After coming so close last season, Rachel Stewart hopes the Detroit Lions go all the way and win the Super Bowl this time, though the victory would come at a substantial price for her company, possibly millions of dollars in lost revenue.
No matter, Stewart, recently appointed CEO of Gardner White, tells me: “I love the Lions … been a fan since I was a kid. It would be worth it just to see them win!”
Stewart, who is fourth generation of the 112-year-old family-owned furniture company in Warren and took over the top job this spring, is behind the unique promotion underway offering customers who buy furniture at Gardner White stores between now and Aug. 14 a full refund for their purchases (minus sales tax, delivery charge, floor samples and warranties), should the Detroit Lions win it all.
Gardner White has been running its Lions promotion for a few weeks. Stewart borrowed the idea of tying in a pro sports team’s fate to free merchandise from a Boston furniture retailer who once offered something similar tied to the Red Sox.
She and Brad Bailey, new president of Gardner White, have been working to creatively market the company, which has 13 stores in Michigan. Having a relationship with the Lions became front and center as they contemplated ideas.
“We also talked about other promotion ideas, too, like if Jared Goff throws so many touchdown passes we’d have some giveaway and other things. But it didn’t feel right,” Stewart said. “We wanted to get behind the team in a real way.”
The path back to Detroit
To say Stewart’s resume is a bit unconventional for a retail executive would be putting it mildly.
She has worked for the Clinton Global Initiative and the U.S. Department of Energy. Concern for the environment remains near and dear to her.
When she and her husband, Brian Stewart, a physician, decided it was time to raise a family, they came home to Michigan in 2012 from the East Coast.
“I thought about pursuing a startup in a related business but came to the conclusion that I would learn a lot more about the actual day-to-day of business from my parents and I was also attracted to and intrigued by all of the action and opportunity taking place in Michigan and Detroit.”
A Lions partnership
While numbers and tech interest her, she said one of her first loves remains the Lions.
The retailer just signed a multiyear deal with the Lions to be its official furniture and mattress partner. “It will be multipronged and this promotion is the kickoff,” she said. As part of it, Gardner White is working with Detroit Lions greats Herman Moore and Lomas Brown.
The retailer also is offering a promotion for kids to be selected to officially present the game ball to Roary, the Lions mascot, before each home game. Kids have to visit a store to fill out an application to be considered.
Stewart is also a die-hard champion for the “D” in other ways as she’s involved with the Michigan Thanksgiving Parade Foundation (Gardner White is the presenting sponsor of America’s Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit).
“Rachel is fast becoming a CEO rock star,” said Bob Riney, president/CEO of Henry Ford Health and chair of the parade foundation, who has watched her in action. “Communication, commitment, creativity, collaboration and courage are in her leadership DNA. A true difference maker.”
Added Tony Michaels, president and CEO of the organization, “Rachel has the gift of thinking for today and building for tomorrow. Every discussion we have includes the business, community, her team and what else she can do to help them all thrive. The Gardner White presenting sponsorship is a huge statement about her commitment to making our city and state a better place for all.
Gardner White is in the process of refreshing its float for the upcoming parade. When pressed if it might include mention of the Lions, Stewart said, “There’s something about the Lions. They capture the essence of our city.”
Education remains a sweet spot for her as Math Corp, a Detroit-based program led by Steve Kahn, which helps kids ramp up their math skills, is another she is supporting.
She also belongs to Business Leaders For Michigan and the Detroit Economic Club.
Barb and Bob Tronstein, her parents who were co-CEOs of the retailer, have moved into more strategic roles. I asked Barb Tronstein how she felt about her daughter taking the mantle.
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“This has been a role that Rachel has been working toward for years and Steve and I have complete confidence in her ability to lead Gardner White forward,” Barb Tronstein told me. “It is wonderful to watch our team continue to grow and innovate. I look forward to seeing what the future has in store.”
I asked Stewart her thoughts about the company’s future: “We want to lead the industry in terms of innovation,” she said. “It means staying ahead of the curve and trying new approaches to lead the future of retail. It also means we continue to evolve our workplace. For the past three years, we’ve been named the “Best Place to Work” in the industry by Furniture Today, and we are determined to continue this streak … happy employees means happy customers.”
Contact Carol Cain: 248-355-7126 or [email protected]. She is senior producer/host of “Michigan Matters,” which airs 5:30 a.m. Sundays on CBS Detroit and noon Sundays on Detroit 50 WKBD. See Oakland University President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett, Susy Avery and Ed Sarpolus on this Sunday’s show. You can also watch on Fubu, Pluto TV, YoutubeTV and Apple TV where those two stations listings appear, too.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Gardner White offers refunds if Detroit Lions wins Super Bowl
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