CNBC’s retail ‘fixer’ Marcus Lemonis headlines Emerson Group 10th Annual Industry Day

PHILADELPHIA  — The Emerson Group will soon be hosting its 10th Annual Retail Industry Day with an all-star lineup featuring the kind of thought leadership pioneers who will help galvanize attendees into thinking differently about how they approach their respective businesses.

That’s the kind of reputation The Emerson Group has cultivated in the past decade with this event, as successful marketing and merchandising strategies continue to shift from the typical block and tackle mindsets of old to the embracing of initiatives that employ strategic disruption across the consumer purchase path, from search to shelf.

Headlining the day’s events is Marcus Lemonis, who breathes new life into dying businesses in his hit show “The Profit” on CNBC by focusing on the “3P” principle: “People/Process/Product.”

Lemonis drives results through collaborations, partnerships and relationships and advises aspiring entrepreneurs to stay focused, work hard, know their numbers and be disciplined.

“Entrepreneurs who have authored a product or a process that isn’t working today have to make the bold step of re-inventing themselves,” Lemonis recently shared. “Every single company in this country today, if they’re not evolving, they’re dying. And I don’t know why an entrepreneur would think that they would be exempt from that process. I’m not interested in their ego; I’m not interested in their pride; I’m not interested in their feelings. I’m interested in their business being successful. ”

Lemonis will be returning to prime time in November when CNBC’s popular hit series “The Profit” returns for a fifth season with 10 all-new episodes.

Also on the scorecard is Musab Balbale, VP and general manager for Walmart ecommerce, who will discuss capturing and keeping consumer attention in an omnichannel marketplace. Balbale has more than 15 years of experience in consumer and retail. Prior to Walmart and Jet.com, he was VP of International and Business Development at the Vitamin Shoppe, where he was responsible for merchandising and operations. Balbale began his career in strategy and investing roles at The Boston Consulting Group, Charles Schwab and Summit Partners and has his Bachelor’s Degree from Yale University and his MBA from Harvard Business School.

Colleen DeCourcy, chief creative officer for Wieden+Kennedy, joins the Emerson Group from “the world's most creatively-awarded agency,” according to AdvertisingAge, to discuss how to catch lightning in a bottle, something her agency successfully accomplishes quite often. “It’s a good time, this particular, challenging period in our industry, and in our world, to remind ourselves of the power of raw creativity, and what it takes for creative companies to conjure and harness it,” she shared during a presentation earlier this year at a D&AD conference. “Best-in-class, relationship-driven, integrated, digital-innovation-operations-technology-process companies can’t do that. Companies devoted to creativity can. Agitation, meaning, the unexpected — these are the things that can truly ignite a culture.”

Also presenting is Evan Neufeld, VP intelligence at L2 Inc., a subscription-based business intelligence service that benchmarks the digital competence of brands. L2 helps identify the must-have omnichannel features retailers need to meet the expectations of their consumers, and provides insights into the best-practices of brands using disruptive technology.

Finally, Carol Cruickshank, partner at ATKearney’s Health Practice, will be on hand to discuss a research initiative that examines the future state of retail and consumers and the key drivers of change on the horizon for brands and retailers. For example, looking ahead, 2026 will yield the first time six generations of consumers actively participate in the market, from an estimated 14 million from the “silent generation” to the 43 million in the “alpha generation,” or the generation that comes after “gen z.” By the time anyone in the alpha generation is making their first purchase decision, marketing will have evolved from a one-size-fits-all approach to a personalized approach.