WDCast

Activating ideas, experiencing spaces, imagining the new, and pushing innovative solutions partially covers a day in the life of a creative. Brands are constantly facing new challenges given a hybrid environment and a changed (but not dead) retail world. This episode introduces the new WD EVP of Creative, Jay Highland. He serves as a catalyst, challenging clients to think outside the box for solutions and providing them with the tools to do so. Lee Peterson and Jay exchange ideas on their design perspective with an enthusiastic attitude for innovation (and shared love for live music).

2:39 – Jay’s Background
6:10 – Being an Innovator
7:52 – Creative Consulting
9:02 – A Day in the Life
12:50 – Finding New Opportunity
16:46 – “My Brand Sucks, Please Save Me”
19:38 – Expanding Empathy
24:35 – The Inside Scoop
31:50 – A Look into Jay’s Life Outside WD
33:29 – Lee’s Lightning Round

As the daughter of a restaurant operator, Joanne Heyob started off her extensive career in restaurants at the early age of 16. Her lifelong experience in restaurants and retail have been an integral part of the operations team here at WD. Joanne has spent countless hours in parking lots– observing drive-thru lines and counting cars, as well as overseeing back of house operations. In this episode, Joanne recommends four key ways that restaurant operators can adjust their drive-thru strategy to give the consumers what they want. Who knew it wasn’t all about 3-story, robot operated, elaborate drive-thrus? To learn more about Joanne’s piece on drive-thru innovation, download the free POV: https://www.wdpartners.com/pov/drive-thru-break-through/

2:27 – Joanne’s early career
4:26 – A day in the life at WD
6:09 – Drive-thru Break-through
10:49 – Intuitive Wayfinding
12:12 – App Adoption
13:35 – Automation
16:57– Guest Journey Reimagined
20:10 – What makes Joanne mad in the industry?
22:53 – Bold predictions
25:20 – Lee’s lightening round

This episode of WDCast hits home, literally, as we talk about the success story of a well-known shopping center here in WD’s home base: Columbus, OH! We invited CEO of Easton Town Center, Jen Peterson, to share how the space has transitioned from a shopping center to a welcoming neighborhood that has something to offer every guest. Strategizing vendors and fabricating experiences throughout the space are two integral pieces that make this shopping center earn #1 in the country by Chain Store Age. Warning: Listening to this episode will get you in the holiday shopping spirit. Listen now!

1:49 – Meet Jen
5:12 – The town of Easton Town Center
7:00 – Strategizing Tenants
9:53 – The Shopping Center of the Future
11:10 – Multiple Choice of the Shopping Experience
12:37 – Advice From Jen
18:11 – The Man Behind the Curtain
21:23 – Christmas ‘21
22:24 – Coming Soon
27:28 – Predictions for the New Year
29:02 – Getting Outdoors

When you think of Big Tech in healthcare, who comes to mind? Microsoft probably isn’t one of the first contenders on your list, however, this well-known tech company is making great strides in problem solving and innovation within the health care sector. In this week’s episode, we invite Neil Jordan of Microsoft to educate us on how the company is doing just that. Neil offers a refreshingly optimistic approach to the future of healthcare and technology as he and Dan Stanek discuss topics including the consumer experience, emerging technologies, retailer relationships, and more.

1:05 – Background on Neil
3:20 – What Does Microsoft Have to Do With Healthcare?
5:45 – Highlights of Microsoft in the Health Sector
10:00 – Emerging Technology
13:32 – Who Is Advanced in Tech?
17:09 – Problem Solving in the Industry
20:44 – The Importance of the Consumer Experience
26:23 – Neil’s Crystal Ball of Predictions
31:31 – Let’s Talk Costs
34:24 – An Optimistic Viewpoint

New York native, avid-traveler, co-founder of influence group, and apparently also a natural at podcasting, we introduce to you Michael Owens! Influence group produces invite-only leadership retreats, virtual roundtables and custom content in a variety of industries. WD invited Michael on to this week’s episode to discuss all things Spaces. As you may have heard, we are attending RestaurantSpaces, RetailSpaces, and HealthSpaces LIVE. Michael exposes how influence group has had so much success in hosting these destination conferences, and many more, including how they have thrived through a period of virtual events during the pandemic.

