Retailing Day 2001 at UA Presents Championship Lineup

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.– The 20th annual Retailing Day at The University of Alabama will offer business owners and students a chance to receive “championship” advice from top executives, and from Coach Sarah Patterson, UA associate athletics director and women’s gymnastics head coach.

The conference is Tuesday, Oct. 23, at UA’s Bryant Conference Center in Tuscaloosa. Registration starts at 7:15 a.m., with the program beginning at 8 a.m.

Dr. Robert Robicheaux, Bruno Professor of Retail Marketing and coordinator of marketing programs at UA’s Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration, said this year’s program has a “championship theme.”

“We think this year the conference has a true championship lineup, from start to finish,” Robicheaux said. “This is the third year we will recognize winners of the Retailer of the Year awards, which are presented in three categories, and all of the winners are champions of retailing. And we all know the championship qualities represented by Coach Patterson and her gymnastics team.”

The Alabama Retailer of the Year awards are co-sponsored by the Alabama Retail Association and UA. The selection committee includes representatives from the media, Chambers of Commerce, retailers, The University of Alabama and the Alabama Retail Association.

“We will have some great executives talking about the things they do best in retailing,” said Robicheaux. “This program is designed to give our students and retailers around the state an opportunity to learn from some of the world’s best retailers.”

Robicheaux said the lineup of experts would benefit all attendees, from senior businesspeople to young entrepreneurs. “Alabama is known nationally and internationally for some outstanding retailers that have headquarters here,” he said.

The first session will feature Rob Gruen, president and CEO of Parisian Inc., and the company’s senior vice president for human resources, Donna Burns. Gruen and Burns will present, “Managing Special Somebodies in Retailing.”

At 9:30, Jon Christiansen, an attorney with Law, Foley & Lardner of Milwaukee will discuss retailing law and how it applies to e-commerce.

Coach Patterson will address the group at 11:15 a.m., followed by lunch and the awards ceremony at 11:45 a.m.

The first afternoon session, which will begin at 12:30 p.m., will feature Charles McDonald, executive director of the Alabama Retail Association.

The second presentation will be by Jeffrey Bayer, CEO of Bayer Properties of Birmingham, which developed the Summit shopping mall in Birmingham and several similar projects in other cities.

The final presentation will cover automobile retailing and will feature William T. (Bill) Heard III of Bill Heard Enterprises of Columbus, Ga. Heard is president of Bill Heard Chevrolet, the largest retailer of Chevrolet cars and trucks and General Motors Products in the nation. Bill Heard Chevrolet sells about 2 percent of Chevrolet’s entire retail production.

Registration fees are $45 per person, with a reduced rate of $25 for students. The cost includes sessions, refreshments and luncheon. More information is available from Robert Robicheaux at 205/348-8919 or rrobiche@cba.ua.edu. Additional information is available on the Retailing Day Website at http://www.cba.ua.edu/rday.html.

The primary sponsor of the conference is the Hess Institute for Retailing Development, which is supported by a gift from Parisian Inc. Other sponsors include the Alabama Retail Association, AMA and Fashion Incorporated, Bridgestone-Firestone, Bruno’s/Ahold, J.C. Penney Co. Inc., Rich’s/Lazarus/Goldsmith’s, Target, Walgreen’s, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., West Alabama Chamber of Commerce and The University of Alabama.

The Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration, which was founded in 1919, began offering graduate education in 1923. The undergraduate business school is 50th nationally in the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings, and the Techno-MBA program is ranked 4th nationally by ComputerWorld.