by Christina Lee on February 20th, 2009
Though he focused his career in sales and marketing, Charles Bowlds, of Noblesville, Ind., could not help but to notice a different aspect of the business world: “Everybody is profiting but the African American community.”
Bowlds, once territorial manager at Eaton Corp., could not ignore the economic disparities – how blacks only retail 3 percent of their gross net income, while owning less than 4 percent of U.S. small businesses. Then, after ten years of research and coaching others, he decided to create a solution.
“I felt that responsibility for changing the economic status. It’s not going to come from... Read more »
by Christina Lee on December 9th, 2008
In September 2007, Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division banned most outdoor water use in the state, as it was suffering through one of the worst droughts in its history. There and then, Debbie Smith and her family had to learn quickly the basics of water conservation.
But once her family knew what to do – take shorter showers, turn off the faucet while brushing their teeth – Smith still found herself struggling to break old habits of her husband and teenage kids.
“And then it just occurred to me,” as Smith recalled, “it would have been a lot easier to learn... Read more »
by Christina Lee on October 28th, 2008
Last month, the National Retail Federation found that more than a third of Halloween consumers still planned to buy a costume, while spending an average of $39.31. Based on their observations, the organization theorized that consumers were still looking for a way to escape life’s daily stresses – and, perhaps, that Halloween was the answer.
This Halloween retail season will last longer than last year’s, with Halloween on a Friday rather than a Wednesday. This could mean for retailers that “their strongest sale days are yet to come,” said Howard Beige, executive vice-president of Rubie’s Costume Company.
As for costume... Read more »
by Christina Lee on October 2nd, 2008
While flawed or slightly damaged garments may be kept out of retail store aisles, they retain a niche in the wholesale industry, thanks to off-price apparel companies like R.G. Riley. With its corporate headquarters in Tinley Park, Ill., and distribution centers in Los Angeles and Martinsville, Va., R.G. Riley ships to thousands of clients all over the United States.
Three generations of Rileys have contributed to the company’s success. “Go out and clean the warehouse,” and “Box that up,” were common commands that Mike Riley heard from his father while growing up. Mike still works for the company, though now... Read more »