THE DOMINANT THEME AT THE RECENT RETAIL EXECUTIVE SUMMIT in Las Vegas was corporate culture – what it means, how it works, where leaders fit into it and, ultimately, the impact it has on the success of the organization.

Several speakers hit home runs with this topic, including former Wal-Mart executive Michael Bergdahl, Best Buy SVP John Thompson and Tractor Supply CEO Joe Scarlett. Several other speakers also scored well with attendees at the three-day event hosted by RIS.

But the speaker that hit a grand slam was Marty Allen, [former] CEO and president of Party America, who recently completed a turn-around and sale of Party America to Berkshire Partners, which also owned the chain’s main rival, Party City.

Allen is not your typical number-crunching, Wall Street-obsessed CEO. He’s a straight-talking people person who understands that corporate success depends on people. “Your company isn’t a products company,” Allen says, “It’s a human company selling products. The pivot point on which any strategic success rests is the discretionary effort of your human organization.”

Joe Skorupa, Group Editor-in-Chief RIS Magazine.

“In this day and age, it is almost impossible for any company to do anything 100% better than their competitors. And if they do, their competitors will copy them, improve upon it and then have the new edge.

What you can do, which is almost impossible to copy, is 100 things 1% better. Find these 1% ers, make a list and then implement them. This is how you win today.”

Marty Allen CEO/President

“I have known Marty Allen for more than 15 years as an investor and as a board member of Party America. Without fail, during that time, he continually demonstrated exceptional leadership which is reflected in the success of his company. I believe all of his key reports would join him in any business he would choose to lead. I would absolutely attempt to hire Marty to lead a business of his choosing. He built a great organization and his integrity is outstanding.”

H.H. Haight – President and CEO
Argo Global Capital