Stories from the River

Stories from the River Podcast explores the personal journeys of our very own Memory Makers. Whether it’s interviews or standalone narratives, Stories from the River will bring you closer to what it’s like to thrive together, wherever in the company you may be. We’ll share personal experiences from our stores, Distribution Centers, Call Centers, and corporate campuses, giving listeners a front row seat to what it's really like to be a Memory Maker furnishing life’s best memories every day.

Why Company Growth Works Best When It’s Shared 01/29/2026

Inside Broad River Retail's 2026 Vision: Town Hall Highlights and the Journey to $500 Million 01/27/2026

How the Lighthouse Fund Became a Community Effort 01/26/2026

The Power of Community at Broad River Retail: Lighthouse Fund Stories and Impact 01/22/2026

Shining a Light: How The Lighthouse Fund Changes Lives at Broad River 01/20/2026

How Our Profit-Sharing Program Actually Works at Broad River Retail 01/19/2026

How Company-Wide Goals and Financial Discipline Drive Double-Digit Growth 01/15/2026

Profit Sharing Pay Day: Broad River Pays Out $1.6 Million in Profit Sharing 01/13/2026

Wins Come From Daily Habits 01/12/2026

Stop Maintaining, Start Maximizing 01/08/2026

How Supply Chain and DC Operations Fueled 11% Sales Growth 01/06/2026

Market Positioning: How We Enter a Market at Broad River Retail 01/05/2026

What We Learned About Our People That Gives Us the Confidence to Expand - Broad River Retail 01/01/2026

Pioneering the Path to $2,000,000: Mike Cohen Propels to the Top 12/31/2025

Pioneering the Path to $2,000,000: Mike Cohen Propels to the Top This episode on YouTube: Welcome back to Stories from the River. As we close out 2025, we bring you an exclusive insight into Home Furnishings Expert "Iron" Mike Cohen's success for the year, selling over $2,000,000 for the Cary Crushers in just his 3rd full year with Broad River. Mike has been with Broad River since July 2022. Mike shares his story and his path to success with Head Coach Stacey McCormick (EVP, Retail Performance) in today's episode (our final episode of the year). Mike began his career with The River as a Home Furnishings Associate in Durham in the Southpoint location, and worked there for two years before transferring to the Cary Ashley Store. Mike sold over $1M in his first full year (2023) in Durham Southpoint, then sold over $1.5M in his 2nd full year (2024), which was split between Durham Southpoint and Cary. But, this year, Mike has continued the torrid pace that really began in the back half of 2024 to reach that elusive and impressive $2,000,000 milestone after only 11 months and 1 day in 2025! Being only the 5th person in company history to achieve this impressive $2M milestone, Mike leads us through his exciting journey from working part-time during college in New Jersey to finding his passion and career success in furniture sales. Mike shares that his early experiences, personal goals, the support of his team, and Broad River's leadership led him to reach this career goal so early in his career at only 26 years of age. Learn all about Mike's beginnings, his transition from the Durham Southpoint location to Cary, his personal and professional development, and how his store's pursuit of excellence motivated him. Mike shares how his outlook has changed in the last several years as he tried to chase bigger goals. And, he remarks about the motivational aspect of aspirational goals and big jackpot bonuses, as well as charting the company's performance and success as much as his own. We hope you enjoy this episode and have a happy and safe end of 2025. We will see you next year with more behind the scenes stories from Broad River Retail. Visit for more episodes. Broad River Retail brought this show to you. Visit Follow us on LinkedIn: /episode/index/show/e9b7065c-2505-469c-b447-c51c0d8d1e09/id/39547010

Celebrating the Promise and Joy of Christmas with Jimmy and Suzi Kallam 12/25/2025

Special Announcement: Broad River Expands into Portland, Maine, in 2026 12/23/2025

2025 Holiday Town Hall: Growth, Store Remodels, Financial Performance 12/18/2025

New Broad River Store Set to Open in Spokane, WA - Behind the Scenes with Stacey McCormick 12/16/2025

Operation Tis the Season: Spreading Holiday Magic to Memory Maker Families at Broad River Retail 12/11/2025

