Brewers fans - I get it. Change can be hard. Change in Major League Baseball can be hard and when it comes to things the fans care deeply about, like beer and naming rights, it can be very hard. In this social media era, Twitter can tell you immediately just how hard it can be. I know firsthand and I would like to ask you to give @AmFamJack Jack Salzwedel and American Family a chance at the plate. I had the opportunity to work for the Texas Rangers for almost five years and it was amazing. I now work in insurance and it is amazing, seriously.

​I started as an usher for the Texas Rangers in 1995 and joined the Front Office at the end of the season. This was back in the day when Doug Melvin was our General Manager and Pudge Rodriguez was leading the team to big wins. The same strong values of the Brewers and Doug Melvin can be found in the American Family team. I’m passionate about America’s pastime and appreciate the deep loyalty of fans to their teams. I had the opportunity to work on Nolan Ryan’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. When you walk the streets of Cooperstown and are in the presence of baseball giants, it is an awe inspiring time. Every detail matters in baseball. From the players to the uniforms, from the beer to the hot dogs, to the name of a ballpark to fan promotions. Every detail is interwoven into the fabric of a team and their fans. So, I get it that it might be difficult to imagine Miller Park with a different name but I know you love the Brewers and I want to share why I want you to give the Brewers and the American Family partnership a chance at the plate.
 
Through my work in insurance I have had the opportunity to work with Jack and the American Family team for almost 10 years and they are awesome.

​The Team
Jack and American Family are a team with strong values and a passion for building strong relationships. I’m not surprised that American Family was on a list of potential partners for the Brewers. I appreciate that the Brewers were looking for a company to join their crew that would positively impact the team and the larger community. American Family Insurance is the fourth largest Wisconsin-based company. The American Family group of companies has 12,000 people on their team including 4,375 in Wisconsin. And, they sell their products in Wisconsin through 300 independent contractor agents. The American Family team works hard to help people dream fearlessly which is what every baseball team is all about. I especially love dreaming fearlessly on opening day. Everything is possible in that moment! The American Family team is committed to being innovative, caring, agile, trustworthy, transparent, and passionate. Brewers fans, I just want to highlight how in this naming rights moment you can see the AmFam transparency in action. I worked for Tom Schieffer, the president of the Texas Rangers and one day during a bad losing streak I asked Tom if he was going down to the dugout to talk with the press. He said that you have to show up not only on the good days, but the tough days. Jack has shown up on Twitter to answer questions about the new partnership and to talk about why they are excited to support the Brewers and the Milwaukee community. These are the kind of people you want on the field with you. 

​The Resources
From being an usher to working in the front office, I had an opportunity to see behind the scenes on what it takes to run a major league team. I’m sure costs have continued to soar for baseball teams over the years and now there is such an enormous competition for how people spend their time and money. From player salaries to maintaining the ballpark to seasonal employees to insurance to promotions and a million other line items, major league baseball is expensive. In this highly competitive era, partnerships are critical in helping ensure a club can field the best team possible while providing the best fan experience possible. For more than 90 years American Family has helped inspire, protect, and restore people’s dreams. With their financial strength, in 2017 American Family also helped local communities with $11.7 million total combined philanthropic giving. This is major league giving and with their growing footprint I am sure they are already helping in your communities as well. In the Brewers and American Family announcement, they shared that together they would also support community projects and would help refurbish youth and high school baseball fields. This is a win for the team, American Family, the fans, and the community. American Family is stepping up to the plate with a 15-year partnership with the Brewers which will help the team succeed on and off the field.
 
Brewers fans, I know the beer will still be cold on every opening day. And while the name may change, the dream to win the World Series will remain the same. I hope you will give AmFam Jack and the American Family team a chance a plate. I know they will hit it out of the park. 

Sears made headlines again last week when it survived through a bankruptcy action. Eddie Lampert, the chairman and largest shareholder of Sears saved the company with his $5.2 billion takeover bid. Under his proposal, Eddie will keep about 400 stores open nationwide and will save as many as 45,000 jobs. I was glad to hear this iconic 126 year-old company would remain in business, at least for now.

I was so sad last August when Carson Pirie Scott closed its final stores after 160 years in operation. Carson’s had begun liquidating its 212 stores last April after it couldn’t find a buyer. Over the summer I was a frequent shopper at Carson's and picked up many great liquidation deals. While I was glad to save money, I was incredibly sad each time I saw the enormous going out of business signs.

I get it, the retail landscape is radically changing and as an Amazon Prime member I’ve been quick to order online. The disappearing stores and retail jobs are staggering. In 2017 there was a record high of nearly 7,000 retail stores closed and it appears that in 2018 nearly 5,000 bigger stores closed. My kids and I were so sad when Toys-R-Us shuttered last year.

