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People First: Talent Strategy at a Middle Market Retailer
397 Plays1 month ago
In this episode, we dive into the evolving world of talent strategy in middle market companies with Laura Davidson, Head of People at Homage, a Columbus-based retailer known for its nostalgic apparel and vibrant culture. Drawing from her 15 years of HR experience across startups and Fortune 500s, Laura shares how Homage is scaling its people practices while staying true to its roots. From hiring with purpose and embedding development into daily work, to preserving culture and collecting meaningful feedback, Laura offers a candid look at how middle market companies can grow without losing what makes them special.
Laura Davidson leads the people function at Homage, where she focuses on aligning talent development, organizational design and leadership coaching with the company’s mission to celebrate the people, places and moments that matter. Her career spans multiple industries and company sizes, giving her a unique perspective on how to build culture and capability in fast-moving, resource-conscious environments.
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Transcript
Talent Management Challenges in Middle Market Companies
00:00:00
Speaker
Talent management can be a challenge for businesses of all sizes. This is particularly true in the middle market. Whereas small businesses may only have a few team members to concern themselves with, and large businesses often have tremendous human resources departments, middle market companies have to do more with less.
00:00:20
Speaker
They're often faced with the challenge of balancing that tactical execution of HR with the strategic execution of HR, thinking about how to best retain and develop their people.
Podcast Introduction
00:00:32
Speaker
In this episode, we'll be talking with a chief human resources officer at an emerging middle market company in Columbus, Ohio. Welcome to The Market That Moves America, a podcast from the National Center for the Middle Market.
00:00:45
Speaker
The center is the leading source of knowledge, leadership and innovative research on the middle market economy.
Introducing Laura Davidson of Homage
00:00:50
Speaker
Throughout our podcast, we will feature middle market leaders and stakeholders to hear their real world perspectives on trends and emerging issues.
00:01:01
Speaker
Welcome to the Market That Moves America. My name is Doug Farron, Managing Director of the National Center for the Middle Market, located at The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business. Over the past 13 plus years that the center has been studying midsize companies, one of the evergreen challenges has been talent, how to best attract, retain, and develop people for your organization.
00:01:25
Speaker
so I'm very excited about today's conversation where we're gonna talk about the importance of people, and and how to best manage that within a middle market company. So joining me today is Laura Davidson, head of people at Omage, which is a middle market retailer based in Columbus, Ohio. Welcome, Laura.
00:01:43
Speaker
Thanks, Doug. I am so excited to be here. So first off, can you just tell us a little bit about yourself, your background and maybe some of the things you've done throughout your career, as well as the the basis of your current role with Omage?
00:01:56
Speaker
Yeah, I would love to. So a little about me. I've spent the last 15 years in human resources working in multiple industries like retail, publishing, med device, from scrappy startups to Fortune 500s.
00:02:14
Speaker
No matter what the size company I've been in, my focus has always been building people strategies that actually work for team members they're meant to support. So as you said, I'm currently the head of people at Homage, which is a retail brand based in Columbus, Ohio.
00:02:29
Speaker
So what I love about Homage is we make apparel that pays tribute to the people, places and moments that matter. So think vintage sports, pop culture and the shared experiences that bring people together.
00:02:43
Speaker
In my role, I'm focused on aligning our people strategy with our overall business strategy. So that includes areas like talent development, org design, leadership coaching, with a focus on supporting and enhancing our team culture, which culture is really a team effort, as you know.
00:03:01
Speaker
Correct. And tell us, how many people do you oversee across the business, including your stores and your distribution center and all the different operations?
00:03:12
Speaker
Yeah, we're just shy of about 200 between our HQ, our stores, and our operations team. Great, that is ah right in the sweet spot for a lot of middle market companies.
00:03:25
Speaker
And I should add that Laura and I were colleagues at at previous roles with what used to be known as L Brands here in in Columbus. So happy that we could reconnect. So my first question for you, Laura, as you mentioned, you've had a career that spans large businesses, enterprise companies, the Fortune 500.
00:03:45
Speaker
You also mentioned the scrappy startups. Now you're at a company that is squarely in the middle market.
Unique Challenges and Strategies at Homage
00:03:52
Speaker
Throughout those experiences and and maybe focusing on your current role, what have you found most interesting and unique about the things that you're doing with a middle market company such as Homage?
00:04:03
Speaker
Yeah. ah So middle market companies live in just this fascinating space. You know, we're not as heavily resourced as large companies, ah but we're dealing with a lot more complexity than the smaller, as you said, scrappy startup businesses.
00:04:19
Speaker
And that space in between what's so fascinating is the unique mix of agility, challenge and opportunity that you don't always find on either end of the spectrum. Yeah.
00:04:30
Speaker
um So what stands out to me is how purpose can really drive that talent retention in this space. If you think about it with fewer layers and less bureaucracy, people can actually see the impact of their work. And I think that visibility builds connection and pride and gives people ah front row seat to growth and evolution of the business.