Broad River Fast Tracks Easley Express and Other Exciting Updates 12/09/2025

Broad River Fast Tracks Easley Express and Other Exciting Updates Welcome back to Stories from the River. December is here, so Charlie Malouf, Broad River's CEO and Stories from the River podcast host is back with a laundry list of updates. First, we are happy to announce the opening of a brand new store in Easley, South Carolina. A two-in-one, dual concept Ashley Store & Outlet. Even though new store openings are most definitely kind of a big deal around here, the Easley store seemed to have sprouted out of nowhere, and that's all thanks to our incredible team that works tirelessly behind the scenes. Charlie explains the process and acknowledges the team members involved to make this seemingly impossible task come to life. It may look effortless, but thanks to the effort of everyone involved, store number 34 is now live. It will be followed shortly by the iconic, new 3-story Ashley Store & Outlet in Spokane, WA, later this month, and then another new Ashley Store in Moscow, ID, in early 2026 Charlie then moves on to discussing the recently completed 95-Day Challenge and what that means for Broad River's growth. Even though the challenge wasn't technically met all the way, Broad River is still on its way to complete its annual financial goal of reaching $272 million in revenue. This is part of a larger, 6-year goal of growing 12% YoY and reaching a doubling in 2030. Even though the 95-Day Challenge wasn't fully met, there are some teams that have done an exceptional job, and Charlie takes this opportunity to acknowledge them on the show. Their outstanding performance is what really shines through year over year. Stay with us as we complete the year with more exciting updates, holiday events, and maybe some remote footage from Spokane, WA, so we can see how that massive store opening is really going. This episode on YouTube: Visit https://www.storiesfromtheriver.com for more episodes. Broad River Retail brought this show to you. Visit Follow us on LinkedIn: /episode/index/show/e9b7065c-2505-469c-b447-c51c0d8d1e09/id/39337950

The Secrets of AFI Boot Camp - How to Teach Product Knowledge with Love and Passion 12/04/2025

Elevating Your Game: Behind the Scenes at the AFI Boot Camp at Broad River Retail! 12/02/2025

Inside Ashley 7.0: Showroom Transformation and Design Insights with Sandy Ruhlin 11/27/2025

Celebrating 11 Years of Grit and Community with Home Furnishings Expert Dan Pieszchala 11/25/2025

Changing the Question You Ask Yourself: Career Advice with Ewa Szmigiel 11/20/2025

Behind the Remodel: Nathan Jeter on Mooresville's Makeover & Operation 120 11/18/2025

Behind the Remodel: Nathan Jeter on Mooresville's Makeover & Operation 120 Welcome back to Stories from the River! We are continuing our recap series from the Grand Reopening Celebration of our latest Ashley Store 7.0 transformation in Mooresville, North Carolina. In today's episode, CEO Charlie Malouf sits down with Mooresville General Manager Nathan Jeter to discuss the remodel experience and results from the reimagined Lake Norman store, The Lake. The Mooresville Ashley store has been around for over 17 years, and its success was never questionned. Nathan Jeter and his winning team have stood out in the Company. However, this fall, the team at The Lake welcomed a long-awaited remodel of their beloved store to the Ashley 7.0 model. Expanding the Sleep Shop to twice its size and reinventing the showroom with the fresh 7.0 design will only help this team reach new heights in the coming season. In today's interview conducted in the showroom following the ribbon cutting held last month on October 7th, we get an insight into what Nathan and his team think about the brand new remodel. The conversation explores the journey leading up to the ribbon cutting, and they reminisce about the seventeen years since the store first opened, its journey to where it is now and the various wonderful Memory Makers who got it to this moment. Jeter particularly reflects on the instrumental impact that Renee Bradley has had on the store and how helpful Tim Sayles was during the construction process. In a surprising move, the Mooresville store managed to win Store of the Month, the presigious Yoda award, twice amidst the construction. Jeter credits this to his team of Memory Makers. He remarks that the team's resilient mindest, strategic planning, and the support of both long-term Memory Makers as well as some newcomers help make the Mooresville store the award-winning location. Stayed tuned for other conversations from this event as the stories will highlight Mooresville Memory Makers and their strength, resilience and ability to thrive during chaos. Watch this episode on YouTube: Visit for more episodes. Broad River Retail brought this show to you. Visit Follow us on LinkedIn: /episode/index/show/e9b7065c-2505-469c-b447-c51c0d8d1e09/id/39075735

