A PODCAST EXPLORING THE PERSONAL JOURNEYS OF
OUR MEMORY MAKERS

EPISODE 48

Play Video

EPISODE 48

Josh Stanley, Broad River’s Senior GM comes back for part two! Charlie and Josh kick off the conversation talking about some of the great leaders Josh had and the impact they had on him. He moves on to share some of his best personal and professional development stories and tips.

Listen on:

EPISODE 47

Play Video

EPISODE 47

For his first guest in 2023, Charlie welcomes Josh Stanley, Broad River’s Senior GM. In this part one of a two part episode, Charlie and Josh touch on Josh’s career history before joining the River. They explore the memories of Josh’s first day, as well as day zero, his recruitment process, and his career arc at the River so far.

Listen on:

EPISODE 46

Play Video

EPISODE 46

Charlie welcomes Colin Michael, Broad River’s Manager of Operational Excellence on the show. Colin recounts how he went from being in a metal band, touring North Carolina, to ending up in Operations at the River.
Colin leads us through how distribution centers got their identities and gives some progress on the DC of the Year competition.

Listen on:

EPISODE 45

Play Video

EPISODE 45

Charlie welcomes James Thomas, Broad River’s Senior Manager of IT Help Desk to the show. James shares how the culture at the River and the view on leadership had a huge impact on why he chose to join the company last year.

Listen on:

EPISODE 44

Play Video

EPISODE 44

In part two of this two part episode, we learn a little bit more about Carl Hillesland, Broad River’s Director of Retail Performance.

Listen on:

EPISODE 43

Play Video

EPISODE 43

This week Charlie welcomes Carl Hillesland, Broad River’s Director of Retail performance. In part one of this two part episode, Carl talks about his beginnings in the retail industry, his history with the furniture industry, and where his growth drive comes from. Learn how to advance your leadership and production capabilities through tips Carl shares in this episode. Find out about career paths at the River, what is unique about them, and how performance affects advancement.

Listen on:

EPISODE 42

Play Video

EPISODE 42

In part two of this two-part episode, Charlie continues his conversation with Tonia Buskirk, Broad River’s Director of Home Delivery. Tonia discusses her personal leadership brand, and what she’s learned from the past purpose summits. During this episode we get more leadership lessons from Tonia, find out about her mentors, her strategies and successes, and some things she would change, if she had a magic wand.

Listen on:

EPISODE 41

Play Video

EPISODE 41

In part one of this two-part episode, Charlie welcomes Tonia Buskirk, Broad River’s Director of Home Delivery. Tonia got her start in the furniture industry at only sixteen years old, and earning her very first title of supervisor at nineteen. Tonia leads us through her growth process and her first year and a half at the River.
She shares her most impactful memories from her time here, why she feels at home, and how she knew, even during the interview process she belongs here.
 

Listen on:

EPISODE 40

Play Video

EPISODE 40

Charlie welcomes Anita Harris, Broad River’s Associate Director of Customer Experience. Anita talks about joining the River in 2009 and surviving the recession together. Charlie and Anita go down memory lane, exploring the last decade and recap events of the past, how they happened from Anita’s perspective.
 

Listen on:

EPISODE 39

Play Video

EPISODE 39

Charlie welcomes a special guest, Johan Koornhof, to the podcast this week. Johan is a corporate relations specialist, public speaker, and author from South Africa. Johan visited Broad River Retail to speak at the Fort Mill and Four Oaks corporate campuses as a part of BRR’s Thrive in Purpose Series.

Listen on:

EPISODE 38

Play Video

EPISODE 38

Charlie welcomes Will Luke, The Wizard, to the show. Will is a Director of Retail Operations at Broad River.
Will recounts how a passion for music eventually led him into retail and ultimately to his role with Broad River Retail. He also dives into finding his purpose at The River, and how he achieved fulfillment in his career. You’ll also hear the importance of store/team identities, the inception of The Gandalf Award, and the impact of The Purpose Summit on Will. He also gives tips on staying organized, talks about the importance of rituals, and what makes him thrive.

Listen on:

EPISODE 37

Play Video

EPISODE 37

Charlie welcomes Ric Rush to the podcast, a name we’ve heard dozens of times during this season. Ric is a Senior General Manager at the River now, and in this episode, you’ll learn exactly how he got there. His career in the home furnishings industry prior to joining the River started at a waterbed store in Las Vegas, then his career path since he joined the River over ten years ago, starting as an HFA, including his promotion trajectory, and what he has accomplished on the way.

Listen on:

EPISODE 36

Play Video

EPISODE 36

Charlie is joined by Kim Harkness, Senior Director of Marketing, Communications & Community Outreach at Broad River.
Kim shares a story about her interview at the River, how she helped expand and level up the marketing department, and how she grew with her role. Kim talks about how her team remained connected during remote work, and what processes they implemented to continue to foster growth and cohesiveness. She also discusses her role in grand opening 16 stores and two distribution centers.

