On this special episode I’m picking up an interview from a livestream I hosted for the Retail Council of Canada Retail Human Resources forum. I’m joined by Liz Volk, Chief Human Resources Officer, and Alex Green, Chief Marketing Officer, from Longos, a 65 year old innovative family regional grocery store operating in southern Ontario.
Welcome to The Voice of Retail. I'm your host Michael LeBlanc. This podcast is brought to you in conjunction with Retail Council of Canada.
On this special episode I’m picking up an interview from a livestream I hosted for the Retail Council of Canada Retail Human Resources forum. I’m joined by Liz Volk, Chief Human Resources Officer, and Alex Green, Chief Marketing Officer, from Longos, a 65 year old innovative family regional grocery store operating in southern Ontario.
Employee engagement at Longo’s is deeply rooted in the value of collaboration between the HR and marketing teams. Liz andd Alex join me for a fireside chat to share the keys to collaboration and driving transformational change. Learn how in this unique relationship these teams work together to deliver messaging, training and support for employees that then translates into increased engagement for the best customer experiences.
Let’s listen in now.
Thanks for tuning into this special episode of The Voice of Retail. If you haven’t already, be sure and click subscribe on your favourite podcast platform so new episodes will land automatically twice a week, and check out my other retail industry media properties; the Remarkable Retail podcast, the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, and the Food Professor podcast. Last but not least, if you are into BBQ, check out my all new YouTube barbecue show, Last Request Barbeque, with new episodes each and every week!
I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company & Maven Media, and if you’re looking for more content, or want to chat follow me on LinkedIn, or visit my website meleblanc.co! Have a safe week everyone!
About Liz
As the Chief Human Resources Officer at Longo’s, Liz Volk is a people-focused leader who believes that an organization’s results are achieved through highly engaged teams delivering on a clearly defined Guest strategy. She is dedicated to creating a robust corporate culture that promotes business growth and Guest loyalty by empowering and motivating Team Members to achieve their full potential and bring their best.
Liz, a CHRE, is seasoned HR professional with many years of experience, and during her last 15 years with Longo’s, she has been instrumental in creating a long-term people strategy aligned with the company’s strategic vision. She has also been responsible for leading many areas of the business including total rewards, talent acquisition, learning & development, internal communications, risk management, project management office and sustainability. In 2014, she embarked on a year-long assignment in Store Operations to fully understand and experience the business from both a Guest and Team Member perspective. Most recently, she has been pivotal in creating and co-chairing a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council. The council is responsible for providing a safe and inclusive environment, where diversity is valued, equity is achieved, and everyone has a sense of belonging.
Longo’s was started by Tommy, Joe and Gus Longo in 1956. Longo’s currently has 36 stores, with more on the horizon, and an e-commerce grocery delivery service called Grocery Gateway. Longo’s is under the Empire Company Limited umbrella, and remains a family-operated grocery retail business committed to creating meaningful and long-lasting relationships with Guests underpinned by the guiding principle: we will only serve to others what we can confidently serve to our families.
About Alex
I believe in remarkable people and their ideas and I’m on a mission to unleash this potential to allow individuals, teams, and organizations to thrive in an ever-changing world.
As a seasoned executive, I am at my best when leading teams and brands through transformative change that’s grounded in insight. I unlock new value through aligning company, product, service and brand design which is magnified with powerful, fully integrated go-to-market strategies and backed by empowered and motivated teams. I have particularly deep expertise as a Brand and Marketing leader that embraces the exponential value of different versus the incremental value of better. In addition to traditional and digital performance marketing skillsets, I am well-grounded in data & analytics, loyalty program design & CRM, as well as digital product, UX and e-commerce management. These strategic capabilities are paired with a strong optimism bias, resilient mindset and change management and executive coaching certifications. All in support of getting the right ideas to market to navigate disruptive environments and deliver business results.
At Longo’s, I am loving being at the forefront of a full retail transformation that touches all aspects of our Guest and Team Member experience. It’s strategic yet hands-on with a highly entrepreneurial team in a fast-paced and rapidly changing industry. We are testing, learning and improving every day.
In support of great ideas everywhere, I recently established RMRKBL, a free presentation training field guide and toolkit designed to help people better express their ideas, so they can get on with changing the world. You can check it out at rmrkbl.ca.
