Ep 18. It All Comes Down to Merchandise & Service

The Nordy Pod

In this episode we're going to hear from a few highly influential Nordstrom leaders, each helping to strengthen our culture in their own unique way. First, you'll hear from our Executive Vice President for Designer, Men's and Women's Apparel, Sam Lobban. We've wanted to have Sam on the podcast for a very long time now, because he's a super-interesting guy with a big job, and he's had a very unique journey through the fashion industry. Sam's interest in fashion first grew through its intersection with music in the London club scene, and he started working in retail as soon as he was old enough to work. Though he was mainly looking for a discount on clothes, he found a real passion for the job and has created a very successful career from it. He's gained a lot of great insight into the business as a whole and has become a real tastemaker in the industry—so much so that he randomly gets approached by iconic celebrities just because they like his style. But what's particularly valuable to us is his strong customer-centric philosophy and positive influence on the men and women he leads. As Sam puts it, "I'm really just a shop-floor guy." He's made a huge impact on our company and we're lucky to have him on our team. After that we'll hear from our Men's Fashion Director, Jian DeLeon. He's another super-talented guy whose role is to help connect Nordstrom to the larger cultural conversations around trend and fashion. He works with Sam and our buying teams to translate these conversations into meaningful stories for our customers. To wrap it all up, we'll learn about the service and selling power of social media from one of our top salespeople, Jesse James Barnholdt. He's found a way to expand his business far beyond the four walls of the store to reach customers all over the U.S. And he's found a way to do it in such a genuine and authentic way with customer relationships as the main focus. So, grab your notepads! This episode is packed full of quality insight into what makes successful retailing today. Did you know that YOU can be on The Nordy Pod? This show isn't just a one-way conversation. We want to hear about what Nordstrom looks like through your eyes. Share your Nordstrom experience, good or bad, by giving us a call and leaving a voicemail at: 206.594.0526, or send an email to [e-mail] to be a part of the conversation!