Listen on:

EPISODE 35

Play Video

EPISODE 35

This week, Charlie is joined by Brian Deckelnick, Broad River’s Senior Director of Supply Chain. You’ll learn more about Brian, his four-year recruitment process to join the River, his favorite memories from his first day at the office, and how he experienced growing with and at the River.
 
In this episode, we learn a lot about Supply Chain, how Supply Chain functions in a retail company, and how the system was challenged during the pandemic.

Listen on:

EPISODE 34

Play Video

EPISODE 34

Lynn Knowles, Broad River’s Associate Director of Merchandising, joins Charlie to discuss her story and time at the River.
In this episode, you will learn Lynn’s favorite merchandise category, her process with price tagging, and her favorite aspects of merchandising.
Lynn also breaks down the pros and cons of working from home and elaborates on what she thinks is essential for every remote team to be successful. Finally, Charlie and Lynn discuss the Purpose Summit, and they share the story behind the name “Purpose 8:28.”

Listen on:

EPISODE 33

Play Video

EPISODE 33

Keith Henderson, Broad River’s Operations Specialist, sits across from Charlie for this insightful and passionate episode. We learn about Keith’s incredible past, his work as a YouTube creator, and his time as a Memory Maker at the Fort Mill Distribution Center. Keith, a frequent listener of Stories from the River, shares his favorite moments from the previous episodes of the podcast and explains why those moments stuck with him. The two discuss their response to the warehouse fire in 2020, how the creation of Broad River’s Anti Racism Committee (The ARC) supports the Memory Makers, and Keith shares advice he has for fellow Memory Makers working in operations.

Listen on:

EPISODE 32

Play Video

EPISODE 32

Lindsey Walton, a Home Furnishing Expert, and a multi-year Million Dollar Memory Maker, joins Charlie this week on the podcast.
Lindsey talks about how goal setting motivates her, and how connecting personal goals to professional goals is helpful. She also shares her favorite memories from the River, including the celebrations and recognitions of her fellow Memory Makers at significant events.

Listen on:

EPISODE 31

Play Video

EPISODE 31

River’s Regional Manager Kevin Kinmann comes back for part-two of this inspiring interview. He chats with Charlie about what THRIVE means to him, what qualities any retail leader should have, what advice he would give to his younger self and his favorite thing about the culture at the River.

Listen on:

EPISODE 30

Play Video

EPISODE 30

In part one of this two-part episode, Charlie sits down with Kevin Kinmann, Broad River’s East Regional Manager. Kevin leads us through his start in the furniture industry, which began at Rhodes Furniture at a young age. He also discusses how the desire to learn helped him advance his career, his experiences of becoming a General Manager in his early 20s, and how his desire to grow professionally led him to Broad River Retail.

Listen on:

EPISODE 29

Play Video

EPISODE 29

Charlie sits down with Jose “Tito” Otero, Broad River’s Manager of Quality Control.
Tito recounts his experience coming to the River in search of a less demanding position after being in a managerial role for a Fortune 500 company. But that he quickly changed. He started on the sales floor, but his hard work and dedication did not go unnoticed. Tito received multiple promotions until he reached his current role.

Listen on:

EPISODE 28

Play Video

EPISODE 28

Charlie welcomes Kym Truglio to the show. They talk about Kym’s history before joining the River, their mutual love of the Chicago Cubs, and her hectic first day at the company.
Kym didn’t let early challenges stop her, especially when she realized what kind of culture exists at Broad River.

Listen on:

EPISODE 27

Play Video

EPISODE 27

In part two of the episode, Charlie continues his conversation with Stacey McCormick, Broad River Retail Senior VP of Retail Performance. They dive into the details of career paths at the River, how a unique structure exists at every level, and the idea and the motivation behind the paths. Charlie and Stacey also discuss programs at the River that help Memory Makers in retail accelerate to being promoted and performance-based bonus goals – how the bonuses are arranged and attained. Finally, Stacey shares who have been influential and what his support system looks like at work and in his personal life.

Listen on:

EPISODE 26

Play Video

EPISODE 26

In part one of this two-part episode, Charlie welcomes Stacey McCormick, River’s Head Coach, the Senior VP of Retail Performance. Stacy shares how he arrived and settled at the River – his memories of his first day are still fresh in his mind, and he remembers how different it felt to be at the River.
Stacy also shares some moments of the past several years, and how he and his team got through the pandemic. He talks about the sales process he helped establish and the growth he and his team managed to achieve.