About Michael
Michael is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. He has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions with C-level executives and participated on thought leadership panels worldwide. Michael was recently added to ReThink Retail’s prestigious Top 100 Global Retail Influencers for a second year in 2022.
Michael is also the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts, including Canada’s top retail industry podcast, The Voice of Retail, plus the Remarkable Retail with author Steve Dennis, Global E-Commerce Tech Talks and The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois. Most recently, Michael launched Conversations with CommerceNext, a podcast focussed on retail eCommerce, digital marketing and retail careers - all available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music and all major podcast platforms. Michael is also the producer and host of the “Last Request Barbeque” channel on YouTube where he cooks meals to die for and influencer riches.
Michael LeBlanc 00:05
Welcome to The Voice of Retail. I'm your host, Michael LeBlanc. This podcast is brought to you in conjunction with Retail Council of Canada.
Michael LeBlanc 00:10
On this special episode I'm picking up an interview from a live stream I hosted for Retail Council of Canada's, Retail Human Resources Forum. I'm joined by Liz Volk, Chief Human Resources Officer, and Alex Green Chief Marketing Officer from Longo’s, a 65-year-old, innovative family regional grocery store operating in Southern Ontario.
Michael LeBlanc 00:28
Employee engagement at Longo’s is deeply rooted in the value of collaboration between the HR and marketing teams. Liz and Alex join me for a fireside chat to share the keys to collaboration and driving transformational change. Learn how in this unique relationship these teams work together to deliver messaging, training, and support for employees that then translates into increased engagement for the best customer experiences.
Michael LeBlanc 00:52
Welcome Alex and Liz, we have a fun session together. Thank you both for joining me.
Let's, let's jump right in, in lieu of kind of going through your backgrounds, fantastic depth of experience, folks you can check that out on LinkedIn or on the, on the website page. I'm going to ask you this one question, tell me something that you wouldn't find on your LinkedIn profile? Something that might surprise us about, about yourself. Liz, you go first.
Liz Volk 01:15
Sure. Well, thanks, Michael. One of the questions actually, that we always ask here at Longo’s is, ‘What's your favorite food?’ I mean, being in the food business, always great to know. So, it's actually part of what we do. And we put it on all of our team members’ tags, and we put it on, on their name tags, and we put it on all of our nameplates here in the Support Center.
So, for me, it's lobster. My favorite food is lobster. I love it in any way, shape, or form. And what's exciting is, for those of you that shop Longo’s, you may know this, but coming up in June of course is,
Michael LeBlanc 01:48
Father's Day lobster.
Liz Volk 01:49
Father's Day weekend, and we always have our notorious lobster fest. So, it's, that's probably my most exciting shopping day of the year. And we sell amazing lobsters flown in of all different sizes. And, and so, I just go to town on lobster on that weekend. So, so that's the little bit about me.
Michael LeBlanc 02:06
Oh, fantastic, me, me and you both. I love Father's Day lobster event. So, I happen to live at, near a Longo's. Alex, what about yourself?
Alex Green 02:13
Yeah, I mean, first of all, that's a very classic Longo's approach. I think there was a sales plug in there somewhere.
Liz Volk 02:21
Thank you.
Alex Green 02:22
You know what, I've got, I got something a little bit different to share. I mean, I, I wanted to share sort of a surprising insight that I've had over the last little bit that I think sort of weaves into the conversation we're having today.
Alex Green 02:32
I think we've all been in those meetings where the, the slide that opens up is culture eats strategy for breakfast. And if I was going to be totally honest, before my experience working at Longo’s, I didn't actually believe that statement. But a couple of really sort of interesting and powerful things have happened over the last five years, a lot of which, you know, I, I credit with the work that, that I do, have done with Liz. Longo's has an extremely strong culture built on some, some very simple principles, treating people like family, always doing the right thing. And it's very entrepreneurial, and sort of empowering.
Alex Green 03:05
And then we, we came into COVID, and we've got 6000 team members, and watching how quickly everybody shifted and evolved around those core principles of our culture and our values, to keep our team members safe, to keep our guests safe. And I love the fact that we were one of the first to sort of mandate masks within our store as an example of that.
