2) Be a Team Player
3) Be Kind
4) Love and know your customer
“
His approach to business is that it is a
mutually-beneficial partnership. He has created
“
1) Be an Owner
Our customer does so much for
everyone else in their life, we have
the ability to help them do something
for themselves and feel good about
themselves.
Kerlande Pierre Louis,
Store Manager
Trenton, New Jersey
a performance-based culture in a consensusdriven environment. His mission is to keep
August 2013, before it filed for bankruptcy. As
Ashley Stewart brand-centric and true to its
a successful investor in the consumer-retail
customer, but in a business model relevant
space, Rhee decided to make the unusual move
to today. Ashley Stewart’s customer looks for
of stepping down from the board and assuming
that cutting-edge fashion and sophisticated
a full-time operating role as President. “As an
style that speaks with confidence but with that
investor, [this was] the most authentic, pure
sisterhood feel. Rhee felt strongly that corporate
brand DNA, customer loyalty I had ever seen,”
management had to stay true to its core values
he commented. “It was a great brand trapped
and customers. To this end, for example, he
in a failed operating model and culture.” He
has asked every person at headquarters to
was hopeful that there was a way to extract the
learn the manager’s name for each of their 89
brand history and customer loyalty and house
stores. Embracing those customers and field
it in a profitable business model.
employees, he vowed: “We put a team together
and a partnership-type structure that will make
Rhee asked scores of questions of employees
it difficult for anyone’s selfish motivations to
at all levels and created a start-up atmosphere,
hurt this brand or the customer.”
shutting down the executive wing. He took the
time to listen to people at headquarters and in
The first steps of the turnaround began in
the field and repositioned roles.