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Welcome
Pitching for Dollars
Turning Challenges into Opportunities
Jane Seymour’s Open Heart
Meet Arizona's Powerhouse Duo
Pivot
Behind the scenes
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e are excited to welcome you to International Retail Magazine! Linda Johansen-James created IRG Magazine to provide you exclusive tips, retail trends and interviews with people making a difference in the business we love, RETAIL. Each month will be packed with tips and interviews from industry leaders from around the world.
Welcome
A little context for those of you who don’t know us yet International Retail Group (IRG) is a boutique international consultancy specializing in moving Direct-to-Consumer and digitally native brands into the physical space. We have launched well-known brands such as Barbell Apparel, Blue Moon Hemp, Revlon, One Two Cosmetics and Hess Toy, among others, into the retail space. We’ve also had the opportunity to creatively test new concepts for a variety of entrepreneurs, including Shark Tank’s Daymond John and this issue’s cover subject, the amazing Jane Seymour. We love bringing new concepts to market and helping entrepreneurs achieve their retail dreams. You’ll find more information about us, our services and experience on our website - www.irg-retail.com. When you visit the site, be sure to subscribe to the magazine so as not to miss a thing! In this issue we focus on Women in Retail. Women are doing great things in every facet of the retail industry and we’re excited to highlight just a few of them. From multi-hyphenate entrepreneur, philanthropist and award-winning actress Jane Seymour to powerhouse retail brokers, Dena Zell and Marti Weinstein and Pitchwoman extraordinaire Michelle Sorres, among others, we believe this issue will provide great insight and ideas to our readers from some very inspiring professionals. Linda and the team at International Retail Group hope you enjoy the issue, and we look forward to providing more great content in magazines to come so don’t forget to subscribe. We also love to hear from new voices in the ever-changing landscape of the retail industry so please don’t hesitate to be in touch with ideas! Let’s do this! International Retail Group
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inda Johansen James, Founder and CEO of International Retail Group (IRG), has over 20 years of experience helping brands expand and thrive in a very competitive retail environment. Before founding IRG, Linda led American Kiosk Management (AKM) to amass over 400 staffed locations, 1800 employees, and 900 automated stores throughout North America, Australia, and New Zealand. Linda and her team drove AKM to reach over $1.7b in sales as the largest owner-operator in the world. In 2006, Linda and her team introduced the world’s first automated kiosk for Proactiv ®. In July 2016, Linda led the wind-down of American Kiosk Management and founded the International Retail Group (IRG). IRG is a boutique international consultancy with a slate of clients worldwide. Linda’s passion is introducing new brands to the consumer. Whether short term, long term, in-line, pop-ups, store-in-store, airports, military bases, or other retail distribution vehicles, IRG is truly a one-stop-shop for any company looking to launch into retail or simply test their concept. IRG can find the right location, negotiate the right deal, hire and train exemplary brand ambassadors and even operate as the brand’s Retail Department – fully operating the retail location. Linda loves working directly with customers by showing her team, using both training and example, how success starts with providing excellent customer service. Linda is most proud of her team of retail professionals and how they make a difference in the lives of people they touch every day. As a highly sought-after international speaker, Linda focuses on customer experience, innovation, and change to drive business. She motivates her audience to think on their feet, embrace change, and be bold both in life and business. She is an active member and frequent speaker for ICSC and other organizations. She holds the distinction of Certified Leasing Specialist (CLS) and Certified Retail Executive (CRX). Linda is a philanthropist and supports multiple charities, including the Steve Young Foundation and Alice Cooper’s Rock Teen Center. Linda has been involved with St Jude Children’s Research Hospital for 20 years. She is currently in her 12th year of service as a member of the CEO Advisory Board Linda is a firm believer that “To whom much is given, much is expected.”
