Stories from the River

In this episode of Stories from the River, CEO Charlie Malouf wraps up a four-part mini-series on Broad River Retail's approach to budgeting, financial discipline, and their own version of the "great game of business." This episode focuses on the Q & A segment with retail leaders and general managers, diving into the practicalities and philosophies behind their monthly budgeting process.  In this...

It's the third episode of Broad River Retail's new summer series on Stories from the River, where CEO Charlie Malouf takes listeners behind the scenes of the Story of Broad River with a full explanation of Monthly Budgets and the way Broad River plays the game.  Charlie opens this episode by sharing the pivotal story of DASH (an acronym for Broad River's Home Delivery program: Delivery. Assembly....

Welcome to the second episode of Broad River Retail's new summer series on Stories from the River. This episode continues to listen in on the talk that CEO Charlie Malouf gave to the retail leaders on July 10th, 2025, at the in-person, offsite, monthly GM Rx meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina. Charlie revisits the pivotal year of 2015—a crucible moment and turning point for the company. What beg...

Welcome back to Stories from the River and a brand new summer series! This new series comes from a talk that CEO Charlie Malouf gave to the retail leaders on July 10th, 2025, at the in-person, offsite, monthly GM Rx meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina. The acronym 'Rx' stands for "Retail Excellence" and also is our prescription for how we win the month, the quarter, and the year. The topic of thi...

On this episode of Stories from the River, the Scholarship Fund Series wraps up with it's fourth and final episode. President Manny Rodrigues introduces listeners to scholarship recipients Jordyn Collins, Don and Joseph Limekuller, and Vince Sayles, who share their journeys as they prepare for college and the next chapter in their lives. Each scholarship recipient discusses their school selection...

Welcome back to the Scholarship Fund Series on Stories from the River! In this third episode, Manny Rodrigues introduces the special guests, including for the first time ever, two brothers—Don and Joey Leimkuhler—both scholarship recipients and sons of Memory Maker Janet Leimkuhler.  They are joined by fellow scholarship winners Kate Nettles and Jordyn Collins, who share their excitement and antic...

In the second episode of the Scholarship Fund Series on Stories from the River, we meet four remarkable women from the Broad River Retail community: Shari Nettles, Kate Nettles, Shamieka Smith, and Tamya Ormond. Shari, Senior Marketing Manager, and Shamieka, Customer Experience Specialist, reflect on their journeys as proud parents of scholarship recipients and share how their daughters are steppi...

Welcome to the first episode of this season's Scholarship Fund Series on Stories from the River! In this kickoff episode, Manny Rodrigues, President & COO of Broad River Retail, explores the profound impact of Broad River Retail's Founders Scholarship Fund—launched in 2019 to honor co-founders Jonathan Ishee and Jackson Moore. Created to support the educational goals of our Memory Makers and their...

It's the fourth and last episode of the General Manager series on Stories from the River as host Heather Greenwood welcomes Ric Rush and Joshua Stanely, two seasoned General Managers at Broad River Retail.  Both Ric, Senior General Manager of Port City, The Mariners, and Joshua, Senior General Manager of Special Forces, Pinehurst Patriots, share insights from their extensive journeys with the comp...

We're back with the third episode of the General Manager series on Stories from the River! Heather Greenwood hosts a lively discussion with two dynamic General Managers from Broad River Retail: Troy Walker, who leads the Columbia Bloodline, and Jason Sessoms, General Manager of the Aiken Thoroughbreds. The conversation dives into their journeys with the company, highlighting the evolution of the G...

Welcome to the second episode of the General Manager series here on Stories from the River! Heather Greenwood sits down with two esteemed General Managers from Broad River Retail: Mitch Dixon of Rock Hill Raiders and Chris Morrell of Team Gold Rush. Both share their journeys within the company, discussing what it means to translate the company's vision into reality at their stores. Chris emphasize...

Welcome to the first episode of the General Manager series here on Stories from the River! Heather Greenwood kicks off a special series focusing on the pivotal role of the General Manager at Broad River Retail. Filming from the Ashley store in Pineville, North Carolina, Heather is joined by Dana Mallory, District Manager of the Savage South, and Renee Bradley, Associate Director of Retail Onboardi...

