The retail apocalypse has wreaked industry-wide havoc. Gymboree, Payless ShoeSource, Diesel and Forever 21 are just a handful of companies that went bankrupt this year.

Evidently, retailers are facing unique challenges in today’s volatile business world. Brand loyalty has become a thing of the past, while industry trends seem to shift by the day. Keeping up with the pace of change can feel next to impossible.

What can explain this widespread disruption? Can companies in other industries learn from the retail predicament to avoid the same fate?

Join ExperiencePoint’s Master Facilitators Tom Merrill and Keith Laplante for a lively discussion on:
●     The forces that have contributed to retail disruption
●     Lessons that every organization can learn from the retail apocalypse 
●     How companies can use human-centered thinking as a competitive advantage to drive record growth through innovation
●     The potential barriers to innovation and how to overcome them 

Tom Merrill is a Master Facilitator at ExperiencePoint and has facilitated sessions for Microsoft, Cisco Systems, State Farm Insurance, Nationwide Insurance, Watson Scientific, Exelon, Bayer Pharmaceuticals and other Fortune 500 companies.

Prior to joining ExperiencePoint, Tom was a professor and the Associate Provost for Academic Initiatives, Innovation and Strategic Planning at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Xavier University Center for Innovation (CFI) works with students, faculty and staff across the university to help bring new ideas to life, adapt to change, develop new products and systems and serve as a conduit to the regional startup ecosystem.
 
Dynamic, engaging and insightful, Tom Merrill welcomes every audience with a warm style that inspires participants to learn. An active composer and conductor, Tom finds that his formal training in music offers a unique perspective on creativity, human-centered design and innovation.

Tom also has a passion for cooking and, when he has time, loves to prepare multi-course meals for friends and family. Tom lives with his wife, Theresa, in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Energetic and engaging, Keith has over 20 years of combined experience as a consultant and Regional Vice President at TD Bank. In addition to facilitating ExperiencePoint’s workshops within technology, banking, retail, pharmaceutical and consumer packaged-goods sectors, Keith is also responsible for the development and training of ExperiencePoint’s select training partners.

Keith holds an MBA from Dalhousie University, a BA from Trent University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers.

Originally from Montreal, Keith currently resides north of Toronto with his wife Deb and their dog Oliver.