And strategy didn't do that. That was all culture and values. And so, you know, I may just be catching up to everybody else in the room. But, but I'm like, ‘Yeah, culture does eat strategy for breakfast’. I, I now feel like strategies roll is really about how do you channel the unique aspects of your culture and some of those unique capabilities that it enables to, to be able to create more value? And I feel like marketing's there to keep you grounded, in sort of guest insight, and to really powerfully tell those stories, both to our team members, and our guests.
Alex Green 03:54
So, I, I, I thank you for the opportunity to join in today because I had some time to sit back and reflect, which I know is not easy in retail every day. But that, that's a big shift for me in my, in my perspective. So, I'm looking forward to the conversation today. And yeah, sharing more of insights around that. So, thank you.
Michael LeBlanc 04:10
Well, that was fantastic. And I mean, we'll get to the, this point, but it's not, it's not always usually that we see HR together with marketing presenting at the HR retail conference. Sometimes we've had marketers come in and talk about the tradecraft of retail marketing, just to kind of expand kind of knowledge base. But this is a real joint presentation. We'll get to it in a bit, more about that in a few minutes.
Alex Green 04:31
(Crossover talk) That's also really natural for Liz and I to be side by side. Our offices are side by side.
Liz Volk 04:31
Yeah, yeah, they are.
Alex Green 04:36
So, this is like, this is how we roll.
Michael LeBlanc 04:39
Perfect, perfect.
We've, we've talked a little bit about Longo's, but you know, from lobster to 6000 associates, but for those perhaps not in Ontario, or maybe not as familiar with Longo's give us a, a high level what, what's Longo's all about, what do you do and what makes you different?
Liz Volk 04:57
Sure. So, Longo's, family run grocery retailer here in the Greater Toronto Area. As you mentioned, we have 6000 team members in the company and exciting news for us, last year, we joined a larger family. So, we're actually part of the Empire, group of companies. So, many of you would know Empire under a variety of banners that they have. Some of the ones that they'd be fam-, familiar with here in Toronto would be Sobeys, Farm Boy. Out west, they have Thrifty Foods, IGA. So, it's great to be part of, you know, of a larger family as it were.
Liz Volk 05:34
And, and so it's been an exciting, an exciting time over the past year being a part of that. The, the 6000 team members for us are made up of approximately, about 36 stores, compacted as you say, in the, in the GTA area. And then we also have our online business Grocery Gateway. And today I'm dialing in actually from our Support Center, which is in Vaughan. And our Support Center has our distribution center attached. And we also have kind of a central kitchen we call it, and that's where a lot of our fresh fruits, cut veg happen to, to ship out to our stores. So, lots happening there.
Liz Volk 06:08
The other part of your question was what makes us unique, right, in this crazy marketplace, competitive marketplace. And Alex touch, touched upon it, I, I really do believe it's, it's our culture and how we've shown up. You know, Alex talked about the fact that it, that it's about treating you like family, and we talk about that all the time. We'll talk toda-, today about how we actually worked together on the transformation of, of the organization. But I think that shows up in how our team members, you know, are in our stores with our guests every day, just kind of delivering that great service that they deliver.
Michael LeBlanc 06:43
Alex, talk about the role of the associates in delivering that brand promise. And, and the associates whether that's on the, the in the physical stores, or on the doorstep with the Grocery Gate-, Gateway, Longo's delivery. What, what is in your mind, as you think about that frontline touch point, with consumers? And how does that connect to the brand values that you architect as kind of master brand values and execute on different touch points?
Alex Green 07:09
Yeah, great question. I mean, you think about this, this idea of treating people like family, and how we bring that to life in a, in a consistent way through our experience. And that, that is the beating heart of, sort of our team members, and the types of experiences that they create. They're, they're experiences that only they can absolutely create, and maybe building a little bit on, Claudine’s comment around love, like it's, it's those, those gestures that they, that they create, and that they have for, and with our guests that I think are a huge defining part of both our experience and our success over time.
The Longo's brand's pretty unique. Like our brand love scores are off the charts, like, they're like nothing I've seen on any other brand in particularly for those people that shop us. And when you ask people about it, it almost always comes back to a team member story. It's, it can be small little things like, I asked about a product, and they always walk me to it.
