The Middle Market Transformative CEO Features Mitchell Stores' Jack Mitchell

CHICAGO – (January 30, 2019) – RSM US LLP (“RSM”) – the nation’s leading provider of audit, tax and consulting services focused on the middle market – and The CEO Forum Group are pleased to announce the eighth episode of “The Middle Market Transformative CEO,” featuring guest Jack Mitchell, chairman of the Mitchell Stores (Mitchells/Richards/Wilkes/Marios), a three-generation family business that operates men’s and women’s specialty stores.

The episode was recorded during the ninth annual RSM Classic, a PGA TOUR tournament hosted by the Davis Love Foundation. It aired via 25 nationally-syndicated AM radio stations Sun., Jan. 27, and is now also available as a podcast.

Co-hosts Robert Reiss, founder and CEO of The CEO Forum Group, and RSM Chief Economist Joe Brusuelas, speak with Mitchell about the importance of personalizing customer service and how that correlates to company performance, how the state of the economy has affected the retail industry, and how he implements his metaphorical “Hug Your Customers” philosophy to drive success and inspire his people.

Some of the key topics discussed during this episode are: leveraging data analytics to improve the customer experience; integrating the firm’s values into everyday operations; adapting to the impact of the Great Recession and planning for the future of the company; personalizing relationships with customers and employees; and navigating governance in middle market family-owned businesses.

“We’re all about getting to know each and every customer,” said Mitchell, while explaining his approach to personalizing customer service and the impact on company growth. “One of our four basic values is that we’re all about the customer being the center of the universe. They build loyal relationships for life, and these customers become friends.”   

“A ‘hug’ is a metaphor,” continued Mitchell about his “Hug Your Customer” philosophy and how it applies to the company’s customer-centric view. “A ‘hug’ is any act or deed that says, ‘Wow, these folks at the Mitchell Stores really care about me.’ It’s doing the extra little things and going that extra mile. You get to know each and every customer – that’s a hug.”

Regarding how the company uses data analytics, Mitchell explained: “We’re very data driven. We know every single sale to every single customer by SKU. We’re focused on the data, which helps us to find out what the customer wants.”

For more insights from this month’s Middle Market Transformative CEO, listen to the full episode.