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Developing leaders. Increasing confidence. Discovering new talent. Inspiring creativity. Learning new skills. Building relationships…. making an everlasting difference in the lives of teens in our community. Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Centers inspire and challenge teens to embrace excellence and reach their full potential. Maintaining “a teen’s worst enemy is too much time on their hands,” The Rock provides FREE after school training in music, dance, photography and art as well as vocational training in sound/recording, staging/lighting, video production and more, in a cool, supervised facility for teens 12-20 to engage with their peers.
come discover your talent! Visit www.alicecoopersolidrock.com or join our Facebook page at Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock. 13625 N. 32nd St., Phx, AZ 85032 602-522-9200. Coming this fall, Alice Cooper’s The Rock Teen Center in Mesa.
Michelle Sorro Pitching for Dollars IRG Magazine
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ichelle has been a pitchwoman and a retail host for QVC, HSN, and Extra, helping to sell millions of dollars of product in minutes. We asked Michelle to give us some insight into the world of home shopping retail and tips on how to successfully present your product. Her suggestions and recommendations of authenticity, customer connection, and profound product knowledge are the foundation of any pitch, whether on TV, online, or in-store.
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I want to dispel the myth that a brand has to be established to do well. For example, Shiseido is a multi-billion-dollar skincare brand. They weren’t able to make their sales quotas at HSN and were asked to leave. Lancome, on the other hand, always exceeded their sales quotas, even at ten million dollars an hour. During my time at HSN, I began to connect the dotswhy one brand performing so much better than another. The one thing that became obvious in live sales was how the brand rep or host presents the product and connects to the viewer. If there are authenticity and accessibility, and relatability met equally with aspiration, we can close the deal. If the rep cannot speak to the viewer so they can understand and need to be communicated to, then sales are out the window. (Business Insider -Live video sales hit 60 billion dollars. 184 billion by 2027-and that might be conservative. 82% viewers prefer live stream than seeing a brand social post). With Shiseido, there was a lot of great information, stats,
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and surveys about the products, but the host couldn’t really connect with the viewer. It is about knowing your ideal client and speaking to them in a way they understand. The walls go down because you have built trust with them. New technology has opened up new avenues for retailers. If it were me and I owned Too Faced Cosmetics, I would set up my own Clubhouse (audio social media app) or my own Facebook group and turn them into a mini-QVC or HSN doing a show for an hour once a day. I have seen the trend that people don’t need to touch or try things like they used to. The days of brick and mortar have changed. Large companies are trying to pivot online but have difficulty as they don’t have a presence there. Facebook is still an excellent place for businesses to connect with their customers and create a sense of community and connection. Let’s say someone buys a product and loves it. They tell all their friends. They want to be a part of the culture around that product and company. Facebook groups provide
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“Where most
people miss out is whittling down to the primary emotional core benefit. that opportunity to engage with a like-minded community Instagram doesn’t really allow that. You can follow and be engaged, but the fans can’t really be a part of a group where they connect with one another. To get on the air now on a channel like HSN, you must show proof of concept online before they will give you airtime. Long gone are the days in which grandma could launch a line of quilts. These channels are looking for niche and established concepts but also the next best secret thing. IRG Magazine
In any type of live feed selling, you have to get comfortable on camera. The fear of public speaking is common. Turn that into a social scroll where people have posted perfect photoshopped images, the anxiety increases. You want to go live on your feed. Your feed is your portfolio and showcase. On your stories, you can be natural and let it rip. On your feed, you want to have a balance. A percentage should be natural, maybe no makeup just after a run. This is showing yourself as relatable. The majority of the time, you can be aspirational. You can get dolled up. There are a lot of Facebook groups where you can practice going live. Master using Zoom. Figure out how
it works on your phone or computer. Learn how to look at the camera, so you are connecting with your viewers. Most high-end brands lead with features and benefits. That’s what we have taught. Where most people miss out is whittling down to the primary emotional core benefit. They miss the “what’s in it for me” and connecting with the potential customer at the emotional level. If you want to lift the veil and increase your know, like, and trust factor, you have to be willing to be out in front of people and be ready to be vulnerable—that’s why you should look for opportunities to go live whenever you can.