Michael LeBlanc 08:01
Yeah.
Alex Green 08:01
It was raining and somebody brought out an umbrella and walked me to my car. And then there's like, they're, they're these big moments and gestures. Like we had, we had one guest who came in with a health condition, he needed to eat more fish, wasn't comfortable cooking fish. And we have a seafood manager who is sourcing recipes, getting them to try different things and sort of coaching them along this journey. So, they're, there are these really powerful, meaningful moments that only our team members can create. And they're, they're at the heart of this love that, that people have for our experience. And it all comes back to that those cultures and the culture and the values that are being reinforced over this sort of 65 years of modeling, storytelling, showcasing and that it's now just, it's part of our DNA and, and how we're wired.
Michael LeBlanc 08:43
I was looking at the, some pictures from one of the last store openings, and I saw Gus Longo kind of merchandising the produce, produce area, and it just made me think about, again, you know, you can't kick, can't get him out of that store. But communicating the, the core brand values of the family and the business, right. That you're, you're kind of, in it together. It was really, I mean, he's just doing what he was doing. He wasn't meant to be there as a, as making any kind of statement, but it made a very powerful statement, I think. I think to everyone,
Alex Green 09:10
Yeah, you cannot quickly walk a store with any family member without re-merchandising, refacing, picking up garbage.
Liz Volk 09:10
Exactly.
Alex Green 09:10
And this is also part of our culture. It's like if you see a piece of garbage on your way into the store, you pick it up. You see a gap in a shelf, you fill it. Like it's, we are all wired to, to drive that out and, and to make sure we're creating the best guest experience as possible.
Michael LeBlanc 09:32
You mentioned earlier on, this kind of, you two beside each other was kind of a natural state, so to speak. So, let's take us back, Alex, if you would, to how that has begun. Liz, you've been with Longo's for, you're a veteran of Longo's. Alex, you're a newer addition to the team.
Alex Green 09:49
Yeah.
Michael LeBlanc 09:50
So, but it all came together in a big, I guess, big business transformation project that HR and marketing, were the co-sponsors of this. Take us back, take us back a few clicks, so to speak, and, -
Alex Green 09:59
Sure.
Michael LeBlanc 10:00
explain on how that came to be, and then how that relation formed, which continues clearly today.
Alex Green 10:04
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So, as I'm, as I'm sure everyone in the room can, can agree, I mean, it, it's been a pretty disruptive time in retail. I know, within grocery retail, there are so many things that have been changing. So, if you rewind the tape 4 years, we were sort of beginning this process to say, okay, like, there are all of these disruptive forces in the marketplace. You know, we've got new entrants, we have the role of new technology, we've got data, analytics, personalization. We've got the Amazons, on one side, we have these smaller experiential retailers on the other, and, it was, you know, it was the chance for us to take a step back and say, ‘Okay, you know, how do we make sure we're as relevant as possible based on who we are, our core values, and some of those unique competencies that we have, to be relevant for the next generation of shoppers?’ And even within that, relevant for the, for the next generation of team members, as all of those things were fundamental shifts within our business.
Alex Green 10:05
So, it was the chance for, for Liz and I you know, to work with a broad cross-functional group to take that step back. And not, not sort of change the culture, but think about that new chance to re-, reframe it and re-channel it into the next evolution of growth, for the business. So, obviously, you know, it was a pretty classic business transformation project, we have initiatives across team members, merchandising a whole bunch of marketing, guest experience, store design, loyalty,
Michael LeBlanc 11:25
Big systems, all that, -
Alex Green 11:27
Yeah, personalization, as well as community, and elevating how we give back and, and what that looks like, for the, for the next 5 to 10 years. So, you know, it, it was, it was a pretty big strategic reset for the business. And it was, it was framed up by Anthony, who's, you know, I remember in one of the first meetings he talked about, like, this is not going to be a pretty 200-page deck that gathers dust in the, in the corner office. Like, there can't be this gap between strategy and execution. And I, I think that's how you end up with sort of Liz and I co-chairing, and in many ways, just facilitating this broader group to be able to deliver this transformative experience into the, into the marketplace.