Listen on:

EPISODE 25

Play Video

EPISODE 25

Sidney Waters sits across from Charlie for this Stories from the River episode. Sidney has been at the River since 2019 and now serves as a Supervisor of Delivery Scheduling.
Sidney talks about how it was switching from an all-sales job to a customer service position, advancing to his current position at the River. Sidney gives advice on how to overcome objections, listen, and build your empathy skills at work. Sidney and Charlie discuss Project Ship – one of the most critical projects at Broad River right now – and how easy it really is to get promoted at Broad River.

Listen on:

EPISODE 24

Play Video

EPISODE 24

Chris Berrier joins Charlie for this episode of Stories from the River. Currently an Area Manager, Chris recounts his years at Broad River, starting in Sales, working with Renee Bradley, and advancing his career through ups and downs.

Listen on:

EPISODE 23

Play Video

EPISODE 23

In part two of this two-part episode, Charlie continues his conversation with Janet Leimkuhler, Director of Visual Impact at Broad River Retail. Janet reveals some of her favorite moments, where she thinks Broad River is going in the future and what she likes to do in her free time. We also get to see Janet react to some of her team members’ and coworkers’ stories.

Listen on:

EPISODE 22

Play Video

EPISODE 22

In part one of this two-part episode, Charlie welcomes Janet Leimkuhler, Director of Visual Impact at Broad River Retail. Janet joined the company before its evolution, and was there for the 2015 STORIS conversions. She recounts her experience, emphasizing she always believed that adversity would be conquered. Janet talks about the difficulties her team had during the pandemic, and how they adjusted when 85 percent of the team elected to furlough. Janet shares her favorite memories at the company, and where she gets inspired to be her best self, both at work and at home.

Listen on:

EPISODE 21

Play Video

EPISODE 21

Charlie welcomes Cherrie Rivera, the Associate Director of Operational Excellence at Broad River Retail. A woman of many trades, Cherrie spent much of her Broad River career wearing various hats, solving problems as they arise, and adapting to dynamic situations.

Listen on:

EPISODE 20

Play Video

EPISODE 20

Dwayne Baker, Home Furnishings Expert and Sales Manager joins Charlie for another inspiring episode of Stories from the River podcast. Dwayne shares some of his history prior to coming to the River as he spent 20 years in the retail banking industry and opens up about his initial struggles during his first year in sales.

Listen on:

EPISODE 19

Play Video

EPISODE 19

Charlie welcomes Jamar Wray, a Sales Manager, Sleep and Home Furnishings expert, and a five-time million-dollar Memory Maker.  During the conversation, Jamar shares valuable sales strategies, what motivates and inspires him to keep getting better, how to get a mentor, his all-star teammate, and his goal for this year (two million dollars, here he comes!).

Listen on:

EPISODE 18

Play Video

EPISODE 18

If you’ve been listening to Stories from the River, you’ve heard the name Renee Bradley many times. Highly admired by her fellow Memory Makers, Renee joins us for this episode of the podcast to discuss her life and career at Broad River. Renee shares her memories of the difficulties the team had in 2015 with the original STORIS transition, as well as being involved in the first big remodel of the Pineville store. Renee then remembers 2018 as a magical year of purpose and amazing memories, filled with team building, striving for greatness, and success. 

Listen on:

EPISODE 17

Play Video

EPISODE 17

Charlie welcomes Hope Stocker, Broad River’s Manager of Retail Accounting, and together they take a trip down memory lane. Hope has been with the company since 2006 and has had a front-row seat to its growth as well as its transformation into the purpose-driven organization it is today.  And she’s also survived three major storms with the Company – the Great Recession in 2009; the original failed STORIS conversion in 2015; and the COVID pandemic in 2020.

Listen on:

EPISODE 16

Play Video

EPISODE 16

Charlie welcomes Tim Clouse, Senior Director of Operations and one of the newest members of the Broad River Leadership. Tim discusses the Company’s culture, how he helps to keep it fun and focused in Ops, and shares the practice life advice and wisdom that he has received over the years that has served him well and that he has applied in his own life.

Listen on:

EPISODE 15

Play Video

EPISODE 15

On this special bonus episode, Charlie is joined by his longtime friend and industry veteran, sleep specialist, and an honorary Memory Maker, Alan Vonder Haar (a/k/a “”Dr. V””). 

Dr. V. gives insights on how he started in this business in his early 20s in the waterbed business, falling in love with the waterbeds, and learning everything he could about flotation sleep. (Even since the beginning of his career, he has always been a student of the science of sleep!)  

Listen on:

EPISODE 14

Play Video

EPISODE 14

Jordan Reilly, a Program Manager of Systems Training with Broad River Retail, sits down across from Charlie to discuss his career, his drive, his favorite memories at the River, and the day-to-day situations of his work. Jordan recalls the first big project that he was responsible for when he was hired (implementing Salesforce.com across the enterprise) and how we jumped in and helped get the project back on the rails.  He explains the impact that this system has had on the Company and how this accomplishment is something he is deeply proud of.