But the Carson’s closing, as well as the closings of other iconic bricks and mortar stores is about more than just losing another place to shop. It’s about people and jobs and leadership and opportunities. I know that tech and innovation are creating those things in other ways but I just can’t lose sight of the enormous value that takes place in physical stores across the nation. 

More than 20,000 people nationwide lost their jobs with the closings of the Bon-Ton chain including the Carson's stores. National retail job losses are staggering and apparently more than 66,000 retail jobs vanished in 2017. According to retail reports, these job losses tend to hit the young, elderly, women and minorities the hardest.

My mom, Bev Murer went back to work when I was in junior high. I was so excited that she was working at Carson Pirie Scott in Joliet and thought it was so cool to go visit her in the men's department when she was working. My siblings, Sergie, Missy and Matt and I would dash about the store and loved to check everything out. Throughout my career I have reflected many times on my mom's career at Carson's and have tried to emulate her leadership, teamwork, resourcefulness, and positive attitude. When Carson's closed last August I kept thinking about 3 specific lessons I learned from my mom. As the future of big box stores and potential store closing continue to be hot topics I wanted to share my favorite lessons from my mom and her working in retail. 

1. Work Hard At Every Job and Have A Positive Attitude
From the day my mom joined Carson Pirie Scott until the day she retired 24 years later, she gave 120% towards everything she did. My mom started in the Men's department and I learned how to work hard and hustle from her. I learned retail can be chaos and my mom worked hard to bring order and exceptional service. My mom would share stories about work with us kids and she would talk about the importance of working hard and doing a good job at every task. 

From the home front my siblings and I only added to the chaos. My dad was also working hard at his job but we never bothered him at work. We would call my mom at Carson's and would all be fighting and screaming at each other. I look back now and am mortified at our behavior. I do not know how she did not throttle us when she got home. We were horrible and she would address our issues over the phone with a pleasant, crisp voice. My mom is a saint.

My mom enjoyed working with the customers and the employees as well as the operations of retail. She worked very hard, continued to learn and develop her talents. She embraced career opportunities and was promoted throughout her career at Carson's. Mom become the Human Resources Manager in Joliet and then at Lincoln Mall in Matteson. Retail provided a career path for my mom as it does for countless others. 

2. Be A Problem Solver
As the manager of HR my mom had a red carnation attached to her name tag. When she walked the floor this helped identify her and the other managers as problem solvers. When we were in high school we would stop in the store to say hi to my mom when we were out shopping. I loved going into her office and loved seeing her interact with the other Carson's employees. I thought it was so interesting to listen to them talk about schedules, upcoming sales, and events going on the store. I could see their collaboration and attention to detail. Sometimes I would go walk the floors with my mom. I loved this. My mom would talk with the other employees and was quick to help resolve problems for customers. I loved watching her defuse a situation and help take care of the customers. Retail can be crazy but my mom never seemed to be flustered by any situation. She would work through the problem, would help the employee, and would send away a happy customer. At Christmas time it would be super crazy and my mom would still be calmly focused on the problem and helping improve the situation. I learned so much from watching my mom in action. And if you are wondering, I think housewares is the craziest department and has the most issues! Retail provides opportunities for people to develop critical skills and help the company succeed.

3. Treat Every Person Exceptionally Well
There is such a focus on diversity and inclusion and treating people well right now but my mom has always been doing this! I've watched my mom work in the departments, interact with the management team, and help customers and no matter the person, no matter the situation my mom has always treated every person exceptionally well. She is kind, thoughtful, and inclusive in her work and I have always tried to follow her lead. I could tell others appreciated how much she valued each person as we walked the floors. Other employees were quick to chat with my mom and she always asked about their families and lives. Each person was important. I could tell in how they responded to her that they appreciated my mom too. My mom led the Sunshine Committee for years and always tried to brighten the work experience for the employees. I loved hearing her stories about the latest Sunshine Committee events. I tried to do similar things in my jobs too. My mom wanted people to enjoy their work experience, to find value in their contributions and to provide outstanding service. She led through example and it made a difference at Carson's. In retail you have an opportunity to interact with so many different people and it is so important to treat everyone exceptionally well.

Next time you need to shop...
I'm grateful for Carson's and other physical stores for the opportunities they provide for people to work hard, to develop their skills and to grow their careers. It's also an opportunity to interact with others and treat each other well. And, it's an opportunity to earn money and provide for your family. I'm thankful that I had the opportunity to see my mom in action at Carson's and I learned so much from her at work. 

So, next time you need to do some shopping I hope you'll do a mix of physical stores and on-line. And, go into Sears, I know 45,000 people that would appreciate it.

Love you mom!

​Meg 

* You may see the Carson's brand on-line. The company name was purchased in the fall of 2018.