Independent Thinking Podcast

To dive into the world of rep firms (and to clear up many of the misconceptions that exist) we turned to Joaquin Rivera, a custom integration industry veteran and co-founder of By Design Vision & Sound Marketing.

Hamai Appliance has been a staple in Kahului, Hawaii on the island of Maui for over 50 years. Needless to say, they've built a reputation as a community-first kind of business. And, as Bryant Hamai, president of Hamai Appliance, shares, never has that commitment to their community been more apparent than during the recent wildfires that left many of their friends and family displaced and facing un...

Nationwide Marketing Group' connected services programs include revenue generators and major money savors for both retailers and their customers – from internet and wireless service to cybersecurity training and more. We sat down with Eric Sindelar, director of connected services, to learn more about how he's working with retailers to help them make (and save) more money.

While his ambitions would have him and his team further down the road, Year One was an incredibly busy and successful one for Andy Orozco and Nationwide Marketing Group's custom integration division. Coming off of CEDIA 2023 in Denver, we sat down with Andy to talk about the show, his first year at the helm, and more.

Coming off of his first full PrimeTime season, we sit down with Nationwide Marketing Group's Director of Education and Training Shawn Ashby. We dive into his passion for educating audiences, his plans for the Nationwide Learning Academy, early preparations for the program in Las Vegas and much more.

During PrimeTime in Nashville, NMG's consumer electronics retailers had the opportunity to hear from Gap Intelligence, a data analytics firm that tracks pricing and promotional trends across myriad product categories – mainly focused on CE right now. Scott Peterson, a senior analyst at Gap, spent time after the session diving deeper into their work and how they get it done.

TCL has regularly pushed the envelope in the screen business – it's how the brand became one of the fastest growing in North America over the past decade. But, as Product Evangelist Bruce Walker tells us, it's more than just the technology that's catching people's attention these days.

Human Resources can be a very tricky area for independent business owners to navigate, especially when trying to formalize the department. Nationwide Marketing Group's Chief People Officer Kelley Kenner-Patridge, who helped establish the group's own HR initiative, and her team are helping retailers take the proper steps to be successful in the realm of talent and employee relations.

The brother-sister team of Greg Law and Kathryn Gaus, owner and HR business manager at Sweet Dreams Mattress & Furniture respectively, have truly bought in to the importance of serving their employees like they serve their customers. Their commitment to HR has resulted in a strong company culture and, in turn, the creation of what's truly a Dream Team.

Phantom Sound, a custom integration firm based out of Mason, Ohio, has a steep 35-year history that includes thousands of completed projects and four held patents. The company's owner, Tommy Brand, acquired the firm in 2022 and is, for all intents and purposes, a rookie in the CI space. He shares his story, what attracted him to Phantom Sound, and his plan to help the company continue to grow.

Last Fall, Nationwide Marketing Group rolled out a new partnership with FEI Group, an organization that represents hundreds of independent dealers in the flooring, cabinets, kitchen and bath and exterior contracting spaces. Brian Penabad, senior vice president of FEI, talks dives into how members of both groups to take advantages of the partnership.

The video game industry carries a certain connotation that often leads to independent retailers turning a blind eye to the category. But, as Chad Bowser of D&H points out, the video game segment has matured well beyond the average age of its consumer. And it's a category that represents a major opportunity to the dealers who go about it the right way.

The National Kitchen & Bath Association recently released the results of its first-ever study on the current (and future) state of the independent showroom segment. To help make sense of the troves of data the report uncovered, we invited Tricia Zach, head of research at NKBA, onto the podcast.

If you're in the appliance industry and not also selling kitchen and bathroom hardware, it's likely you're missing out on a major revenue generator. Mani Majano, VP of sales and brand management at Palazzani, shares some brand and industry updates on the category.

Jason Sayen, founder of I am Sayen, is a professional process fixer. While his experience centers around the custom integration channel, the work he does is applicable beyond the world of CI. We dive into the importance of process management, common struggles, creating buy in across your organization and much more.

When's the last time you checked to see how much you're spending on phone, internet, security software and other business technology solutions? We sat down with Jason DiFulvio, director of channel sales for AppDirect, to talk about how they're finding hidden savings for retailers and much more.

Ellipsys Commercial Technology Group, a new network of commercial integration businesses and vendor partners within Nationwide, will make its debut this week at a major industry trade show. Ahead of that event, we sat down with Chris Whitley, who's been charged with leading and growing that group.

It's been a while since we checked in with Randy Derr, director of distribution and eXchange at Nationwide Marketing Group, about the powerful platform. While we were together at the Oasys Summit in Nashville, we sat down with him to talk through recent updates, future plans and more.

In just under two years, AV Imagined has grown from an idea among friends to one of the more successful custom integration firms in the Detroit area. Lawrence Walters, a co-owner of the business, shares what it's been like to build a business from the ground up.

At the tail end of the first-ever Oasys Summit, we sat down with the Director of Oasys Hank Alexander to get his near-immediate reaction to the event. And, beyond the Summit, Hank covers what's next for the group in the lead up to CEDIA Expo this fall.

Earlier this month, Nationwide Marketing Group unveiled a new streamlined structure for its field team, which resulted in the creation of several new regions. We dive into the new structure — and how it ties into the ongoing Customer Obsessed conversation — with Nationwide's EVP of Membership Patrick Maloney. 

With the meteoric rise of tools like ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence-powered, content-producing platforms, it's only natural to wonder what role these tools can and will play in retail.

Barely two weeks into his new role as director of furniture and outdoor for Nationwide Marketing Group, David Niedzielski found himself roaming the buildings and showrooms at High Point Market. Post-show, we sat down with him to talk about joining Nationwide and what excites him about the opportunity to go to work for the independent retail channel.

Less than two weeks into his tenure as Senior Director of Consumer Electronics for Nationwide Marketing Group, 20-year CE industry veteran David Watt jumps on the podcast. Beyond his introduction to the group, Watt dives into the world of CE, where he sees some opportunities for CE dealers to grow and more.

Kaleb Behm, marketing and project manager at Nationwide, joins the podcast to discuss ways retailers can leverage the ENERGY STAR message in their own marketing. Specifically, ENERGY STAR has a unique program that helps visualize the real-world impact that selling ENERGY STAR Certified product has on the environment.