Listen on:

EPISODE 13

Play Video

EPISODE 13

Charlie welcomes Joseph Alcantara, a Home Furnishings Expert, and a four-time Million Dollar Memory Maker to the podcast. Joseph recalls his years of experience with the Company, from overcoming difficulties and adversities, to celebratory moments and achieving incredible success.  Joseph shares his perspective that his specific circumstances of adversity actually worked to be the best thing that ever happened to him. 

Listen on:

EPISODE 12

Play Video

EPISODE 12

Kellie Jones, Manager of Retail Operations at Broad River Retail, joins Charlie for a conversation. Kellie discusses her favorite memories with her team, including her most memorable year (2018) when her store became known as “The Lake,” formed a book club, bonded like family, achieved an upgraded store designation (going from Silver to Gold status), having seven Million Dollar Writers, and having both the GM of the Year as well as the REM of the Year.

Listen on:

EPISODE 11

Play Video

EPISODE 11

Michael and Charlie continue their conversation in the second part of this two-part episode. Michael talks about the feeling of belonging at Broad River, and how, with someone who experienced impostor syndrome for the first few years, that feeling of belonging is extremely powerful. 

Listen on:

EPISODE 10

Play Video

EPISODE 10

In part one of this two-part episode, Charlie sits down with Michael Childers, a Broad River Retail Legend and first-ballot Hall of Famer to discuss his memorable stories from his over 12 years at the River.  Michael gets raw, real, and vulnerable here as he discusses what he felt like when he first joined the Company, the valleys and adversity he’s overcome during his time with the Company, and the sequence of successes that he’s experienced along the way.

Listen on:

EPISODE 9

Play Video

EPISODE 9

Danielle Lassiter, a supervisor of Supply Chain Solutions at Broad River Retail sits down with Charlie to discuss the ins and outs of her role; the challenges with Supply Chain during the pandemic; and how problem-solving creatively has become one of her number one skills. As a member of Broad River Retail’s Anti-Racism Committee (the ARC), Danielle also discusses her role on the ARC and how she is bringing awareness to the DEI space within the company.

Listen on:

EPISODE 8

Play Video

EPISODE 8

In a record-setting, pandemic year, Leah Hayes, a Sales Manager and Home Furnishings Expert, set the pace all year for the Retail salesforce. She sprinted to her first $1 Million in written sales in just five months, achieving $1 Million on Memorial Day, May 31st, 2021, which was the fastest time anyone had achieved this feat in Company history…..

Listen on:

EPISODE 7

Play Video

EPISODE 7

Tim Sobkowiak makes sure Broad River Retail runs smoothly by providing exceptional Retail Technology and ERP software management within the company. In this conversation with Charlie, he talks about the personal growth he has experienced, from Customer Care, to Supply Chain, and now in the IT department. Tim puts emphasis on his team, the importance of being a facilitator, and having a sense of humor for any situation.

Listen on:

EPISODE 6

Play Video

EPISODE 6

Tim Sobkowiak makes sure Broad River Retail runs smoothly by providing exceptional Retail Technology and ERP software management within the company. In this conversation with Charlie, he talks about the personal growth he has experienced, from Customer Care, to Supply Chain, and now in the IT department. Tim puts emphasis on his team, the importance of being a facilitator, and having a sense of humor for any situation.

Listen on:

EPISODE 5

Play Video

EPISODE 5

Cherelle Maness, a Customer Solutions Manager at Broad River Retail, sits down with Charlie and discusses what drives her forward. Cherelle shares tips on how to ensure customers are happy, even during a global pandemic.

Listen on:

EPISODE 4

Play Video

EPISODE 4

Charlie sits down across the table from Mo Sutter, the Magic Man. Mo shares the secrets to his successes during his decade long journey at Broad River Retail.

Listen on:

EPISODE 3

Play Video

EPISODE 3

Charlie sits down with Frank Gastelum, an artist turned successful Home Furnishings Expert at Broad River Retail, and the River’s top writer in 2021. They discuss Frank’s journey so far, what inspires him, and his advice to current and future Memory Makers.

Listen on:

EPISODE 2

Play Video

EPISODE 2

Charlie sits down with Heather Greenwood, Associate Director of the Memory Maker Experience department at Broad River Retail. You will learn more about Heather’s personal life, her position within the organization, and the history purpose, and goals of MMx.

Listen on:

EPISODE 1

Play Video

EPISODE 1

Stories from the River Podcast explores the personal journeys of our very own Memory Makers. Whether it’s interviews or standalone narratives, Stories from the River will bring you closer to what it’s like to thrive together, wherever in the company you may be.

Listen on: