The Retail Pilot

May 28 2024 1
The Retail Pilot Podcast artwork

The Retail Pilot is a series of interviews conducted by Ken Pilot with “Leaders and Legends” of the Retail industry. Ken will focus the conversation on his guests’ career journeys and their greatest career accomplishments and disappointments; gather insight into their leadership styles; learn who inspired them as they progressed through their careers; identify brands they admire; discover challenges they have faced; and talk about where they think Retail is headed and how they are leveraging technology to get there.

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Blueprint to Brilliance: Chris Burch on Creating Successful Ventures at Burch Creative Capital

May 28 2024 34 mins  
Ken Pilot conducts his second interview with Chris Burch, Founder of Burch Creative Capital, for this episode of The Retail Pilot.· Diverse Business Ventures: Chris Burch's company, Burch Creative Capital, is actively involved in multiple industries including hotels, real estate development, prefab building, technology, and retail. He highlights an innovative project in Boston

Evolution from Fashion Blogger to Designer with Danielle Bernstein, Founder of We Wore What

May 20 2024 49 mins  
Ken Pilot interviews Danielle Bernstein on this episode of The Retail Pilot podcast.Danielle is a native New Yorker and fashion influencer turned business mogul. She has a dedicated fan base of over 3.3 million followers and counting across her social media platforms. Danielle started her internationally recognized blog in 2010 as a daily dose of outfit inspiration for women everyw

Suited for Success: Revolutionizing Tuxedo Rentals with Andrew Blackmon, Co-Founder & CEO of The Black Tux

May 07 2024 38 mins  
On this flight of The Retail Pilot, Ken Pilot interviews Andrew Blackmon, the co-founder and CEO of The Black Tux. He manages the company's day-to-day operations and leadership team. He is passionate about diligently creating a great team/culture to execute on the company's long term vision of revolutionizing the men's formal industry. He previously worked in technology

Live from The University of Michigan MFMS: Gettin' Happy with Peiman Raf, Co-Founder & CEO of Madhappy

Apr 30 2024 39 mins  
Ken Pilot interviews Peiman Raf, Co-Founder and CEO of Madhappy, for this 50th Flight of The Retail Pilot - Leaders & Legends podcast. This interview was conducted live at The University of Michigan's Ross School of Business at the Michigan Fashion and Multimedia Summit.

Michelle Wlazlo: Building a Merchandising Strategy for JCPenney's Savvy Shopper

Apr 23 2024 42 mins  
Michelle Wlazlo joined JCPenney in March 2019 as executive vice president, chief merchandising officer, reporting to Marc Rosen, chief executive officer. Wlazlo is responsible for leading the Company’s global merchandise strategy and operations including Merchandising, Planning and Allocation, Pricing, Product Design, and Development and Sourcing.Wlazlo brings more than 30 years

“Shoe” Business: The Evolution of a Family Brand with Pete Nordstrom

Apr 16 2024 57 mins  
On this flight of The Retail PIlot, Ken Pilot interviews Pete Nordstrom, the President and Chief Brand Officer of Nordstrom. Throughout his career, Pete has helped Nordstrom innovate the customer shopping experience and redefine the role fashion plays in customers’ lives leading major strategic initiatives such as building the designer offering to a $1.5 billion business, evolvin

Beyond the Aisles: Inside Walmart's Fashion Revolution with Denise Incandela

Apr 09 2024 48 mins  
Ken Pilot interviews Denise Incandela for this flight of The Retail Pilot. Denise Incandela is Executive Vice President of Fashion and Private Brands for Walmart U.S. In this role, Denise is propelling Walmart’s reputation as a fashion destination, helping democratize access to stylish, quality apparel for Walmart’s 140 million weekly shoppers.Before joining Walmart, Denise ros

In Her “Jeans”: The Denim Journey of Amy Williams, CEO of Citizens of Humanity

Apr 02 2024 57 mins  
Ken interviews Amy Williams, the CEO at Citizens of Humanity Group, for this Flight of The Retail Pilot. Amy joined Citizens of Humanity as the company’s President in 2009 and ultimately assumed the Chief Executive Officer position in 2015, overseeing the business for the company’s family of brands including Citizens of Humanity and AGOLDE. Williams previous experience includes

Adding It Up With Simeon Siegel: A Top Analyst’s Perspective on Retail

Mar 26 2024 40 mins  
Ken interviews Simeon Siegel, Managing Director, Senior Analyst of Retail and eCommerce for BMO Capital Markets.Key takeaways from the interview include:1. Role as an Equity Research Analyst: Simeon's job involves assessing publicly traded companies within the retail sector. He emphasizes the importance of being objective in his analysis, even if it means delivering hard truths

Nyakio Grieco: Empowering Inclusion and Diversity in the Beauty Industry

Mar 19 2024 51 mins  
Ken interviews Nyakio Grieco, Co-founder of Thirteen Lune and Founder of Relevant: Your Skin Seen on this flight of The Retail Pilot - Leaders & Legends.Nyakio (pronounced Neh-Kay-Oh) Grieco is a beauty entrepreneur and advocate for clean, inclusive beauty that suits all skin types, tones, and needs. As a veteran beauty founder and trusted industry voice, Nyakio has launched su