Nice to Meet You

While sitting amongst RILA member companies at my first Government Affairs Committee meeting last month, I recalled the famous line from John Hughes’s classic movie, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” 

Ferris Bueller might have been talking about cutting class to enjoy a perfect spring day with his friends. Mine is the opposite. I don’t want to miss the chance to do my job. 

Ferris would tell me I missed the point, but I promise I haven’t. Perfect moments and great days come in many forms. When they happen, you have to stop, take them in, and make sure to take a mental picture. Sitting in a room with all of you contemplating the work you all do and the contributions your companies make was one of those moments. After two decades working in government affairs, I have learned that those are the moments that will carry you through when days are long and things are tough. 

As RILA’s new senior executive vice president for public affairs, I have the privilege of leading RILA’s federal advocacy and public affairs strategy in service of our members across the country.  

Retailers like you are essential to our communities, and the policy decisions made in Washington directly affect your ability to invest, innovate, and serve customers. Our mission at RILA is to advance practical solutions to those challenges. 

Having grown up in and around retail, it’s hard to imagine an industry that could be as challenging and, yes, as fun to represent as the retail industry. For me, it’s a bit of a full-circle moment. Although I arrived in Washington, D.C. to work for Congress as a new college graduate more than 20 years ago, my job history prior to that moment was retail. My background included:

• Attaching Proposition 65 Warning labels onto plates and glasses while working in the China department. 
• Demonstrating the breadmaking machines during a summer spent working in Housewares. 
• Cleaning out dressing rooms and stocking ties, socks, and dress shirts in the Men’s department. 
• Wrapping big screen televisions on Christmas Eve while working at the Gift Wrap desk. 
• Working as a cashier in both regional department stores like Gottschalks and Weinstock's and Longs Drugs, a regional drug store. 

Retail was rarely dull, often hard, and always changing and evolving to meet the next moment that was just around the corner. Although it wasn’t obvious at the time, the lessons learned working retail - whether it was back-to-school, Valentine’s Day, or Black Friday - was an internship of its own for a career in government affairs.  

If Congress provided a book to new staffers, it might be titled, “Everything I Ever Needed to Know, I Learned Working Retail.” 

Like many of you, my retail experience taught me the importance of meeting the customer where they are, listening to their needs, and providing a positive experience that built the trust and loyalty necessary to make them a repeat customer.  

For my government affairs-minded brain, I think about this way: in retail, the customer is your constituent. 

Government affairs isn’t too different, and the retail lessons are 100% transferrable. The foundation of government affairs is about building relationships, listening carefully, understanding different perspectives, and helping people navigate challenges—many of the same skills that define exceptional customer service. 

It’s a privilege to represent the leading brands in retail, and I’m proud to join the RILA team because its approach to addressing real-world retail challenges is guided by the same characteristics of exceptional service as you deliver to your consumers every day.  

While this is my first opportunity to introduce myself, I hope it is just the beginning of an ongoing conversation. I look forward to hearing from all of you. I couldn’t be more excited about the new adventure, the work, and the people in and across the retail landscape who will be a part of this new journey. I want to learn what inspires you, what challenges you, and how RILA’s public policy leaders can best support your work and your company’s success. 

It’s truly one of those perfect Ferris Bueller moments. I am taking a mental picture right now. 

I can't wait to meet you in the months ahead. 

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