Stories from the River

In the second part of this conversation from Stories from the River, host Charlie Malouf welcomes back the 2023 GM of the Year Mitch Dixon to delve into a candid discussion about life, leadership, and personal development. Mitch shares insight into the multifaceted challenges of fatherhood and the concept of perseverance, attributing much of his resilience to the influence of his late father and w...

In the first part of this conversation on Stories from the River, host Charlie Malouf welcomes the celebrated Mitch Dixon, the 2023 General Manager of the Year at Broad River Retail, to unpack the secrets behind his remarkable success at the Gastonia store. Mitch, whose career trajectory took him from a cashier at Sears to a luminary in the retail industry, shares his personal journey and professi...

Welcome to Part Two of this conversation with Will Luke (Senior Director, Retail Operations & Project Management) and Kellie Jones (Manager, Retail Operations), aptly named "Elevated Innovation in Retail Operations."  In this episode, Will and Kellie recount several major project wins that they achieved along with their team in 2023.  All major project wins that resulted in improved guest experien...

Welcome to Part One of this new two-part series, "Elevating Culture & Performance with the Wizards," from Stories from the River. Host Charlie Malouf welcomes back to the podcast two return guests, Will Luke, Senior Director of Retail Operations and Project Management, and Kellie Jones, Manager of Retail Operations. They delve into the team's dynamic spirit, spotlighting the unique Gandalf award p...

In this exciting episode of Stories From the River (that was recorded on Friday, February 2nd, following a companywide Annual Kickoff Town Hall), host Charlie Malouf and Chief Operating Officer Manny Rodrigues announce the much anticipated Word of the Year at Broad RIver Retail!  The 2024 Word of the Year is - CONNECT  The episode takes the audience through a retrospective look at Broad River Reta...

In this episode of Stories from the River, host Charlie Malouf sits down with return guests Vice President Wes Dudley and Director Anita Harris from Broad River Retail's Customer Experience team to discuss their impressive achievements in contact center metrics in 2023.  They walk through each of the CX department's top Key Performance Indicators by defining the metric, explaining why it matters,...

In today's episode, host Charlie Malouf is joined by return guests Tim Clouse, VP of Operations, and James Ouellette, Associate Director of Operational Excellence, to discuss strides in inventory integrity and accuracy within their distribution centers. The episode delves into the company's transformation of its inventory tracking system, which was refined and tested rigorously, culminating in imp...

In the last episode of the Business Operating Systems series, host Charlie Malouf rejoins guests Carl Hillesland and Stacey McCormick as they take a deep dive into the implementation objections, the biggest obstacles, the biggest wins, and the key elements of Mr. Mo.   The discuss the reasons for tracking behaviors down to the individual HFC (Home Furnishings Consultant) level and the break point...

In this episode of Stories from the River, host Charlie Malouf announces the exciting expansion of Broad River Retail into a brand-new market in Aiken, South Carolina (which is part of the greater Augusta-Aiken DMA), with a 7.0 Ashley Store!  Focusing on strategic growth, the company is set to open a 25,230 square foot store in the Aiken Exchange shopping center, adjacent to a Target store. Charli...

In the third episode of the Business Operating Systems series, host Charlie Malouf welcomes back Stacey McCormick and Carl Hillesland to discuss the transformative impact of Mr. Mo, the Retail Performance team's business operating system. Introduced in late October 2021, Mr. Mo powered the Retail Performance team to achieve record results in 2022 by instilling an increased cadence of accountabilit...

In the second episode of the Business Operating Systems series, host Charlie Malouf continues his conversation with Carl Hillesland and Stacey McCormick. Carl and Stacey reveal the origin story of Mr. Mo ("More Right, More Often"), the Retail Performance team's customized Operating System built on the chassis of EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System).  Not only is "MR MO" an acronym for More Right...

Welcome to the first episode of our Business Operating Systems series. Today, host Charlie Malouf, alongside guests Carl Hillesland and Stacey McCormick, delve into the world of business operating systems, primarily focusing on the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). Designed for small to mid-sized companies, EOS is lauded for its simplicity and effectiveness in gaining traction by streamlinin...

In the final episode of "The Road to Elevate" series, the team at Broad River reflects on their fondest memories and experiences from the year.  Krissy Whitley fondly recalls the quarterly all hands meetings and team outings, emphasizing the joy of watching the team grow and develop. Heather Greenwood speaks passionately about giving back to and recognizing the team, highlighting the impact of the...

