In spring 2022, Ron Thurston, retail icon and Amazon best-selling author of Retail Pride: The Guide to Celebrating Your Accidental Career, will leave New York City in an AIRSTREAM trailer to travel across the U.S. on a year-long search for everyday retail heroes. He’s calling this trip “The Retail in America Tour.”
Followers of his work know of Ron’s devotion to the 25% of Americans who work in the retail industry and his dedication to helping America’s other 75% better understand this important and critical career. “When I think about the size, scale, and positive influence of this industry, it gives me great joy because I know there are millions of people who love working in retail, with incredible stories to tell, and they need to be celebrated,” Ron said.
KWI is thrilled to be a title sponsor for this epic cross-country journey, which will include a “campfire talk” style podcast with Ron and his industry heroes, plus a “Retail in America” YouTube channel, playlists, live stream videos, and more.
Both Ron and KWI have spent the last 30+ years supporting retailers as they improve their business practices. Together with The Retail in America Tour, we will continue to be dedicated to this cause, but with a special focus on the front-line retail workers and their stories. We look forward to what this tour has in store!
In Ron’s words, “As a retail industry, we now have the platform, the resources, the necessity, and the people to reconnect the world. Our sector will be forever altered, but we now have the responsibility to each other and our customers to be our best and connect more deeply than we ever needed to before.”
We can’t wait for Ron’s journey to begin and we invite you to follow along starting in Spring 2022 on the Retail Pride website and on Instagram @retailpride.