Relive the Mooresville Grand Re-Opening: Speeches & Ribbon Cutting 11/13/2025

Relive the Mooresville Grand Re-Opening: Speeches & Ribbon Cutting On October 7, the Mooresville store (also known as The Lake) reopened its brand new doors, with a bang and a ribbon cutting! On today's episode of Stories from the River, we bring you the energy and atmosphere from right before the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Broad River leaders attended and spoke at the event, honoring the current and past leadership of the store. Today, we are joined by Tony Barr, Corporate Chaplain of America, who leads us into the event with prayer and gratitude. Charlie Malouf, Broad River's CEO, takes the stage next, reminiscing on the store's history, acknowledging the ongoing dedication and resilience of the Memory Makers, past and present, to make this store what it is today. Next is Manny Rodrigues, Broad River's President and COO, who shares the stage with Dan Pieszchala, a long-time Million Dollar Memory Maker and Home Furnishings Expert whose dedication to the team is palpable. (Stay tuned for a full interview with Dan, coming later this month to the channel.) We hear from Tim Sayles, Broad River's Director of Facilities and Construction, and Lynn Knowles, Director of Merchandising and Visual Impact, and the two share their stories of how the store really came together. Coach Stacey McCormick, EVP of Retail Performance, takes the stage next and thanks the hardworking team, both past and present, for creating in The Lake an extraordinary store. He highlights the sheer determination of the Memory Makers in Mooresville, winning the prestigious Store of the Month Yoda award, not once, but twice, during the construction process. We also hear from Chris Berrier, Area Manager and the multi unit leader for this store, who takes a moment to thank Renee Bradley for her past leadership in the store, and tells a story of hitting a very important milestone back in the day. Nathan Jeter, the General Manager at The Lake, takes the stage next and expresses all of the gratitude towards the leadership team and his own Memory Makers. Nathan has been looking forward to this renovation for years, and now that it's finally happened, he's ready to accelerate his success at the store. Hear from Nathan next week, during a full interview, here on Stories from the River. Kim Harkness ends the episode with community impact. Broad River's partnership with Beds for Kids is super important, and on this opening day, an additional donation to Beds for Kids was made. Enjoy this episode, as well as the next four interviews from the Grand Reopening of the Mooresville location. Watch this episode on YouTube: Visit for more episodes. Broad River Retail brought this show to you. Visit Follow us on LinkedIn: /episode/index/show/e9b7065c-2505-469c-b447-c51c0d8d1e09/id/39020755

Broad River's Sleep Summit: Sales Success and Personal Growth 11/11/2025

Lessons from Bamboo: Charlie Malouf Shares Broad River's Enduring Philosophy 11/06/2025

Getting to Know Charlie Malouf: Early Jobs, Failures, & Laying Foundation for Broad River's Culture 11/04/2025

Getting to Know Charlie Malouf: Early Jobs, Failures, & Laying Foundation for Broad River's Culture In today's episode of Stories from the River, the host becomes the guest. That's right, Broad River's CEO and Stories from the River's host becomes the main conversation topic, as Josh Hatchell, Broad River's Senior Retail Experience Manager, along with a room full of Retail Opertions Memory Makers, ask meaningful and insightful questions into Charlie's past, present, and Broad River's future. This episode was recorded on September 18, 2025, from Broad River's Fort Mill, South Carolina, campus, during a session with Retail Ops called "Get To Know You" with a leader from Broad River Retail. For this session, the Retail Ops Leaders asked Charlie if he would be interviewed for this Q&A session. During this part one of a two-part series, we see Charlie candidly reflect on his personal and professional journey, sharing stories from his earliest jobs, the lessons learned along the way, and his philosophy about company culture. If you've been a long term listener, you'll already know Broad River prides itself on the culture they've built, and in this episode, you get a glimpse into its early creation. Charlie emphasizes how Broad River's culture is rooted in recognizing unique contributions of Memory Makers, building identities, and helping furnish life's best memories. He discusses his inspirations, touching on books, podcasts, and personal interests, and provides insights into the company's growth strategy and vision for the future. Enjoy this honest and open conversation between Charlie and the entire Retail Ops team and come back for part 2! Books: Everybody Matters by Bob Chapman and Raj Sisodia - A Million Little Miracles by Mark Batterson - Win the Day by Mark Batterson - Do It For a Day by Mark Batterson - Podcasts: Truly Human Leadership Podcast Acquired The Knowledge Project No Mercy, No Malice (by Scott Galloway) A Little Bit of Optimism (by Simon Sinek) This video on Youtube: Visit for more episodes. Broad River Retail brought this show to you. Visit Follow us on LinkedIn: /episode/index/show/e9b7065c-2505-469c-b447-c51c0d8d1e09/id/38908400

Stories from the River

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