“To get older doesn’t imply to develop outdated,” Renee Southard as soon as instructed me with a realizing smile. That philosophy, rooted in her boundless power and keenness for all times, guided the whole lot she did—as a mom, a buddy, a SENPA chief, and the proprietor of Natural Market in Gastonia, NC.
Renee was a pressure of nature, mixing Southern hospitality with unstoppable willpower. She touched lives and remodeled our business, forsaking a legacy that conjures up us to do the identical. Put merely, she was unstoppable.
For individuals who had the distinct pleasure of assembly her, you have been in for a deal with. Renee would greet you with a heat smile and a twirl of her flowing costume, immediately disarming you together with her attraction.
She embodied an ageless gravitas that would discover itself equally at dwelling at a proper Charleston ball or extra casually, dancing round a bonfire with a glass of wine. Her knowledge and curiosity have been ever refined via many years of life’s experiences.
Inside her, although, was additionally one thing much more potent—a way of playfulness, a zest for all times, and a ardour for dwelling. She was usually greater than just a little mischievous. Nonetheless, she would hear intently earlier than she spoke.
After I was simply beginning out within the business, she took me below her wing and guided me, sharing tales and insights throughout her 30-plus years as a retailer. It wasn’t simply in regards to the work. Above all, she needed to make a distinction—to go away a legacy.
Over time, I got here to understand that I used to be removed from alone in that respect. In some ways, she was our business’s “den mom”—a guiding mild who nurtured, supported, and impressed everybody lucky sufficient to know her. In these uncommon occasions when our companies would do one thing she disagreed with—effectively, she tell us that too.
Certainly one of Renee’s biggest passions was retail training. At SENPA, as an training chair, govt secretary, and in the end president, she spearheaded initiatives that expanded the group’s attain, together with a collection of roadshows that introduced invaluable assets to numerous impartial retailers. Right this moment, thanks in no small half to her efforts, SENPA stands out as one of the crucial promising organizations in our business.
I’ll always remember happening the highway with Renee. Earlier than every SENPA roadshow occasion, we’d take a day to drive round visiting native retailers. As soon as, we drove with the founding father of a brand new complement model. Renee instructed him, “I really like your formulation, however you need to clear it up. Get these fillers and excipients out of right here!”
The proprietor listened. When it got here to Renee Southard, you didn’t have a selection however to hear. She made her opinions recognized, and she or he was often proper.
At Enzymedica, I used to be as soon as in a gathering with our gross sales leaders creating a technique for our promotions. We have been speaking in circles. I paused the dialog and advised, “We’d like the voice of our buyer.”
I known as Renee and put her on speakerphone. She answered instantly. For the following 20 minutes, she stayed on the road and gave us sage recommendation. That yr, largely resulting from her suggestions, our promotional gross sales almost doubled. Renee knew what labored when it got here to promoting dietary supplements.
None of her recommendation got here from ego. Her buddy and SENPA Government Director, Debra Quick, famous, “Her laughter was contagious, and her love for her buddies ran so deep. Her favourite saying was borrowed, I believe, from Leslie Patterson: ‘It takes a tribe to make progress.’”
She beloved her retailer and her employees. For a number of years, she implored me to go to. “You’ll adore it! It has a fireplace pole! You possibly can dance on it!” she’d inform me.
After I lastly made the journey, I realized an essential lesson. As a marketer, I’ve traveled all through North America giving lectures on “greatest practices” in advertising and retail administration. However on the finish of the day, an impartial well being meals retailer should at the start mirror the persona—and dare I say, the soul—of the proprietor. Natural Market is Renee Southard. Vibrant. Filled with power. Just a bit bit eclectic. Stunning and tasteful. By means of this retailer and amongst her employees, Renee lives on.
A few week earlier than her passing, Renee known as me. We talked rather a lot about her retailer, and she or he instructed me one thing crucial: “I’ve realized that my employees run the shop higher with out me than after I’m there. I belief them fully. I would like to search out my subsequent journey.” As we talked, she shared her imaginative and prescient of getting again into {the marketplace} to teach and assist extra shops. She was wanting to get began.
Whereas Renee’s subsequent journey is probably extra huge than she imagined, her legacy continues via the numerous lives she touched and the teachings she imparted.
Renee and I’d usually drink wine collectively, and whereas she had many favorites, we most frequently shared The Prisoner, a Napa Valley crimson mix. Right this moment, I elevate a glass to her—in thanks for her friendship and the distinction she made in my life. I hope you’ll be a part of me in doing the identical.
Let’s honor her legacy by striving to make the distinction she believed in—and by remembering to stay absolutely, as she did.
To Renee, my buddy—might her spark be eternal.
