As a brand in its infancy, Austere should’ve stood no chance against a raging pandemic. But Ghazarian and her team created such a compelling brand story — not to mention some seriously awesome product — that the business not only survived, but is thriving.

Fresh off of Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October, we’re extending the conversation with Telesystem. Ira Feuerstein, manager of cybersecurity business development for the brand, shares a number of tips, tricks and fair warnings for retailers around protecting their data and educating their employees on this always-important matter. 

Fresh off of his first trip to Berlin for IFA 2022, Dealerscope Senior Managing Editor Sam Hitt hops onto the podcast to talk about the latest gadgets, holiday retail trends and more. We dive into everything from gaming tech, e-mobility trends, the Metaverse — and the list goes on.

For the second year in a row, Martinsburg, WV-based retailer Orsini’s has been recognized in the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies list. We sat down with Owner PJ Orsini to talk about the honor, how the business has continued to thrive during uncertain times and more.  

Custom integration industry veteran Andy Orozco hit the ground running — literally — as Nationwide Marketing Group’s new Senior Vice President of CI. His second day on the job brought him to Dallas for CEDIA Expo. A few weeks in now, Orozco sits down to talk about what excites him in working with NMG’s CI dealers, the opportunities that lie ahead in this industry and more.

Barely nine months on the job, CEDIA Global President & CEO Daryl Friedman has been a busy man, getting full ingrained with the world of custom integration. We sat down with Friedman during the recent CEDIA Expo in Dallas to talk about the challenges the industry faces, the importance of education and more.

As one of the younger brands in the luxury appliance space, Signature Kitchen Suite is in prime position to disrupt the market. Director of Sales Mike O’Keefe chats about the ways the brand is innovating the luxury game and what excites him about working with Nationwide dealers.

After spending a few days with us in Orlando for his first-ever PrimeTime show, Furniture Today Editor-in-Chief Bill McLoughlin recaps his time at that show. We also dive into FT’s upcoming Leadership Conference, furniture retailing trends and more.

Just over a week out, the excitement is palpable as the custom integration channel preps for CEDIA Expo. Ahead of the show, we sat down with Jason Turner, Vice President and co-founder of PowerShades, to talk about the show and the brand’s involvement in Nationwide’s Tiny Home, which will be on hand in Dallas.

In its 77-year history, The Appliance Center has weathered all sorts of storms. Most recently, the Panama City, FL, business had its main showroom rocked by Hurricane Michael in 2018. Though they’re still working out of a makeshift warehouse-turned-storefront, President Bob Hurst shares how they’ve remained successful.

During PrimeTime in Orlando, the discussion centered around getting “back to basics” in the fight for foot traffic. Patrick Maloney, NMG’s EVP of Membership, jumped on the Independent Thinking Podcast to expand on that message — and share some highlights from the show.

For independent business owners — who, admittedly wear many different hats — marketing often takes a backseat to many other tasks. That makes the work of Nationwide’s Shopper Marketing team all the more important. We recently sat down with Joe Walz, director of shopper marketing, to talk about the magic they perform on behalf of our independent retailers.

While we were together in Orlando for Nationwide’s PrimeTime show, we took the opportunity to chat with a local Member in the rent-to-own space, Buddy’s Home Furnishings. Mitchell Lee, director of franchise development for Buddy’s, spoke on the business, the team’s growth strategy and more.

What does the new business development process look like for Nationwide Marketing Group? To find the answer we turn to Nationwide’s Vice President of Business Development Derek Mattila — the guy behind countless new partnerships the group has formed over the past few years, and the launch of the home improvement category.

A brand that’s still too young to get its driver’s license, ZLINE Kitchen has been making major waves in the appliance industry of late. With a year of working with the Nationwide Marketing Group team under its belt, we sit down with ZLINE to talk shop. Mason Watkins, marketing director, and Derek Frye, director of sales, share a behind-the-scenes look at what differentiates ZLINE in the attainable luxury category.

How different, really, is the Rent-to-Own industry from traditional retail? To get at that answer, we turned to Nationwide Marketing Group’s resident expert on the RTO industry, Keven Dalke. While there are certainly some very defined differences, retail and Rent-to-Own still have plenty in common.

The team at Silica For Your Home in Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, hit a major one this year with their 100th anniversary. We took the opportunity to talk with third- and fourth-generation owners Tom and Josh Schneider and get their take on what Silica has gotten right over the last century.

Unlike their Big Box counterparts, Independent dealers in the consumer electronics industry — especially Members of Nationwide Marketing Group — are doing well. Are there challenges? Of course. But there’s plenty to be excited about in the CE retail industry.

We love getting out and seeing our Members whenever we get the chance. Waiting six months in between PrimeTime shows just doesn’t cut it anymore, which is why Nationwide recently held its second slate of Regional Member Meetings. This past June, we had stops in Minneapolis, Sacramento, Philadelphia and Indianapolis. Nationwide’s Mike Whitaker jumps into the podcast to talk about all the great networking and education that took place.

Over the last few years, Kelly’s Home Center has seen its retail footprint grow. We talk with second- and third-generation owners Jeff and Scott Kelly about the business, what’s working, and what they’ve learned through their acquisitions.