Stories from the River

Welcome to a brand-new series on Stories from the River as we go behind the scenes of Ashley's 'Right to Win' Product Knowledge Boot Camp with Charlie Malouf and Renee Bradley as they unpack what it means for Broad River Retail. Find out how this company-wide training is shaping retail teams and driving results across multiple locations. Charlie and Renee sit down at the Pineville Flagship Ashley...

We're back for part four of our Retail Operations series on Stories from the River! In this second half of a dynamic two-part conversation, guest host Sam Blum, Director of Customer Experience, continues the discussion with a powerhouse panel from Broad River Retail. Jessica Blackstock, REM of Mooresville, Nathan Jeter, GM of Mooresville, Cindy Orrick, Sales Audit Manager, and Karrin Reed, Manager...

This lively episode of Stories from the River marks part three of our Retail Operations series! Guest host Sam Blum, Director of Customer Experience, brings together a dynamic group of retail collaborators from Broad River Retail to spotlight the essential partnerships that power day-to-day operations. Nathan Jeter, General Manager of Mooresville, and Jessica Blackstock, REM of Mooresville, share...

Guest host Sam Blum, Director of Customer Experience, is joined by three Retail Operations leaders from Broad River Retail — Wes Dudley, VP of Customer Experience & Retail Operations, Andrew Bartlett, Associate Manager, Retail Operations, and Katrina Batchelor, Associate Manager, Retail Operations. Together, they explore how the Retail Ops team has grown, transformed, and redefined its role in del...

Welcome to the first episode in our special Stories from the River series spotlighting the evolution and impact of Retail Operations at Broad River Retail! In this nostalgic kickoff episode, guest host Sam Blum, Director of Customer Experience, is joined in studio by a panel of incredible pioneers who helped lay the foundation for what we now know as Retail Ops: Kellie Jones, Senior Manager of Ret...

In this episode of Stories from the River, Broad River Retail's CEO and host Charlie Malouf takes listeners behind the scenes at Broad River Retail to discuss a sudden and impactful development in the home furnishings industry: tariffs. Charlie reflects on the recent announcement of reciprocal tariffs, focusing particularly on the shock of a proposed 46% tariff on goods imported from Vietnam, a co...

Welcome to the third episode of the Knights of the Ledger Summit series from Stories from the River! We continue the Q&A with Broad River Retail's CEO, Charlie Malouf with Hope Stocker, Manager, Retail Accounting, as guest host. Charlie shares stories about his early jobs, from mowing lawns at a young age to working in his uncle's deli and eventually serving as a busboy and waiter. The discussion...

Welcome to the second episode of the Knights of the Ledger Summit series from Stories from the River! Hope Stocker, Manager, Retail Accounting, guest hosts this episode and sits down with Broad River Retail's CEO, Charlie Malouf, for a Q&A about the company's growth and future opportunities with questions from the summit attendees. Charlie talks about the company's pioneering spirit in their north...

Welcome to a the new Knights of the Ledger Summit series from Stories from the River! This episode captures a presentation that podcast host and Broad River CEO Charlie Malouf gave at the 2nd Annual Knights Summit on March 26, 2025, in Fort Mill, South Carolina.  Charlie begins by sharing insights into Broad River's growth journey over the last 20-plus years, focusing on past milestones and plans...

Welcome to the second mini-series episode introducing People Allies on Stories from the River! In this episode Heather Greenwood, Director, People is joined by Renee Bradley, Associate Director of Retail Onboarding and Education, and Nicole Gere, Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition, integral leaders of the People Team at Broad River Retail. Together, they discuss the transformation from a traditi...

Welcome to the mini-series Introducing People Allies on Stories from the River! Heather Greenwood, Director, People, hosts a thought-provoking discussion with Carlos Mendez, Manager, Learning & Development, and Emelyne Henderson, Manager, Memory Maker Experience, about Broad River Retail's transformation from the Human Capital Department to People. The episode begins with Heather introducing her g...

Welcome to the fourth episode of our C4 series on Stories from the River, in which we go behind the scenes at a recent C4 Sales Training event in Charlotte and speak with some of the Memory Makers at Broad River Retail who attended.  Essentially, this episode has two components.  Half of the episode features Head Coach Stacey McCormick providing a robust explanation and unpacking of the purpose an...

Welcome to the third episode of our C4 series on Stories from the River, in which we go behind the scenes at a recent C4 Sales Training event in Charlotte and speak with some of the Memory Makers at Broad River Retail who attended.  Head Coach Stacey McCormick introduces this episode and dives into the purpose for and the evolution of the C4 process at Broad River Retail. This C4 process focuses o...

