A Day in the Life of a Mall Manager

Steven Jamieson, Corporate Director of Operations for The Forbes Company, came to speak to the students in the Retail Leadership Seminar. Jamieson oversees The Mall at Millenia in Orlando, FL, The Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens Fl, Waterside Shops in Naples FL, and Somerset Collection in Troy, Michigan. For 20 years, he worked as a general manager at The Mall of Millenia, a retail location that many Florida students are familiar with. What many students may not be familiar with is how much work and attention to detail is required to do a job like Jamieson’s. Students were able to see a day in Steven Jamieson’s life. They got to learn about security responsibilities, including security camera expansion and active shooter classes. They also received an inside look into the facilities team and how they manage store remodels and construction progress. The Mall of Millenia will soon have 10 out of the 10 most valuable luxury brands in the world but continues to find new ways to engage with customers. One major way is their personal style suite, which offers guests personal styling services. Getting a look inside an average workday as a Corporate Director of Operations helped students see what skills and responsibilities are needed. Students in the seminar were then able to ask questions and learn even more about the specifics of the role.

Building Your Career Toolbox

This semester, students enjoying Introduction to Marketing taught by Professor Odile Guinot were treated to a presentation by Susan Chronister, ​The head of US and Canada Omni Channel Sales Belin International.

Susan offered students a guide on building a career “toolbox” by sharing her extensive experiences from her decades of working within the retailing industry. A major takeaway from her presentation was the importance of networking. Over the years, she has connections with retail partners across the globe. She also emphasized moving outside of your comfort zone and learning how to solve a variety of problems as this promotes personal and professional growth.

Other “tools” she encouraged are being open to driving change and by doing so, accepting failure as a way to learn. She talked about persevering when she hit a marketing “wall” when launching the Call of Duty video game, yet she maintained a respectful loyalty to the customer. Susan offered a look at the five “P’s” when discussing leadership and development of a strategy, while stressing the importance of involving people as that is what really drives a successful business.

Finally, Susan encouraged students to take risks, build their skillsets of financial acumen, technical skills as well as soft skills and again encouraged students to network.