1:13 Meet Michael
5:38 Going Virtual
9:38 Spaces! Spaces! Spaces!
14:46 Store Within a Store?
22:47 Warby Parker – A Model for Success
26:10 Healthcare Gone Retail
30:11 Conference of the Future
34:56 Michael asks Lee Who’s Killing It?
38:49 Impact of Work From Home
41:53 Roadtrips, Playing Music, & Boxing

Healthcare is an ever-expanding industry. It’s an evolving market that craves innovation. The industry has shifted from “can we do this” to “how do we do this.” Consumers are seeing changes in how patients receive care, new technology use, and structural changes in the industry itself. We invited Chris McFadden to chat with us on these essential topics. Chris is managing director of healthcare at KKR, a leading global investment firm. He joins WD’s Dan Stanek to discuss the latest emerging topics in the healthcare industry, and what role the industry plays in the overall portfolio of the company.

1:00 Meet KKR’s Chris
2:33 KKR’s role in healthcare
4:17 What characteristics are valued as an investment?
6:28 Landscape changes
11:39 Pros and cons of home health
18:13 Big tech companies + healthcare
22:55 The challenge of how
24:39 The pandemic’s lasting effects
28:30 A conversation about industry structure

It all started with a good business model, some incredible people, and a cheesy gordita crunch. Meredith Sandland began her unexpected entrance into the restaurant industry as an executive at Taco Bell, then transitioned to work for the ghost kitchen role model: Kitchen United. Her extensive experience in the industry has led Meredith to publish a book, Delivering the Digital Restaurant, where she explores the digitization of the industry and the massive disruption facing American restaurants. (check it out here: https://amzn.to/3iCyfM6) Tune in to hear Meredith and Lee elaborate on ghost kitchens, sociology of consumers, and the future of restaurants.

2:38 Introducing Meredith
3:51 A transition to Taco Bell
10:58 How Covid shifted the restaurant industry
14:11 Kitchen United ghost kitchen
21:25 Dominos as the original ghost kitchen
24:00 Meredith’s book release
27:50 Sociology and food
32:13 Reigniting Taco Bell’s growth
34:35 Who’s killin’ it?
41:32 Public speaking tips from Meredith

The House of Sports – Where DICK’s Sporting Goods turn the “What ifs” into “What is.” What if they have a location that has unique experiences for athletes? What if they have a different service model? Senior VP of In-Store Environment, Visual Merchandising & House of Sport at DICK’s Sporting Goods, Toni Roeller, articulates her thoughts with WD Partners’ Lee Peterson. WD Partners had the privilege to be a lead strategist and creative partner for the retail company in developing an experiential store. Listen in to hear how the company’s perpetual optimism and forward-thinking has advanced their brand over the past year or so, alongside their plan to continue this growth moving forward.

1:36: Meet Toni
4:39 DICK’s Sporting Goods as essential business
10:30 House of Sports
14:57 “The Field”
17:37 A different type of store
20:55 What’s in the pipeline?
23:36 Who’s killin’ it?
26:23 2022 predictions
29:18 An avid hockey fan

Wawa convenience stores have stood the test of time, with roots that go over two centuries back. The company began as a dairy farm in rural Pennsylvania and is recognized today as a well-known quick stop for coffee and fuel, now operating in 68 regions across the United States. In more recent years, Wawa was faced with a “Super Challenge” – how to operate both a manufacturing facility and storefront under one roof. Creating convenience in retail has become the name of the game over the past year or so as retailers were forced to shift their strategies to maintain business. In this episode, director of construction at Wawa Inc., Terri Micklin, waxes eloquently about how their company has grown from a food-first retailer to the full-scale convenience store we know it as today.

Almost two years ago Walmart opened its first Walmart Health in Dallas, Georgia. Twenty-four locations later, the retail giant continues to embody the latter half of their company tagline: Save money. Live better. In this week’s episode we bring back Dan Stanek, EVP and Health & Wellness lead at WD Partners, to talk with Marcus Osborne, Senior Vice President of Walmart Health, about the growth of Walmart Health and their approach to delivering healthcare services to markets in need. Hint: they start with the consumer and built their services, pricing and accessibility around the individual.

:55 – Getting to know Marcus
6:32 – What makes the Walmart model unique
11:35 – Offering a mix of services
17:24 – Assessing markets based on net health needs
24:16 – Healthcare is a tough business
28:37 – An omnichannel approach to healthcare
33:31 – Where will Walmart Health be in 5-10 years