In this episode of Stories from the River, guest host Tyler Trill, Senior Communications Manager at Broad River Retail, sits down with Broad River Retail's IT experts Robert Ferguson, Associate Director, IT Infrastructure & User Services, and Tim Sobkowiak, Associate Director, Retail Technology & Project Management, to dive into the world of cybersecurity, with a specific focus on phishing attacks...

In this episode of Stories from the River, guest host Kim Harkness sits down with Rachel LoPresto, the Corporate Events Manager, to go behind the scenes of Broad River Retail's signature gatherings, including the annual Sleep Summit at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Rachel reflects on her first year in the role—highlighting her favorite moments, especially the Experts Soirée, and discussing what go...

In the second part of this two-part series on Stories from the River, Heather Greenwood welcomes Memory Makers from the recent Sleep Summit held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.  The conversation brings together insights from various Memory Makers, who share how the summit has influenced their approach on the sales floor, deepened their product knowledge, and enhanced their confidence in connectin...

In this special two-part edition of Stories from the River, Heather Greenwood guest hosts to spotlight the highlights of the recent Sleep Summit held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. The episode features eight Memory Makers from various Broad River Retail locations, sharing their unique experiences, key takeaways, and the powerful "aha" moments that made the event memorable.  Hear from: -Cristina...

Welcome back to Stories From the River, where Charlie Malouf continues his conversation with Bradley Sullivan, the General Manager of the award-winning Albemarle Aces, for an in-depth discussion on leadership, motivation, and what it takes to build a high-performing retail team at Broad River Retail. Against the energetic backdrop of the Charlotte Motor Speedway, Bradley shares how his obsession w...

In this episode of Stories from the River, host Charlie Malouf sits down with Bradley Sullivan at the Charlotte Motor Speedway to dive into Bradley's unique journey as a Memory Maker at Broad River Retail. Bradley, affectionately known as Sully, recounts his path from his early days in the furniture business, his meaningful recruitment experience at the transformative Purpose 8:28 event (Bradley's...

In this episode of Stories from the River, host Charlie Malouf sits down with Jose Blanco, the General Manager of the Glenwood Gladiators, as part of the GM Series. Coming to you from the Charlotte Motor Speedway during a week of special events, the two dive into Jose's extensive 11-year leadership journey at Broad River Retail. Jose shares stories from his beginnings in liquidation furniture sale...

In this episode of Stories from the River, host Charlie Malouf welcomes Alexis Strafuss, the General Manager of the Augusta Annihilators, during the GM Rx and the Mission Possible Sleep Summit at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Alexis shares her journey from food and beverage management into the furniture retail world with Ashley, starting in 2020 in Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic. She describ...

In this episode of Stories from the River, host Charlie Malouf takes viewers and listeners on a behind-the-scenes journey through Broad River Retail's 2nd Quarter Companywide Town Hall that took place on Friday, May 16, 2025. He explains the origins and purpose of the quarterly Town Halls, highlighting how they have become a crucial channel for transparent communication and engagement with Memory...

This episode marks the fifth and final installment in the Ashley's 'Right to Win' Boot Camp series on Stories from the River, hosted by Charlie Malouf. The focus of this series is a four-day intensive training held across eight host locations, aimed at elevating the product knowledge and confidence of Broad River's Memory Makers. Charlie interviews Kensley Phillips, Jim Walker, and Josh Hatchell f...

In this episode of Stories from the River, we continue the Ashley's 'Right to Win' Product Knowledge Boot Camp series, focusing on insights from four Memory Makers who participated in the intensive training event at the flagship Pineville location. Joined by Kensley Phillips, Jim Walker, Angel Santana, and Josh Hatchell, the conversation highlights each Memory Maker's unique perspective on the boo...

Welcome to the third episode in the Ashley's 'Right to Win' Product Knowledge Boot Camp series from Stories from the River. Charlie Malouf introduces Chris Berrier, Area Manager of Supernova in the North region. The conversation highlights the extensive boot camp training underway, which draws Memory Makers from three states, taking place in eight different host stores, with sessions led by experi...

Welcome to the second episode in the latest series from Stories from the River - Ashley's 'Right to Win' Product Knowledge Boot Camp. Today, Charlie Malouf sits down with Teresa Thompson, Ashley Furniture Industries Field Sales Manager and trainer at this year's Boot Camp held in Pineville, North Carolina (one of the eight host sites for the training sessions).  Teresa shares her journey from a lo...