Meijer Lecture presentation focuses on retail world

The days of shopping at department and other big box stores seem numbered as online shopping becomes a staple in life. 

Re-envisioning the retail world will be the topic of the fall semester Meijer Lecture Series. Brian Bordainick, head of innovation ventures at Hudson's Bay Company, will give a presentation, "The Start-Up Secret Sauce: Building an Organization from the Ground Up,” September 20 at 5 p.m., in the L. William Seidman Center. His lecture is free and open to the public.

Hudson's Bay Company is the oldest company in North America and one of the fastest-growing retailers in the world. Its companies include Lord and Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue and Home Outfitters. Bordainick's role is working with these companies to redesign the shopping experience for customers.

He is new to the role and had served as CEO of Dinner Lab Inc., a company that created unique dining events in 30 cities. The multi-million dollar company folded in July after never turning a profit, forcing Bordainick to lay off 43 people.

In an interview with Forbes, Bordainick said although Dinner Lab failed as a start-up company and investors lost $10 million, he would run another start-up given the right opportunity.

Jeff Chamberlain, director of the Frederik Meijer Honors College, said Bordainick's presentation will appeal to audience members who have varied interests such as sustainability, marketing and entrepreneurship.

The Frederik Meijer Lecture Series was established with a gift from the Meijer Foundation to provide local and national presentations that focus on issues of leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship from the perspective of students, faculty members and participants in business throughout the region. 

For more information, click here.