Alex Green 12:06
I mean, it's a huge change management initiative, it all starts internally. When we think about, you know, it could be the internal communications. It could be org work, training, development, new capabilities being built. And then on the other side I think you've got marketing, you know, being like really close to the guest insights and feeding those in. And then also bringing that, that lens to the storytelling, like, how do we create a really tangible vision for what this future is so that internally, we can rally around it. And then as we start to develop it, we can really celebrate it in powerful ways for our guests to drive, drive, the awareness and the, and the credit.
Alex Green 12:40
So, I, I think that's where it all started, you know, some, some interesting insights along the way. I mean, I think both Liz and I really learned that, you know, it's about, it's about going on the journey together, both the two of us and the way that we work together through the process. But also, that broader team, that if we weren't building momentum across that whole group, we wouldn't have enough to be able to drive to the end to get impact in the marketplace. I think there was a bunch of learning around making it tangible, like really, like really, tangible. Especially in a very entrepreneurial value focused business. Like, internally, like, how do, how does 6000 team members interpreted, interpret what we're doing? Not some vague philosophical thing, but something that was extremely tangible?
Michael LeBlanc 13:24
Yeah.
Alex Green 13:25
And then, you know, testing and learning as quickly as we could. Like getting, getting, getting real prototypes into the hands of team members and guests, because it all sounds good in a boardroom. And then, you know, it, it, nothing survives exactly as you imagined once it comes in contact with reality.
Michael LeBlanc 13:40
Liz, Liz, talk, share your perspectives. I mean, when you first got that call, or when you first had that meeting with Anthony and he said, Congratulations, you're now going to co-chair a business transformation process. You know, what were, what were your early thoughts? I mean, it's i-, i-, the fact that it's, again, partnered with, with marketing, I think, I wouldn't call it unusual, but it's, it's certainly innovative, and certainly consumer focused at its core. But what were your observations and kind of, you know, talk about this as the catalyst, which is the ongoing relationship between the two departments, if we can call it that, that has led to continued success?
Liz Volk 14:16
Well, certainly very excited. I mean, who gets that kind of opportunity to really step back and think about what's the unique value that the business brings to the consumer, right? So, to be a part of that, was super exciting. The catalyst I think, for Alex and I was the fact that we were able to continually look at this through both the guest and the team member lens and balancing both, because we knew how critical that was. And you know, as Alex said, I've been here in the organization longer, so I was able to provide a little bit of that history, tribal knowledge, you know, how did we get here? What was happening in the culture, what was important to our team members, and grounding some of that. And Alex was there with all the great exciting ideas and new ways of looking at it.
Liz Volk 14:57
So, you know, the, the nice piece of it, where we were able to tap into each other's strengths and challenge each other, and then bring the rest of the team along. Because as Alex said, it was really across the entire organization. So, it was everything from reinventing our private label product lineup, and how were we going to do that, and inform our team members? All the way through to, what are we expecting to be different in the guest experience? And how, how do we want our team members to show up? So, lots of opportunity for debate and discussion.
Liz Volk 15:03
And, and Alex was great, because we took a look at so many important iconic elements of the organization, our original purpose, our vision statement, our values, and we had lots of discussion. But what Alex brought to the table was a way for us to modernize and simplify those and bring them into language and practical tools that we could then introduce to the company. So, I think that's what really galvanized our relationship to say, ‘Hey, this can work out really well together’. Because really, it's all about, you know, the guest and the team members.
Michael LeBlanc 16:04
I mean, in many ways, the organization owns the brand values, but Alex and his team would set forward brand values sometimes in campaign. And as you said, I know from experience, lots of Longo's family members have been there for many, many years, which means they, you know, it could mean they're resistant to change, or it could mean they'd love it the most. How do you bring those brand values to life on the grocery store floor and on the doorstep? Like, what, what do you go through with the employees to make those values whether, you know, family values, 65 years of business? How do you make those come to life? What are your, what are your kind of top tips for doing that?
Liz Volk 16:38
Yeah, well, and again, this, it all just worked out perfectly. We couldn't have timed it better, how, how things came together. But you would think we actually had a plan, Alex, but, we needed to, -
Michael LeBlanc 16:53
Nimble. Very nimble.
Alex Green 16:54
Yeah, yeah, agile. It's, everything's agile.
