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REI’s secrets to sustaining a beloved brand and touching grass
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REI has been around for 88 years. Mary Beth Laughton wants to make sure it’s around for 88 more. The CEO of America’s largest consumer co-op joins Rapid Response to talk about what it actually takes to revive an iconic business — without shareholders, without quarterly earnings calls, and with 26 million members who hold you to a higher standard than any Wall Street analyst ever could. She explains why her first act as CEO was to publicly break ties with a Trump cabinet secretary, and how the co-op structure gives REI a kind of clarity that most retailers can’t buy. Plus lessons drawn from Nike, Sephora, and Athleta on what it really means to lead a mission-driven brand when the values are…