Welcome to the second episode in our series covering the C4 process at Broad River Retail on Stories from the River!  This episode focuses on how Memory Makers can enhance their sales strategies through connecting and customizing. Host Charlie Malouf introduces this episode that welcomes back Gabby Cobos, General Manager; Bryan Clark, VIP Sales Manager; and England Montgomery, Home Furnishings Con...

In this Stories from the River episode, host Charlie Malouf introduces a new series focusing on the C4 process at Broad River Retail!  The C4 process, comprised of Connect, Customize, Commit, and Continue, is central to Broad River's approach to sales. It emphasizes the importance of connecting with guests and customizing their shopping experience. This episode kicks off a four-part series featuri...

In this episode of Stories from the River, Charlie Malouf welcomes Gabby Cobos, the new general manager for the Salisbury, North Carolina store, which has been recognized as the 2024 Ashley store of the year. Gabby shares her unique journey from Ecuador to the United States, settling in Orlando, Florida, where she began her career with Ashley Corporate. She started as a customer service representa...

In this special episode of Stories from the River, Manny Rodrigues, Presiden & COO of Broad River Retail, welcomes Charlie Malouf, CEO of Broad River Retail, and host of the podcast, into the studio. The discussion focuses on a significant new venture for Broad River Retail: the planned expansion into Spokane, Washington,and the Inland Northwest, scheduled for late 2025 or early 2026. Charlie expl...

Welcome to Season 4 of Stories from the River! Host and CEO of Broad River, Charlie Malouf, kicks off season four by introducing Broad River Retail's Word of the Year for 2025—"Pioneer."  Guests Heather Greenwood and Will Luke discuss their roles in the new, creative process of selecting the Company's Word of the Year. Historically, the Word of the Year has been selected by the executive team, but...

We are back behind the scenes of the Grand Reopening of the Raleigh Glenwood store! In the 3rd and final episode of this series, host Charlie Malouf speaks with Rich Smith, the General Manager of the Raleigh Glenwood store, following the grand reopening ceremony and ribbon cutting of their remodeled 7.0 Ashley Store on Glenwood Avenue. Rich, who began working with Broad River Retail in July 2022,...

Welcome back to the Grand Reopening of the Raleigh Glenwood store! In this episode of Stories from the River, Charlie Malouf, CEO, hosts Karen Ohar, the Associate Director of Visual Impact for Broad River Retail. Karen shares her journey with the company since joining in October 2017 and discusses her significant role in overseeing the renovation and remodel of the Raleigh Glenwood store. The conv...

Welcome to the Grand Reopening of the Raleigh Glenwood store!  In this episode of Stories from the River recorded on location inside of the newly renovated Ashley 7.0 Store following the Ribbon Cutting from the Grand Reopening, host Charlie Malouf welcomes Lindsey Walton, Home Furnishing Expert, back to the show. Lindsey has been with Broad River Retail at the Raleigh store since May 2018 and take...

Welcome back to the second episode of the Freshworks series on Stories from the River! Guest host Sam Blum led a discussion with Wes Dudley and Anita Harris, recognized as the CX Executives of the Year, and Alicia Thompson, a River award recipient for 2024. From Freshworks, Patrick Rhoads and Lauren Lee join the conversation.   They discussed the benefits and lessons learned from utilizing Freshde...

Welcome to the first episode of the Freshworks Series on Stories from the River! To kick off the series, guest host Sam Blum leads a vibrant discussion about Broad River Retail's integration with Freshworks' Freshdesk platform. Sam introduces Wes Dudley and Anita Harris, recognized as the CX Executives of the Year, and Alicia Thompson, a River award recipient for 2024. From Freshworks, Patrick Rho...

Welcome back to the final episode in our 2024 Memory Maker Awards Gala Series!  In this episode, we hear from seven Retail Performance and Retail Operations Memory Makers shortly after each of them accepted their River Award.  Jamar Wray, Katrina Batchelor, Chris Wright, Kent Williams, Mike Cohen, Jeff Willis, and Kerry Malak share their inspiring personal journeys and milestones within the compan...

In today's epsiode of Stories from the River, we are back at the 2024 Memory Maker Awards Gala!  We hear from four River Award recipients after accepting their award and walking off the stage. Memory Makers Maddie Seymour, Supply Chain; Nicholas Del-Rosario, Operations; Angel Lockwood; Visual Impact; and Allie Webb, Finance, share their personal journeys and milestones while working at Broad River...