Liz Volk 16:56
Everything's agile. That's right. I knew that we have, for many, many years from an employer perspective, dovetailed off the strength of the Longo's brand. consumer brand. And so, when it was time to actually do our employer brand work. So, again, being a part of this transformation, it just made a whole heck of a lot of sense that we use the same agency. So, we actually turned to that agency, and work that they did. So, when they did focus groups for our guests, and figured out what was really important to our guests and had done all of that great work. They followed the same methodology with our team members. And then we were able to take all of that data and say, ‘What are some of the common themes, and how can the brand show up from an employer brand and what's important to our team members, and have the same look, feel and tone, that our consumer brand had?’ So, it just, it worked out perfectly. So, employer brand was how we did it.
Liz Volk 17:47
The second piece, I would say, we, we launched a new learning management platform system, we were in the process of doing that. So, big change, what it meant was team members would be doing daily training across the organization, in bite sized learning. So, we were excited about that. But, you know, the, the learning and development team was stepping back and saying, ‘Well, in order to get people interested to go to that actual platform, and to use it, what's the first thing out of the gate we should come out with?’ So, it was perfect, we came out with everything related to the transformation. So, conversations around our new values, what's our purpose statement, our vision statement, and, and it made it a lot of fun and engagement for our team members.
Liz Volk 18:30
And then more recently, what we've done is we've launched a recognition platform as well. So, our team members can go in and recognize peer to peer, our leaders can recognize team members. And that is all built around what we call our family standards, which are the behaviors of the transformation, as well as our values. So, you know, those are just some of the examples beyond, you know, also Alex's team helping us regularly with all of our recruiting messages. And just making sure again, that fun tone that you see in our stores for our guests. That's, that shows up for our team members as well.
Michael LeBlanc 19:06
It's more now than ever before that great service is kind of table stakes at retail, now. It's kind of where the journey begins. What, what and how do you ensure through your people, if you can, that they have those key differentiators? And what are those differentiators look like in a Longo's shopping experience, whether it's at the doorstep or in the store?
Liz Volk 19:28
You know, again, I think we've talked so much about culture, but I think it really does start with making sure that your team members are connected to your purpose. So, our purpose for the company is fueling happier and healthier lives. And we demonstrate and talk about examples of that on a regular basis. But I think the next thing is really, then do they actually have the tools and the autonomy to deliver it? And we, we applaud, we story tell and we really promote that our team members are able to do that. And that's what we're looking for them to do. And sure, sometimes, you know, mistakes happen whatnot, but I think when people really feel connected that they are part of the bigger purpose, that makes a real difference.
Liz Volk 20:03
And then I would say the third piece that we've actually been actively working at is, we call it a good job strategy. It's actually aligned to Good Jobs Institute, which study re-, st-, studies retailers. And their whole premise is, you know, good retailers versus those that aren't so good. And it, and it's pretty simple. But it's back to making sure that people are earning a fair or a living wage. That they actually have regular schedules so they can have lives and it's, and it's balanced.
And then from a guest point of view, you know, if they're well trained and recognized, then it, it creates that great experience, because they feel like they have a career, and they're part of it.
And then in our organization, we've always had the benefit of cross training. And I don't mean that just in the sense of inside of our stores, we have numerous people that have had careers with us. So, they've moved from stores into our Support Center, they've moved into our distribution center, our Grocery Gateway facility, and vice versa. We actually have people often that leave the Support Center and go into operating roles.
So, I think that just, if you have that kind of connection to the purpose, you have that understanding in the organization, it really plays out in genuine service. And, you know, I think it was Doug Stevens that, that talked about the fact that stores are really becoming, you know, they're your medium. And if you want your teams to create that great guest experience, they have to feel connected. So, for me, that's kind of how it all comes together.
Michael LeBlanc 21:29
Alex, let's follow that thread a little bit, picking up on the idea of cross training and cross pollenization of skills and, and talk about how, you know, you have very, you more and more you have very depth of vertical expertise to master the complex world that is modern retail, so depth of expertise and marketing and promotions, depth of expertise in human resources. How do you two, how do you two cross pollinate each other? I said at the very beginning, we, we've had in the past at this forum, marketers who talked about brands, so that just brought a nice framework for all the departments. How do you two on a, on an ongoing basis, kind of, so to speak, educate your, yourselves and your people on, on what are the principles with your relative disciplines?
