To kick off a new year of the Independent Thinking Podcast, we check in with NMG’s EVP of Membership Patrick Maloney who has his finger on the pulse of this channel. After a brief recap of the roller coaster that was 2023, we look ahead to the areas of opportunity for independent retailers in 2024.

Your brand is everything. It’s what you stand for. It’s what your customers see when they engage with you. It’s the image that comes to mind when others think about you. But what does it take to build a brand – and a strong one at that? We sat down with Rob White, VP of Brand and Strategy for NMG, to dive into that and a whole lot more.

To learn more about how NMG is working with the National Association of State Energy Officials, we sat down with David Terry, President of NASEO. We get into the work the organization does on behalf of its members, how the Inflation Reduction Act has impacted their day to day, and more.

Around in the Hagerstown, Maryland area since the mid-1950s, Spicher’s Appliances took a unique step and expanded into the security category in 2010. Over the past decade plus, Spicher’s has seen that business flourish and prove to be a real differentiator in their market.

Jon Rehwaldt, Director of Curriculum for CEDIA, is only a few months into his new role at the custom integration trade association, but he’s already seeing the impact of their in-person hands-on training courses.

Work is still being done to prepare for the energy efficient appliance rebate program that was included in the Inflation Reduction Act. Frank Sandtner provides some updates and details what progress has been made to date.

From moving out of the tire business in its early years to finding ways to create deeper bonds within its local community today, DeWaard & Bode has always placed an emphasis on evolving as a business in order to properly serve its customers needs.

Ryan Spradling, president, and John Scott, VP of Sales, for Mattress Land dive into the ways they are working to elevate the bed buying experience at their stores. At the center of it all is a unique, proprietary AI-powered tech they use called Bed Fit.

To dive into the world of rep firms (and to clear up many of the misconceptions that exist) we turned to Joaquin Rivera, a custom integration industry veteran and co-founder of By Design Vision & Sound Marketing.

Hamai Appliance has been a staple in Kahului, Hawaii on the island of Maui for over 50 years. Needless to say, they’ve built a reputation as a community-first kind of business. And, as Bryant Hamai, president of Hamai Appliance, shares, never has that commitment to their community been more apparent than during the recent wildfires that left many of their friends and family displaced and facing unprecedented times. Hamai shares an awe-inspiring story of how a locally-owned business with such strong ties to the community can make a major difference in the lives of those they’ve promised to serve.

Nationwide Marketing Group’ connected services programs include revenue generators and major money savors for both retailers and their customers – from internet and wireless service to cybersecurity training and more. We sat down with Eric Sindelar, director of connected services, to learn more about how he’s working with retailers to help them make (and save) more money.

While his ambitions would have him and his team further down the road, Year One was an incredibly busy and successful one for Andy Orozco and Nationwide Marketing Group’s custom integration division. Coming off of CEDIA 2023 in Denver, we sat down with Andy to talk about the show, his first year at the helm, and more.

Coming off of his first full PrimeTime season, we sit down with Nationwide Marketing Group’s Director of Education and Training Shawn Ashby. We dive into his passion for educating audiences, his plans for the Nationwide Learning Academy, early preparations for the program in Las Vegas and much more.

During PrimeTime in Nashville, NMG’s consumer electronics retailers had the opportunity to hear from Gap Intelligence, a data analytics firm that tracks pricing and promotional trends across myriad product categories – mainly focused on CE right now. Scott Peterson, a senior analyst at Gap, spent time after the session diving deeper into their work and how they get it done.

TCL has regularly pushed the envelope in the screen business – it’s how the brand became one of the fastest growing in North America over the past decade. But, as Product Evangelist Bruce Walker tells us, it’s more than just the technology that’s catching people’s attention these days.

Human Resources can be a very tricky area for independent business owners to navigate, especially when trying to formalize the department. Nationwide Marketing Group’s Chief People Officer Kelley Kenner-Patridge, who helped establish the group’s own HR initiative, and her team are helping retailers take the proper steps to be successful in the realm of talent and employee relations.

The brother-sister team of Greg Law and Kathryn Gaus, owner and HR business manager at Sweet Dreams Mattress & Furniture respectively, have truly bought in to the importance of serving their employees like they serve their customers. Their commitment to HR has resulted in a strong company culture and, in turn, the creation of what’s truly a Dream Team.

Phantom Sound, a custom integration firm based out of Mason, Ohio, has a steep 35-year history that includes thousands of completed projects and four held patents. The company’s owner, Tommy Brand, acquired the firm in 2022 and is, for all intents and purposes, a rookie in the CI space. He shares his story, what attracted him to Phantom Sound, and his plan to help the company continue to grow.

Last Fall, Nationwide Marketing Group rolled out a new partnership with FEI Group, an organization that represents hundreds of independent dealers in the flooring, cabinets, kitchen and bath and exterior contracting spaces. Brian Penabad, senior vice president of FEI, talks dives into how members of both groups to take advantages of the partnership.

The video game industry carries a certain connotation that often leads to independent retailers turning a blind eye to the category. But, as Chad Bowser of D&H points out, the video game segment has matured well beyond the average age of its consumer. And it’s a category that represents a major opportunity to the dealers who go about it the right way.