In episode 342 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Ron Thurston, Amazon.com No. 1 best-selling author of "RETAIL PRIDE: The Guide to Celebrating Your Accidental Career" and veteran retail executive. Thurston discusses his career history in the retail industry, what he loves about working in the retail space, and how the frontline store workforce inspired him to write his new book. He shares how "RETAIL PRIDE" celebrates the store associates that are at the core of retail, the messages he wants readers to gain from the book, and the launch of his Retail in America tour and podcast.

Thurston discusses how he's selecting the cities and stores to visit during the tour, how he's spreading a message that a career in retail is valuable, and the role that tour sponsors are playing in the experience. Lastly, he shares how he will host podcast interviews with retail associates from an Airstream trailer while on tour, and how listeners can follow along and get involved as he embarks on the Retail in America tour.

Ron Thurston is a highly accomplished retail leadership executive, board advisor, and Amazon best-selling author with extensive experience leading retail operations for America’s most prominent brands. He's adept at turning around underperforming businesses, developing and implementing innovative growth strategies, architecting improved training programs, building high-performing and dedicated teams, launching new brands, expanding brands into new markets, and ensuring customer growth and satisfaction.

In 2021 and 2022, Ron was named one of the top 100 Retail Influencers globally, is a board member of GOODWILL NY/NJ, and currently sits on the advisory boards of several emerging retail technology brands, including Reflex Careers, Job Pixel, and IMMERSS. In 2022, Ron is launching his audio and video platforms for a year-long tour called “Retail In America,” live from an Airstream trailer to discover the real retail heroes all across the country.