In 2006, within the first few months of joining Phillips Edison, the responsibility of coordinating our ICSC Vegas booth was bestowed upon me. [Okay, so it felt a little less like the passing of a torch and more like a losing game of hot-potato, but regardless I was excited for the opportunity.]

I’ve had multiple internships at various companies throughout my time in college. Starting a new job is always intimidating, especially coming in with the title as “the intern.” Not only do you not know what to expect, but it feels like you are at the very bottom of the totem pole in the corporate world.

I work from home.  People typically react to this news with one (or more) of the following:

Phillips Edison & Company recently held its 25th Annual Meeting.  We use this time to gather every associate in the company together to review our previous year’s accomplishments, discuss the coming year’s goals and reconnect as a team.  It’s an event that I truly believe contributes to PECO’s success by aligning every associate with the company’s mission and goals and strengthening team relationships and communication. 

When you start college, you think you’ve made it. You’re on your own; your parents aren’t watching your every move; you get to choose what you want to do. While all of those things are true, college students are still kids, just a bit more mature than they were in high school. Sure you’ve reached a new level of freedom that you may have never experienced before, but the transition from college to career is quite different. I think grown ups like to call it - a Reality Check.

Look through any business journal or book and you will find the word “innovation” at least once.

With the growing hype surrounding online grocery shopping, many may think the traditional grocery store is a thing of the past, when in reality the grocery store is poised to take on an even larger role in 2016 due to new and exciting offerings.

The beginning of the year is a great time to reflect on where we’ve been and where we are headed. What new directions might the marketplace take in 2016? How can we as retail experts take advantage of these trends? 

Our team at Phillips Edison has predicted the top five grocery shopping trends for 2016:

According to Catalyst data published in the Network of Executive Women’s recent annual report, the retail workforce is composed of 48% women, yet fewer than 2% of CEOs are women and only about 18% of corporate officers are women.  Yet, studies show that female leadership leads to higher profits and stronger corporate results. 

The foundation of any successful company is its associates. Many companies invest a great deal of time and money into finding and recruiting highly desirable talent, however some seem to neglect the importance of retaining these qualified associates.