David F. Miller Center for Retailing Education and ResearchLocated in the Warrington College of Business Administration and working within the University of Florida community, the Miller Retail Center strives to develop tomorrow's leaders by stimulating interest in retail careers, preparing students for entry-level management, providing continuing education opportunities, facilitating communications between retailers and academics, and researching retail issues and opportunities. |
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This Week's Events
Mattress Firm Info Session
5:30 in 361 of the Reitz Union.
Sears Holdings Retail Management Seminar
Kristina Landis, Director, Training and Development - Store Operations
Family Dollar
Retail Center News
The University of Florida's David F. Miller Center for Retailing Education and Research and the Florida Retail Federation Pathways Webinar Series provides a forum for people to engage with and learn from C-level retail executives. It is an opportunity for retail executives to share their knowledge and expertise with young professionals, college students, and others in the retail field to better understand how to be successful in a retail career.
The Miller Center has launched a search for a full-time executive director. Dr. Bart Weitz, presently serving as part-time executive director, will continue to be involved in the Center in an advisory capacity. The new executive director will take over the responsibilities of managing the staff of five. The successful candidate should be innovative, energetic, and dynamic in initiating activities to support the mission of the Center.
On November 19th, Maxine Clark, Founder and Chief Executive Bear at Build-A-Bear Workshop shared her knowledge about the challenges, opportunities and keys to a successful retail career and answered questions from participants. This webinar, sponsored by Miller Center and the Florida Retail Federation, was the first in a monthly series that gives students an opportunity to interact with and learn from C-level retail executives.
Mike Odell, CEO of The Pep Boys, spoke to the Retail Management Seminar class on October 23. After four years in the red, Pep Boys has turned the corner. Odell, the fifth CEO in seven years, outlined the company's growth strategy for UF students enrolled in the Sears Seminar Series.
In conjunction with the Fall Meeting of the Center's Executive Advisory Board, $31,000 in scholarships (donated by retailers) were awarded at an honorary dinner to UF students who are pursuing retail careers and exhibited outstanding performance in classes and retail internships.
Although retailers are developing and communicating more information about their socially responsible policies and practices, reported incidents of irresponsible behaviors are bound to increase as firms' operations globalize and policies are implemented by a wide variety of employees in different locations. Recent research by UF marketing professors examined how retailers can minimize the effects of this negative information on consumers.
In October 2009, James Gadsby, Senior Manager of Information Technology at Home Depot, and Michael Manis, Office Depot's Vice President of Global Technology Shared Service, discussed retail opportunities with 75 students majoring in Information Systems and Operation Management.
The Miller Center was proud to host Franchise Day for the students at the Warrington. The day-long event featured three special guest speakers whose careers involved successful retail franchise endeavors. The special guests were all Gator alumni: Mark Yegge, CEO of Next Waves Solar; John Thomas, CEO of Pinch a Penny; and Adam Scott, CEO of Wing Zone, which was founded on the University of Florida campus.
