During PrimeTime in Orlando, the discussion centered around getting “back to basics” in the fight for foot traffic. Patrick Maloney, NMG’s EVP of Membership, jumped on the Independent Thinking Podcast to expand on that message — and share some highlights from the show.

For independent business owners — who, admittedly wear many different hats — marketing often takes a backseat to many other tasks. That makes the work of Nationwide’s Shopper Marketing team all the more important. We recently sat down with Joe Walz, director of shopper marketing, to talk about the magic they perform on behalf of our independent retailers.

While we were together in Orlando for Nationwide’s PrimeTime show, we took the opportunity to chat with a local Member in the rent-to-own space, Buddy’s Home Furnishings. Mitchell Lee, director of franchise development for Buddy’s, spoke on the business, the team’s growth strategy and more.

What does the new business development process look like for Nationwide Marketing Group? To find the answer we turn to Nationwide’s Vice President of Business Development Derek Mattila — the guy behind countless new partnerships the group has formed over the past few years, and the launch of the home improvement category.