Alex Green 22:11
Yeah, I mean, I, I feel like, Liz and I now have five years of shorthand, right? Like, all of that, all of that work across how we're defining our brand, how we're defining our employer brand, how those things come together. And we've had to pressure test it both within ourselves and across our teams. Navigating transformational launches, navigating new partnerships with groups like Empire, like so, you know, we've, we've traveled sort of a lot of miles now. And our teams have travelled it with us. So, I think, I think that, that helps a lot. And then I think we've got a handful of key tools that empower our teams to be able to con-, they can consistently come back to it, it's, you know, it can be just broad guiding principles, like, hey, we always talk to our team members, before we talk to our guests. Like, that just everyone knows it, it's part of our wiring.
Michael LeBlanc 22:59
Right.
Alex Green 23:00
And then, you know, as a, as a bit of a brand design sort of systems fanatic, right. Like, we want it to all be cohesive and knit together. We have design guidelines, and, and they're well defined, they're documented. And they're very quick, easy reference points. And it can be from like, the, you know, the design of our PowerPoints through to, you know, our internal communications, like it has a look, it has a feel, it has a tone. And we have both the documents to sort of reference and train people that they can, they can use over time. And then we just have that continuous feedback loop that we're all working together and refining these things, these things as we go. So, I think that those, those, things make it seem pretty easy. I don't, I don't know if I'd say that if it was five years ago. But now after five years, I'm like, yeah, it's working well.
Michael LeBlanc 23:45
Well, and, and let's expand the lens, kind of a last questions. Let's expand the lens real quick and just talk about working with the store operators. I mean, you staff the stores. Talk about for a second or two, just bringing all this home into the folks who are running the stores.
Liz Volk 24:00
Yeah, I think that, you know, it just goes without saying that we work cross functionally. We involve our store managers from an HR perspective. Anything that we're going to roll out there, we have store managers that sit, part of the committee, part of the Working Committee. I, I talked about two very important platforms and investments that we made. They were actually there right in the beginning helping us select the vendors, test the products, pilot. So, so, in that type of way we work regularly with, with our operations teams, and our merchandising teams as well.
Liz Volk 24:29
But I would say the other piece that maybe isn't so formal, but it's just so important, is just spending time in the stores. Our teams are in the stores, we're in the stores, and it's, a lot of times, through that informal conversation, whether it be a store manager an assistant store manager, any of our department managers, you get nuggets that you just realize, oh wait a minute, got to bring myself back down to, to reality here in terms of, you know, what might be causing anxiety or, you know, or, or what might be working really well and how do I build off of it? So, that's really how we work with them it's just kind of, every day there, there is a, they've got the most important jobs in the company for sure.
Michael LeBlanc 25:08
Well Liz and Alex, thanks so much for joining us and sharing your insights. It's been a real treat for me to listen I'm sure for the for the viewers and for the listeners to listen in. Wish you much continued success. And with that, I'll throw it back to our fantastic master of ceremonies (inaudible).
Alex Green 25:23
Hey, thanks, Michael. Great job and listen, I can listen to lang-, Longo's presentations all the time. It's like a family story. Liz has heard this before. My father-in-law came over on the boat from Italy with Longo's brothers, became a farmer, sold his produce to the Longo's. My wife's first job was Longo's, my teenager's first job was pushing carts at Longo's. So, it's kind of like old home week for me every time that great job. Thank you very much.
Michael LeBlanc 25:46
Thanks for tuning into this special episode of The Voice of Retail. If you haven't already, be sure and click and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so new episodes will land automatically, twice a week.
And check out my other retail industry media properties, the Remarkable Retail podcast, Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, and The Food Professor podcast with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois. Last but not least, if you're into barbecue, check out my all-new YouTube barbecue show, Last Request Barbecue with new episodes each and every week.
I'm your host, Michael LeBlanc, President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company and Maven Media. And if you're looking for more content or want to chat, follow me on LinkedIn or visit my website at meleblanc.co.
Have a safe week everyone.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Longo’s, team members, Alex, stores, guests, Liz, retail, teams, brand, people, culture, values, business, marketing, organization, insights, lobster, merchandising, managers, support