Day two of the RILA Retail Asset Protection Conference 2018 began with opening remarks from RILA President Sandy Kennedy, who discussed many of the accomplishments that have taken place in retail over the past year, as well as the role that the Retail Industry Leaders Association has played in helping to move the asset protection industry forward through education, research, benchmarking and innovation.
This was followed by the day’s first general session featuring Bryan Everett, chief operating officer with Rite Aid Stores, discussing leadership and team development. “Leadership is never about you,” he said, focusing on the importance of being a humble leader and trusting in your team to get the job done. “The best AP partners are those capable of talking about growing the business, not just protecting loss.”
With retail experience in different retail environments, Everett shared practical leadership advice on building winning teams, broadening influence, and gaining respect from others. He challenged the attendees to commit to becoming both better leaders and business partners, offering insights into what he looks for and expects from his asset protection team.
This session was followed by a panel discussion on “Shoplifters, ORC, Shrinking Justice & Opioids: What’s a Retailer to Do?” This robust discussion had moderator Walter Palmer hosting experts from the retail asset protection, law enforcement, criminal justice, and academic communities to discuss retail asset protection challenges; especially in light of the growing ripple effect of shoplifting and its alleged link to the opioid issue.
Other topics reviewed the growing issues of organized retail crime, restorative justice programs, and some of the frustrations facing the asset protection issues as we struggle to balance the needs of the business, the demands of the community as a whole, and the limited resources that further complicate these concerns from within the retail, law enforcement, and criminal justice perspectives.
Following another round of exceptional breakout sessions and lunch in the expo hall, Robert Perkins, vice president of talent management with Foot Locker, hosted a general session on “The Role Inclusion and Diversity Play in Driving Organizational Performance.” In today’s business environment, embracing all types of diversity has become increasingly important. Perkins challenged the audience to think differently about diversity and inclusion within their focusing on how leaders can build self-awareness, take increased ownership, and hold business leaders accountable at all levels for achieving desired results.
The afternoon round of breakout sessions for each of the conference tracks was followed by the (R)Tech Asset Protection Innovation Awards Ceremony. This year’s winners included:
First Place: T+Ink
Second Place: Profitect
Third Place: Verkada
Retailers’ Choice: Profitect
“This year’s award winners embody the spirit of innovation that is alive and well in the retail industry,” said Lisa LaBruno, senior vice president of retail operations at RILA.
Congratulations to the winners and all of the award finalists for their outstanding contributions.
The final general session of the day had Dr. David Matsumoto, director of Humintell, discussing “Assessing Mental States, Intentions & Truthfulness Using Behavioral Indicators.” Dr. Matsumoto discussed the importance of having the ability to gain insights about an interviewee’s personality, read unconscious and unspoken mental states and intentions, and assess credibility for professionals whose jobs require interviews, interrogations, and gathering information from others.
Following a long but productive day, attendees then met in the exhibition hall to relax, and meet with fellow practitioners and service providers. This also led to perhaps was the most passionate discussions of the day as we asked various attendees to choose their favorite sessions of the event, with different industry leaders choosing different sessions while highlighting the attributes of their chosen presentations.
Tomorrow’s events wrap up another successful and productive event before attendees leave the conference energized and ready to share what they’ve learned with their companies and asset protection departments.
Thanks again to all attendees, our vendor partners, and especially the team at RILA for making this event a huge success and a tremendous learning experience!