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Turning Challenges into Opportunity. Talking with Joe and Lisa Goetschuis, Flip Flop Shop & Tropical Smoothie Franchisees.
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orking with a spouse as a partner can be difficult under the best of circumstances. Mix in a pandemic, and things can become even more challenging. Joe and Lisa Goetschuis, owners of several Flip Flop Shop and Tropical Smoothie franchises, have not only survived the past year, but have grown their businesses in places where other retail businesses have failed. We asked Joe and Lisa how they got started in retail and how they managed to grow during a worldwide pandemic.
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Lisa: In 2005, we purchased a vacation/ rental property in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We fell in love with the area so much we decided to start a business there. In 2010, we discovered a new franchise, Flip Flop Shops, which we felt would fit right in with the beach lifestyle on the Outer Banks and decided to open our first location. While looking for our second location, our commercial broker represented Tropical Smoothie Café and suggested we open two concepts in the space we found. Working with two different franchises in one location had some difficulties, but we worked them out and went on to open Flip Flop Shops and Tropical Smoothie Café. Since both businesses promote a tropical,
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laid-back lifestyle, they definitely draw the same clientele. Joe: Since neither one of us ever worked in a restaurant setting, Tropical Smoothie was an entirely new venture. We decided I would work the Tropical Smoothie side, and Lisa would work the Flip Flop Shops side. In 2019, we felt Florida would be an excellent area for expansion. Joe and I came up with a list of ten potential locations. With the help of IRG, we opened our first location in November 2019 at Bayside Marketplace, a mall on Biscayne Bay in downtown Miami. By early 2020, we began looking for space for our second Florida location when the pandemic hit. We adjusted by offering curb-service and we continued to grow by opening some
other locations with short-term specialty leases, again with the help of IRG and the support of Flip Flop Shops Joe: Lisa and I always look for new opportunities in every situation that comes at us, good or bad. Whenever we have been confronted with a challenging situation, we throw ideas at each other on how we might get out of the situation we are in, learn from it, and come out on the other side stronger. I think both of us have the mentality that failure is not an option. I think I am more a risk-taker than Lisa. She has always been there to provide checks and balances that either strengthen my position or make me rethink it. Lisa always says I’m the thinker, and she’s the doer. I genuinely believe she is right. I will
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literally be discussing an idea, and before I’m done making my point, she is either already working on making it happen or fact-checking it. As a team, Lisa and I constantly communicate with each other. We lay everything on the table, good or bad. If you don’t, you will never resolve the problems that come up. Joe: We have seen many changes in shopping centers over the past years. Brick and mortar locations are having a hard time competing with e-commerce. Also, with COVID-19, we see more retail locations shut down. Lisa: Mall operators offering specialty leasing. Specialty leasing is another name for short-term leasing. It’s a quick way for Mall operators to IRG Magazine
fill vacant space, and it gives the tenant the ability to try their shop out in a location they may not have otherwise had a chance to. Specialty leasing also gives Mall operators the ability to bring in new retailers with fresh ideas, which creates buzz and increases traffic. Joe: We used specialty leasing to look at locations we had thought of expanding into during the pandemic to see if there were any opportunities. IRG helped us identify and secure three locations we could open within weeks rather than months. This gave us the ability to substantially decrease the time and cost of opening our shops. Lisa: We have also seen some landlords leasing retail space to doctors,
dentists, accountants, and other non-retail type businesses. While this might work in some locations, other locations might sign-up tenants without much thought, which could be a prescription for disaster. If looking at a location where mixed occupancy is occurring, do your homework to ensure it is done correctly with an end-game plan. Joe: In times like these, I think retailers need to step outside the box and rethink their business strategy. Look at what is selling and what is not. Maybe bring in a new product that may be more popular with your customer base.
Be Bold and Creative!
