—has shifted the way customers expect to interact with brands and retailers and it’s not going to change anytime soon. This week Alison Embrey Medina, Director of Content at Retail X, joins Lee Peterson to discuss this exact notion including what brands need to do to evolve and which brands are already revolving around their customer.

For the 3rd year, WD Partners has taken a simple yet effective approach to asking consumers what they think about 100 brands—is it good, bad or ugly? This year they took it a step further and added in 8 brand attributes to get a better understanding of why some brands are the bee’s knees and other are at the bottom of the barrel. John Bajorek, EVP Strategic Growth & Partnerships at WD Partners, joins Lee Peterson to discuss the details of the report, key learnings for various verticals and brands (spoiler alert: Amazon won) and what consumers are looking for from today’s brands.

There is no going back from the role technology plays in our life. In fact with the launch of 5G technology we will be able to access content, websites, conversations, etc. 100x faster than what we have now. And no one knows this better than Gen Z—this young cohort has never lived without technology and they are often the early adopters, influencers and drivers of what’s next. Marcie Merriman, Practice Leader, Cultural Insights and Customer Strategy at EY, joins Lee Peterson this week to discuss all things Gen Z, technology, retail and the intersection of the three.

Every other industry is built around the customer’s needs…except healthcare. Traditionally, the healthcare experience has been centered around the physician. When in reality, the experience should be created with the customer’s needs first (note the customer isn’t always the patient). The real unlock is when clinician & patient experiences merge and a solution can be found that benefits both parties. This week, Sara Saldoff, Sr. Director of Digital Marketing & Customer Experience at OhioHealth joins Lee Peterson to discuss this shift and how her team is using design thinking and empathy to pull the friction out of healthcare and create better experiences.

Because empathy is a function in all of us, it can be a trainable skill and can be one of the most powerful creative tools. When you can slow down and listen to others, be it clients, co-workers or customers, while maintaining complete self-awareness and an unbiased mindset, clear objectives can be determined that can tie back to a comprehensive strategy. This week, Andy House, Creative Director of Environments at WD Partners, joins Lee Peterson to talk about emotionally driven design and how leading with empathy can unlock innovation and collaboration.