Van Vreede’s General Manager Scott Brynjulfson spends some time talking about what separates his business from his competitors, including their service and delivery departments, a commitment to keeping employees happy, and their continual evolution and adoption of digital services.

Nationwide Marketing Group’s Content Director Doug Marsh was one of just four individuals who had the opportunity to attend each of the group’s four Regional Member Meetings in late-May and early-June. He recaps his experience for us on the latest episode of the Independent Thinking Podcast.

Ahead of one of the biggest e-commerce days of the year, NMG’s VP of Shopper Marketing Amanda Evans joined us to talk about the opportunity for independent retailers to turn the messaging around in their favor. 

National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) VP of Marketplace Pam McNally rejoins the Independent Thinking Podcast to talk about new luxury kitchen research from the association, as well as the upcoming NKBA Summit: Luxury Defined.

Co-owner Mark Braun founded Advantage Appliance in Bismarck, North Dakota in 1993, and since Day 1, his mission has been to serve his community with the best deals, best service, and by giving back. He shared his story and the role Nationwide Marketing Group has played in his success.

Tony Ostrom, president of the Wireless Speaker and Audio (WiSA) Association, jumps on the Independent Thinking Podcast to talk about the latest trends in wireless audio, the work of the association, their retail initiatives and more.

From an idea on the back of a napkin, to a startup business run out of the back of a truck, to a massive presence in a 32,000-square-foot Boseman, Montana-based location — all in just 13 years. Alonzo Antonucci, owner of Bobcat Home Furnishings Company, shares his story.

Giles Sutton, interim co-CEO of global custom integration association CEDIA, jumped into our latest podcast to talk about the massive potential of the HTSN-CEDIA partnership, trends in the CI industry, and more.

Nationwide Marketing Group Vice President of Consumer Electronics Lee McDonald addresses a wide range of topics on the latest podcast, including the ongoing chipset shortage, tech trends the pandemic pushed and more.

The switch to digital price tags was a few years in the making for Cut Bank, Montana-based Billman’s Inc. But now that they’ve made the switch, co-owner Jeff Billman says they’ll never go back to paper tags. The benefits, he says, well beyond the time saved having to rip and replace labels.

Nationwide Marketing Group recently brought in Mark Pollitz in the newly-created role of Director of Service. Pollitz sat down with the Independent Thinking Podcast to talk about the challenges this segment of appliance retailers face and his plans to help them become more efficient — and profitable.

Ahead of Earth Day, we sat down with Dan Cronin, program manager at ENERGY STAR, to talk about how the nearly 30-year-old program has adapted over time, and how retailers can leverage the program within their stores.

Pam McNally, the Vice President of Marketplace for the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA), dives into the latest market and design trends that NKBA is following — and that retailers need to know about.

In part two of our conversation with Nationwide’s Mike Whitaker, he turns the tables and takes over interviewing duties, putting the spotlight on Nationwide’s communications efforts, the rebranded media center, and more.

Patrick Tam of Google provides data and analysis around consumer shopping trends related to the ongoing pandemic — both from a product and shopping journey perspective. This episode of the Independent Thinking Podcast was first broadcasted during Virtual PrimeTime as a Main Stage session.

In the first of a two-part series, we sit down with the architect of Nationwide Learning Academy Mike Whitaker. In this interview, Whitaker goes into the evolution of NLA as the shift to virtual events takes hold.

Angelia Stewart, President and Co-owner of Jones Light Furniture & Appliances in Stevenson, Alabama, joins the Independent Thinking podcast to talk about the decision to bring AT&T into her small-town Independent retail business and the benefits of being able to offer connected services to her community.

Ahead of Virtual PrimeTime in mid-March, we sat down with Nationwide Marketing Group Sr. Director of Furniture & Bedding Jeff Rose to talk about the latest disruptions in the F&B supply chain, and we get a preview of what’s to come at Virtual PrimeTime and beyond for furniture and bedding retailers.

There’s perhaps no conversation that’s more difficult to have for family-run and independent businesses than the one that involves succession planning. In fact, that’s probably why only 30-ish% of family-owned businesses make it to the second generation of ownership. We sat down with JRM Sales & Management founder and CEO Joe Milevsky to talk succession planning and a whole lot more.

Nationwide Marketing Group recently named John O’Halloran its Sr. Merchant for the appliance team with a special focus on the luxury category. We sat down with John to get the latest on the space, his plans for expansion and more.