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space with an open ready shell as a starting point. These estimates do not include rents, insurance, and local fees that vary by location.
Jane Seymour’s
Open Heart
M “A strong woman loves, forgives, walks away, let’s go, tries again, perseveres... no matter what life throws at her. I am so proud to be living in a world where everyday women are making a difference and fighting for the rights of those less fortunate. Can’t wait to see my girls grow into wonderful women who use their voices to make the world a better place.” Jane Seymour International Women’s Day March 8, 2020
ost people know the Emmy winning Jane Seymour, OBE as the brilliant actress in such iconic films as Live & Let Die, Somewhere in Time and her unforgettably hilarious turn as Kathleen Cleary in Wedding Crashers. Still others know her from her Golden Globe awarded role as Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman in the much-loved television series and films of the same name. Beyond acting Jane is also a respected movie and television producer, author of several books, painter and sculptor, philanthropist and, most importantly, a proud mother and grandmother. Jane has also built a career as a prolific entrepreneur – a retail maven. She often mixes the brands she creates and represents with the message of her wildly successful Open Hearts™ jewelry line - through life’s joys and challenges, if we keep our hearts open, love will always find its way in - she has taken her Jane Seymour brand to the top 100 of Licensing Global Magazine’s list of the world’s top brands. Since Jane is one of my friends, heroines and role models, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to chat with her about what it means to be a successful entrepreneur and the story behind her Open Hearts by Jane Seymour™ jewelry line.
Jane, thank you so much for sitting down with me. I have looked up to you since watching Dr. Quinn Medicine woman. You were not afraid of anything! When we met over 10 years ago, you were just launching the Open Hearts Collection. As a matter of fact, I bought several pieces of the Open Hearts first collection here at your home. Since then, it has become the most successful jewelry line in retail history. To what do you attribute your success?
about the stock market crash in 2008, that is when I decided to launch my jewelry line. At the same time, I entered into a collaboration with the amazing furniture designer Michael Amini. From our first collection, Michael Amini + Jane Seymour A Design Collaboration to our most current Michael Amini + Jane Seymour Living, the collaboration has been and continues to be successful with designers and in retail all over the world. I had four of the top selling collections with Michael Amini.
Signet, our partner in retailing the Open Hearts by Jane Seymour™ line attributed the success of the Open Hearts jewelry to people wanting to buy something with a message. I guess my message resonated with them.
Being authentic has also been significant signature of who I am and of what my brands stands for. I create and align with products that authentically impact people, whether it’s a painting, sculpture, new vitamin, or even fabrics - like our new scarf line. They are designed after my paintings. People
When so many people were worried IRG Magazine
respond that these products make a difference in their lives; it makes them smile. The products make them happy. Look at my scarf I have on today, it resembles a painting I did of the ocean. Whenever I wear it, it makes me think of the ocean. Tell me about the origin of Open Hearts by Jane Seymour™ and how you came to launch the Open Hearts jewelry line into retail. Great things happen in my life when I believe in them. In this case, California Pistachios hired me to do a series of paintings for a women’s heart health initiative. It turns out that drug companies’ research was focused on men’s heart health, even though women are ten times more likely to die from heart disease. 20.
When I began, I painted the heart and noticed it was open. It reminded me of my mother telling me to open my heart to people. When your heart is open, you connect with people and give and receive love. So, I left it that way. An Open Heart. My mother was a prisoner of war during World War II and would tell me stories about surviving in the camps. She said that she only survived by helping others rather than worrying about her own problems. Everyone in life has challenges. It can be the hardest thing in the world to accept. Once you accept it, you can open your heart to help someone else. Purpose is what helps us to heal and move on. There is always someone worse off than you, and you don’t have to look very far to find them. My mother had a stroke and wasn’t able to move any longer.