In the third episode of The Road to Elevate series, the Human Capital Team at Broad River Retail, consisting of Jocelyn Jones, Heather Greenwood, Kate Ross, and Krissy Whitley, reflects on their milestones and experiences throughout the year. They discuss the lessons learned from their 2023 roadmap, highlighting the importance of flexibility, diversification, and meeting people where they are. The...

In this solo episode of Stories from the River, host Charlie Malouf discusses the importance of having an Olympic mindset when pursuing one's goals and mastering one's craft. Drawing inspiration from the ongoing Olympics in Paris and insights from various podcasts and books, Charlie emphasizes the need for dedication, sacrifice, and consistent measurement to achieve excellence. He correlates this...

In part two of this four part series, the Road to Elevate, the Human Capital department at Broad River Retail resumes their conversation recapping 2023 and discussing what exactly made their teams elevate in 2023. Today, Jocelyn Jones, Heather Greenwood, Kate Ross, and Krissy Whitley explore the concept of stretching in their professional roles. Heather begins by explaining what stretching means t...

Jocelyn Jones, the Senior Vice President of Human Capital at Broad River Retail, hosts a discussion with Heather Greenwood, Krissy Whitley, and Kate Ross - Broad River's Leadership of the Human Capital department. In this four part series, titled, The Road to Elevate, they reminisce on the department's accomplishments in 2023.  Heather discusses teamwork and cross-collaboration and what that means...

In the 9th and final episode of the World Business Forum NYC series, Charlie, Heather, and Lynn sit down once again to discuss what they've learned from Allyson Felix and her fireside chat. Allyson is the most decorated track & field athlete of all time with 11 Olympic and 20 World Championship medals, and now she is an entrepreneur with a purpose for justice and advocacy for women athletes. Durin...

Charlie and Heather riff on the infectious and inspiring presentation from teacher, educator, author, speaker, and urban farmer Stephen Ritz, founder of the Green Bronx Machine, during the World Business Forum in NYC. They delve into Ritz's journey of personal transformation and his mission to empower students through healthy living and education. Ritz's relentless passion and energy captivated th...

Continuing with the recap from World Business Forum in New York, Charlie and Stacey sit down to discuss Peter Diamandis' thought-provoking presentation on exponential Meta-Trends for the next Decade.  They explore the profound impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on various aspects of business and society. Charlie and Stacey discuss Diamandis' compelling arguments about the rapid rise to date an...

In this episode of the World Business Forum NYC 2023 Series from Stories from the River, host Charlie Malouf is joined by COO Manny Rodrigues and Brian Declinick, Sr. Director of Supply Chain at Broad River Retail, examining Marshall Goldsmith's presentation in New York. Goldsmith's talk, brimming with practical advice for daily use, underscores the importance of simplicity, collaboration, and emp...

In this episode of World Business Forum NYC 2023 Series from Stories from the River, host Charlie Malouf welcomes Will Luke, Director of Retail Operations and Stacey McCormick, the River's Senior VP of Retail Performance, as they break down their thoughts on Simon Sinek's unique Q&A in New York City. In their conversation, they delve into Simon's ideas on the correlation between rewarding behavior...

Welcome back to another World Business Forum NYC 2023 Series episode from Stories from the River. Host Charlie Malouf leads the conversation with returning guests Heather Greenwood and Brian Deckelnick, Sr. Director of Supply Chain at Broad River Retail, as they unpack the insights from Will Guidara's presentation. Will was the former co-owner and GM of the #1 rated restaurant in the world, Eleven...

In this episode of "Stories from the River," Charlie shares the exciting news about Broad River Retail's plan to open a new store in Rock Hill, South Carolina! The new 7.0 Ashley store will be located at the Galleria Mall, which is conveniently situated near the interstate. Charlie expresses the company's enthusiasm for entering the thriving and expanding Rock Hill market, which is part of the gre...

World Business Forum NYC 2023 Series from Stories from the River, Charlie welcomes back Stacey McCormick, the River's Senior VP of Retail Performance as they debrief Dr. Marcus Collins' presentation. Dr. Marcus Collins is a professor at the Ross School of Business. He's an expert on the relationship between culture, consumer behavior, and brand identity. His ideas revolve around how brands evolve,...