Retail

Behind-the-Scenes Strategy

With Kara Cutino, Vice President of Store Development, Store Corporate Facilities, Strategic Procurement and Asset Protection at Ascena

From the outside, facilities can often seem shrouded in mystery. Our guest today knows how important it is illuminate, collaborate, and celebrate the work that’s being done in the brick and mortar space.

This episode features an interview with Kara Cutino, Vice President, Store Development, Facilities Services, Asset Protection & Store Purchasing at ascena. ascena is a leading national specialty retailer offering apparel, shoes, and accessories for women through brands like brands Ann Taylor, LOFT, Lou & Grey, and Lane Bryant.

In this episode, Kara discusses the behind-the-scenes strategies in facilities, the importance of trusting your team to fail, and how to provide a beautiful client experience.

Overcoming Supply Chain Challenges

With Jim Owens, Chief Growth Officer at SDI

Three years ago the average person might’ve had to Google what supply chain means. Today, most people are familiar with the term and we’re dealing with mainstream supply chain challenges that affect us all. Today’s guest is sharing how to overcome them.

This episode features an interview with Jim Owens, Chief Growth Officer at SDI. SDI is the supply chain solutions and services company that specializes in helping large, multi-site facilities and plant maintenance leaders to reduce costs and risk while driving overall performance results and outcomes.

On today’s episode Jim joins us to discuss leveraging competitive advantage, why technology is no longer a nice-to-have in supply chain solutions, and the importance of levelsetting what you can and cannot control in an unpredictable supply chain landscape.

The Impact of Design on Human Behavior

With Mark Landini, Creative Director at Landini Associates

There once was a time when the brick and mortar retail space served as more than just a place to buy goods, but as an opportunity for community to flourish. Our guest today designs with that in mind.

This episode features an interview with Mark Landini, Creative Director at Landini Associates. Landini Associates designs places for people. Based in Sydney, working globally, they are a design and brand consultancy specializing in the creation of profitable retail and hospitality formats for their global clients all over the world.

On today’s episode Mark joins us to discuss how design in the retail space is ideally invisible, the impact of design on human behavior, and the importance of “the barbecue test”.

Bonus Episode: Overcoming Labor Shortages and Supply Challenges

On this season of the podcast we’ve talked to some of the brightest minds and key voices in facilities management. One theme that ran through almost every episode was the supply chain disruption and labor shortages we’re facing in a post-pandemic world. On this episode, we wanted to revisit this topic and recap some insights on how our guests are handling these challenges.

Going Green with a Global Leader in Food Retail

With David Schalenbourg, Technical Director, Delhaize Technics

What if the customer experience went beyond just the grocery store, and actually led to a better planet for us all? Our guest today is on a global mission to do just that.

This episode features an interview with David Schalenbourg, Technical Director with Delhaize Technics .Standing at the forefront of sustainable retailing, Delhaize is one of the world’s largest food retail groups and a leader in supermarkets and e-commerce.

On today’s episode David Schalenbourg joins us to talk about how facilities can play a crucial role in helping the environment, the cross-section between the customer experience and building responsibly, and how he plans to reduce carbon emissions completely within his organization by 2030.

Why Facilities Has a Major PR Problem

With Bashir Abdallah, VP of Product at ServiceChannel

Fostering cross functional relationships is crucial for successful facilities management. Our guest today understands that more than anyone.

This episode features an interview with Bashir Abdallah, VP of Product at ServiceChannel. ServiceChannel helps multi-site commercial and enterprise brands deliver the best possible guest and employee experiences.

Bashir Abdallah joins us to talk about how he ended up in facilities management, why facilities deserves more credit and resources, and how the industry has evolved and where it’s going.

Embracing Diversity to Drive Facilities and Business Success

With Jaclyn Frenzel, President at OnSite

This episode features an interview with Jaclyn Frenzel, President at OnSite, a facility maintenance company that utilizes a cloud-based approach to achieve cost-reducing, effective solutions for multi-site facility service needs. With over 13 years at the company, two years as President, Jaclyn’s priority lies in building an efficient organization staffed with business development, sales, marketing, and support professionals. Her notable achievements include directing strategic marketing campaigns, mobilizing operations teams and facilities program deployment. On this episode, Jaclyn delves deep into what brands find most important when it comes to facilities management, the importance of bringing diversity to the table in any business scenario, and how to best attract and retain talent in a post-pandemic world.

Driving Brand Loyalty by Bringing Quality to Convenience

With Tom Sansoucy VP, Facilities, EG America

What’s one of the most effective ways to take care of your customer? Taking care of your facilities team. Our guest today is an authority on how to do just that.

This episode features an interview with Tom Sansoucy, VP of Facilities at EG Group America. EG Group is the fifth largest C-store network in the country. Brands in the EG Group Family consist of Cumberland Farms, Certified, Fastrac, Kwikshop, and Loaf ‘n Jug. Prior to the acquisition by EG Group, Tom was the Director of Facilities Support at Cumberland Farms. Before that, Tom served as the Director of Client Services at ServiceChannel. He began his career as a petroleum service technician.

On this episode, Tom discusses the importance of taking care of your technicians, creating both convenience and value for travelers. Plus, how he balances working hard with working smart.

Maintaining a Billion Dollar Asset Fleet

With RJ Zanes, Senior Director, Facilities Maintenance at Sam’s Club

Taking great care of an asset fleet is a direct way to drive customer loyalty. This episode features an interview with RJ Zanes, Senior Director of Facilities Maintenance at Sam’s Club. Prior to Sam’s Club, RJ held operations roles at JLL, Daifuku, JBT Aerotech. On this episode, RJ discusses maintaining a billion dollar asset fleet, how he drives accountability through quality assurance, and why his number one goal is providing member delight.