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Her favorite thing was the show Dancing with the Stars. When I was asked to do it, I knew I could not pass it up; it was my one opportunity for her to see me on the show. The only word she spoke in seven months was, “Yes!” when she heard the news. That made me so happy. I had an Open Hearts necklace made for myself in honor of her. I wanted something I could touch and feel while I was on the show. During the show, I was asked by ABC to go to a dinner with some select advertisers. It just so happened that I was seated with people who were executives from Signet. They commented that they liked the necklace I was wearing. I explained that I had it made for myself and told the story behind it. A couple months later, I went to a meeting in Akron, Ohio, where my team and I came with the designs for a fully envisioned
collection. There were probably twenty people in the room who didn’t believe in the Open Hearts concept, but one CEO who did. I pitched the concept, they went into a back room to discuss, and the deal was made. They wanted to test before investing for two years. We said, no, the time is now. Try during Mother’s Day and if it does well, give it the green light. They were overwhelmed by the response as there were lines of people waiting to buy this silver necklace for $49.99. They sold four times what they had and moved the manufacturing to the US from overseas to keep up with the demand! The Open Hearts by Jane Seymour™ collection originally created from one of my pieces of art and inspired by my mother became the number one selling jewelry line in retail. We sold almost $2 billion dollars over our 10 years with them.
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Then, as a way to explain the inspiration behind the collections, I began writing and illustrating books telling the wonderful Open Hearts by Jane Seymour™ story. Can you share your big announcement about where we can find the Open Hearts by Jane Seymour™ jewelry line now? After ten successful years, Signet decided to concentrate on new lines. As I hold the trademark for Open Hearts by Jane Seymour™, I am thrilled to announce that I am now selling my Open Hearts line in partnership with JTV. JTV is a national jewelry retailer and broadcast network. Collectively we have come up with a fantastic collection! The people at JTV.com are wonderful to work with and we’re excited to be introducing our new designs and materials. The line runs from $49.00 to $300.00 and we have something for everyone. We sold out during the first show! You can go to JTV. com today to get your Open Hearts jewelry. The scarves you’ve shown us here today are beautiful! Can you tell us about how you decided to add scarves to your line of retail products? IRG Magazine
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I travel a lot, so scarves are vital to me. They can turn any basic black into a fabulous outfit which is why we stared this line. They are fashioned after some of my favorite paintings and artwork and made from the finest materials. We have several designs and one of my favorites is our Open Hearts series of scarves. For all the travelers out there, scarves are an essential. They can turn one outfit in multiple outfits. Yes Jane and for us “road warriors” this item is a must. So, for those of you that want to know where you can find her fabulous scarves, you can find them on www.janeseymour.com. IRG Magazine
My son, who is getting his MBA, helps with the business side of things and his wife is packing and shipping through UPS every day. Everything is being done right here in my house. We are only marketing the scarves on Instagram and Facebook and have never boosted our posts or paid a penny on advertising on social media. In all we do, whether in art or commerce, we employ social media in a way that grows naturally and engages the audience. What advice would you give someone who wants to become an entrepreneur? First, when I am on a film set, I ask myself the question, “What is my intention?” I do the same with the
products I create or represent. For instance, my intention in representing Crepe Erase® was that people can have good skin and it doesn’t have to break the bank. My intention with my other products is to bring style and art into people’s homes. I believe in being authentic and in living in the present moment. There’s no faking that. You absolutely need to know your brand, your audience and what they value. For example, I know my demographic is fairly broad ranging from 35 to 75 years old. And my final piece of advice; start small and test before you invest.
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What inspires you to create or to represent a particular brand? I choose things I really love. I want to be in business with companies or present products that make me look a little different, puts some spring in my step and make me feel good about myself. My scarves are one example of that. Soft and supple skin is also essential to me which is why I represent Crepe Erase®. It is not only about touching my own skin; I have a man who likes to touch my skin and grandkids who like to snuggle in bed with me when they come for a visit. So, the soft touch and feel of my skin is essential. My skin is not done looking and feeling young yet! I love Crepe Erase and use it all the time. You have to use and believe in the products you represent, and I do. I don’t use any fillers or other things to enhance my face. I am trying to be the best me that I can at my age. I had a near-death experience a few years ago and I realized that you don’t take anything with you other than the love you have shared in your life and the difference you’ve made in other people’s lives. That’s it. I live in the moment. Yesterday maybe something didn’t go right, or I was hurt, but that was then, and this is now. Today I’m alive, fit, and well. I contemplate how lucky I am to see all the beautiful
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things around me and think about how I can bring that beauty into someone else’s home. Whether it is products that range from jewelry to skincare, furniture or accessories, business associations with Seymour achieve hundreds of millions of dollars in retail sales each year. Tell us about your Open Hearts Foundation and how you are able to use it to make a difference in people’s lives. Due to the Covid pandemic we were unable to hold our annual Open Hearts Foundation Gala, so we did something a little different; we called it the Open Hearted Challenge. We challenged everyone globally to help other people. Unbelievable things happened with people volunteering to help others. For myself specifically, I reached out to people the way I know best, through art. I painted via Zoom with people in assisted living centers and ended up meeting a woman with ALS who had never painted in her life. The forty paintings she completed before she passed are now published and sold at Barnes and Noble! We sold the artwork that I painted during Covid and raised seventy-five thousand dollars for the Foundation which we donated to twenty-two different charities whose principal missions are
helping women and children. The Open Hearts Foundation supports other 501C3 organizations that mirror the percepts of the Open Hearts Foundation. A portion of the profits from many of the projects I create go to the Open Hearts Foundation. For example, a wine created by Jean Charles Boisset (JCB) called Joy and Serenity carries the Open Hearts symbol with proceeds going directly to help organizations in need. I find when you give, you get an enormous amount back in return. With all the products you create and represent – any chance you would consider working with IRG on some kind of Pop-Up Event? Absolutely! I’d love it! Let’s make it happen!
You heard it here first folks! Thank you so much your time Jane – What can I say? You are such an inspiration to all of us. You are a woman that continues to inspire women of all ages to believe that “everything” is possible when you keep your heart open!
The pleasure is all mine.
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The Open Hearts Foundation Jane Seymour, OBE, award winning actress, artist, designer, and entrepreneur, was inspired by her mother, Mieke Frankenberg, and her perspective on life. She always told Jane and her sisters that in times of great challenge they should accept what is happening and look to see what they can do to help others. Mieke expressed that when one does this, they can find purpose in life, and can transform adversity into opportunity by opening one’s heart. This Open Hearts philosophy became a movement, Co-Founded by Jane Seymour, filled with like-minded businesses, philanthropic individuals, and volunteers in support of the
Open Hearts Foundation.
You or your business are invited to join this inspiring movement that empowers emerging and growing charities and accelerates a person's purpose. Through its grant making and volunteerism programs, the Foundation has invested more than $1.2 million dollars through grants supporting fifty charities who serve vulnerable communities across the US and thousands of volunteers across the world have found purpose by opening their hearts through unique volunteer opportunities to do what they can to help others.
www.OpenHeartsFoundation.org
You are invited to join the movement!
@TheOpenHeartsFoundation @OpenHeartsFoundation @OpenHeartsFound
FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES OR ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES CONTACT LJOHANSENJAMES@INRMCG.COM OR CALL 702-927-8740
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Dena Zell & Marti Weinstein
Meet Arizona’s Powerhouse Duo IRG Magazine
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Shannon Quilty, Senior VP of Business Development and Real Estate at IRG, recently sat down with Dena Zell and Marti Weinstein of Zell Commercial Real Estate to talk about what it takes to succeed in the male-dominated business of commercial real estate brokerage. Shannon: Dena, tell us a bit about the history and philosophy of Zell Commercial Real Estate.
Dena: Zell Commercial Real Estate was founded by my dad, Allen Zell, in 1977. Since its inception, we have been focused on retail spaces. My dad’s family started a retail women’s clothing shop in Manville, New Jersey. He knew what it was like to be in retail and had a retailer mindset. Because of that, our company is a full-service brokerage in retail specializing in property management, leasing, and asset management. On the brokerage side, we manage both landlord and tenant rep services. We represent several national and local momand-pop retailers. In our property portfolio, we handle about 6 million square feet here in the valley as a company, and we are members of Site Source, a national tenant rep network. We have offices in about every state and in Canada.
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We are proud of our long-term relationships with our clients who have entrusted us with their assets and investments. Without them, we don’t exist. It is genuinely a relationship-based business. We are celebrating our 45th year in business and have some clients that have been with us for over 40 years.
Shannon: Marti, can you tell me a bit about how you came to real estate brokerage and why you chose retail over other asset classes?
Marti: Growing up, I was a professional dancer. I started dancing at the age of 2-1/2, and I was in diapers actually in my first recital. I was dancing 40 hours a week from 2-½ until I was 20. I moved out to Los Angeles when I was 17 to pursue dance professionally. After three years, I realized that I wasn’t going to be a dancer forever, but it was all I knew. I moved back to Chicago and started going to college. I had no idea what I would do with my life. During this process, my dad approaches me and tells me that he and mom were thinking about selling our home in Chicago. He suggested I get a real estate license. I jumped into the business completely blind, and I was really fortunate. I was taken under the wing of a senior broker at a firm. It was sink or swim, and I quickly fell in love with the business.
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Shannon: You have been fostering relationships with your clients for over four decades. Why is it so crucial to the growth of your organization to nurture those relationships?
Dena: We try to create relationships based on trust. These clients are like family to us in many ways. That includes our staff, some of which have been with us 30 to 40 years as well.
Marti: In real estate, we’re a walking business. It’s our entire identity. We know that we are commercial real estate brokers inside and outside of the office. No matter what we are, we are a walking business.
If our clients aren’t happy, we take it personally. It keeps us up at night. We’ve grown a family with our clients. It goes far beyond the transaction for us. Shannon: Being a woman in a predominately male business, how have you been able to be so successful?
Dena: We have always had women in high positions of management within our company. Even though we work in a male-dominated industry, I have always seen women in our company who worked hard to achieve the positions and the recognition they deserve. It became the vision I had for commercial real estate, women being successful. It’s a great time to be in commercial real estate because I see opportunities for female empowerment and growth in a way that wasn’t there before. There could be more, but I feel we are moving in the right direction.
Shannon: How did you work with clients during this pandemic when everything was closed down?
Marti: The pandemic happens, and everything shuts down. The Governor of Arizona says shelter in place, and our market stopped for two weeks. It was like you could hear the drop of a pin. Nothing was happening. We buckled down and figured out how to navigate finding new
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business development opportunities during this time. We just never stopped. We actually landed some of our largest accounts during the pandemic! It was fascinating to understand how to evaluate and find new opportunities, whether relocating tenants into new spaces or helping tenants grow.
Dena: We are all in the same storm, but we’re not in the same boat. Some of us sit in luxury cruise liners, kicking back and chilling, while other people are in capsizing canoes and are fighting for survival. It’s been an exciting time to be in this business and get an honest look at how companies survive and pivot to maintain their business. It’s been inspiring to see how people have been able to not just survive but thrive during this time.
Shannon: What advantages do you think women have in your industry?
Dena: Rather than play games, women lean into their strengths and create a sense of safety. We’re focused on the long game rather than being transactional. We’re not looking for that quick deal. People sense that with us. We try to think from their perspective rather than just trying to make a quick buck.
Shannon: How do the two of you work together to support each other?
Dena: Marti came to Zell two years ago, and I have made it my business to make sure that she is successful and supported. I allow her to shine and do what she does best which is connect with people. My greatest success is when she’s successful, and that goes for all the women in my brokerage. I think the difference between my team versus many others is that we genuinely like each other. We push each other to be our best, but it’s in a supportive way and with one another’s best interests at heart.
Shannon: How are you helping your clients grow and be successful?
Dena: When we’re representing a tenant or representing a landlord, they know that we’re giving them what we feel is the best advice. I think that that’s
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one of Marti’s and my strong suits because we can empathize and see things from their perspective. We wear different hats when representing our landlords than the hats we’re wearing when representing our tenants. We have a more realistic understanding of how deals get done from both sides. When we’re advising a tenant, we do not promise the moon and stars because we know where sales are actually transacting. We’re going to fight for them and try to get them everything possible that we can. But we’re not going to build them up with unrealistic expectations so that they end up being disappointed.
Marti: Every landlord is in a different position, whether it’s an institutional landlord or a local landlord, their pockets will look different. Their end goals will look very different. We focus on evaluating opportunities for tenants early on. We IRG Magazine
love to look at the demographics of an area. We want to understand how many people live within three to five miles in a shopping center. How many households are within that number? How many employees? We start looking at expendable income. We can find out how much expendable income is being spent on an annual basis within those three miles, and then we’ll go to a micro-level. We’re able to talk to the tenant, and we might say, “People are spending 1500 dollars a month in these neighborhoods just on meals and entertainment. I think you’re going to be successful here.” Dealing with the landlord’s position, we can sell that to prospective tenants that are coming to an area by saying, “You know people spend $600 a month on personal care in this market.”
Shannon: What advice would you give to a woman going into commercial real estate?
Dena: GO for it. I think the opportunities are there for women to be incredibly successful. There are so many different pieces to the puzzle. Even within just the subsector of retail, there are so many places that you can be successful. My next piece of advice would be to find a mentor. Find people who inspire you, who do business in the way you would want to do business and explore every avenue possible because there is so much opportunity. My next piece of advice would be to just continue to learn and grow and do as many things as you could possibly do. Stay open and be mindful about carrying your professional hat wherever you’re going. Stay true to yourself and have confidence in yourself that you deserve to be in the room that you deserve to be at the table.
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W
elcome to PIVOT! This column highlights people and organizations who have met unexpected challenges by rethinking, redirecting, and redistributing their energy and intentions to help them realize their goals and dreams. In this inaugural column, we highlight International Retail Group (IRG) as we embark on a new chapter; pivoting our business to suit the ever-changing retail environment.
The 2020 pandemic brought changes in the retail landscape, and fortunately, circumstances came together to provide more opportunities for IRG. Linda JohansenJames (CEO/Founder) considered how IRG could bring added value to their existing and new clients while educating people about what was happening in retail. Understanding that positive and collaborative relationships have been keys to her success in business, Linda reached out to Anita Blackford and Shannon Quilty, longtime industry professionals and friends, to join International Retail Group. With the addition of Shannon and Anita to her team, IRG added a wealth of experience that provides a diverse understanding of real estate, retail, education, mentorship, and thought leadership. For both, joining IRG was a pivot from careers spent almost entirely in corporate real estate and on the Retail Management/General Management environments. When asked what drew them to IRG, both women expressed their excitement about working in a woman-owned and led organization that values collaboration, participation, growth and understands relationships are more valuable when they go beyond the transactional. Anita said, “We are passionate about continuing to provide state of the art real estate, marketing, management, and operational services that continue to establish trust and confidence with our clients. We all love RETAIL, and our goal is to help our clients expand their business and open retail environments that are successful, inspiring, and purposeful!” Linda, Anita, and Shannon are having a great time working together and are looking forward to building on the already firm IRG offer to further benefit our clients, potential clients, partners, and community.
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Anita Shannon
Linda Johansen-James
Shannon Quilty
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INTERNATIONAL RETAIL GROUP is a trusted leader in the retail segment and launched many top brands from across the world! Let us help you launch yours www.irg-retail.com