00:04:51
Speaker
And I think that's certainly true at Homage. I think people stay because they believe in what we do and they can see how their role contributes to that bigger picture. That's great. um You know, one of the things that we say here at the NCMM, especially when we see rapidly growing mid-sized companies, and and I know that from experience since I've worked with Omage over the years,
00:05:16
Speaker
ah whether it be for an MBA case competition or student projects through the class that I taught. But we often say that you know middle middle market companies have big company problems, but small company resources. and So I'm curious if you kind of find that to be true.
00:05:34
Speaker
And if so, what are some of the strategies that you're starting to implement or you think would be most effective when it comes to finding top people, like in terms of retaining them, developing them, the you know things that are necessary to help support that rapid growth.
00:05:50
Speaker
Yeah, you're exactly right. I think middle market companies have to, I like to say, solve for scale without losing their heart or really what makes them so special.
00:06:01
Speaker
um If we think about the talent you know attraction at Homage, we focus at hiring people who don't just have the skills to do the job we're looking for, but who also connect with our mission and values.
00:06:15
Speaker
So when we look for that alignment with how we work, collaboratively, creatively, and with care for one another and our customers, I think that really makes a difference. So when someone joins Homage, we like to say they're becoming part of a team that believes in celebrating the things that matter.
Development and Growth Opportunities at Homage
00:06:31
Speaker
And so that shared purpose is really what draws people in and what keeps them there.
00:06:36
Speaker
As you mentioned, talent development in this space, you know we don't always have all of the big resources or the budgets to do things like larger companies. And because we don't have the luxury of those training infrastructures, the development tends to be embedded, I see it, in the day-to-day. And I think that's really unique to middle market is that personal growth happens alongside our company growth. And we've certainly seen that at Homage. is The business skills, so do the people.
00:07:06
Speaker
They're taking on new responsibilities. They're building new muscles and and developing, I would think, faster than they might at a more siloed or slow-moving environment.
00:07:17
Speaker
And that on-the-job learning, I think, can be huge. um There's really no sitting on the sidelines in a company like ours. So it's really hands-on. The the pace is fast and the opportunity to grow is real.
00:07:32
Speaker
And I think when you can see that impact of your work and see the growth happening in real time, that it really helps you stay engaged and committed and really leads to that that talent retention, as you mentioned.
00:07:46
Speaker
And I think if if we can, um you know, focus on clarity and connecting people with our purpose and show them what success looks like, you the opportunities are endless, right? And I don't think you need endless resources to provide that to our team members. I think it's just thoughtful leadership and follow through.
00:08:07
Speaker
Yeah, that's a great point. I mean, you and i are well familiar with the large company, you know, talent management playbooks where we were doing annual reviews and we had nine blocks for you know performance and potential. And it was kind of a constant conversation. But again, that was supported by pretty significant resources and more of a formal process, right, where what you described may be a little bit more unstructured and informal, but can be just as impactful.
00:08:35
Speaker
And I was wondering if there are Other tools or things that that you see being used outside of those formal tools, whether it be like finding a mentor or shadowing or, you know, very easy, simple things that can really go a long way in developing people. Are there things like that that homage does to advance some of those ah development goals?
00:08:56
Speaker
Oh, yeah. i just love this question, Doug. So um I feel really strongly ah that mentorship is such a key to unlocking both your own potential and and that of others. I know I wouldn't be here where I am today without incredible mentors who've guided me throughout my career.
00:09:16
Speaker
And I think, you know, as you mentioned, in middle market companies, development often looks different than the larger organizations. So you may not have that big team or have you said the formal mentorship program.
00:09:28
Speaker
And I think that's OK. Like mentorship doesn't have to be this formal program. to and And as we think about it, as it relates to development, I think it's really about being intentional with relationships and learning both inside and outside the business.
00:09:45
Speaker
So at Homage, one of our focuses is really building strong internal relationships across across teams. And that's part of how we operate on a day-to-day. It's about how we get the work done, but also how people grow So I always encourage our team members to seek out perspectives beyond the walls of homage.
00:10:07
Speaker
And that could be cross-functional collaboration or you know maybe it's just a peer offering honest feedback or leader taking time to coach. I think when we build these networks, both in and outside of the business, those moments of connection,
00:10:22
Speaker
And I think probably importantly, the openness to learn from those connections, it really fuels growth both in and in the business and with the people. Laura, do you encourage associates or employees to to do any type of training, whether it's maybe internal to homage or external
Preserving Culture and Values at Homage
00:10:41
Speaker
courses? The reason I ask is, you know, with the pace of change, oftentimes, whether, you know, you might be implementing new technology or there may be you know, new things happening at your stores that require a different approach or way of thinking and all of those contribute to development. So I'm just wondering kind of your take on formal or informal training programs.
00:11:02
Speaker
I think yes to all. So I think that formal training programs are great. I think we can always glean some great things from from books or or courses. i think specifically within Columbus and a lot of larger towns, there's some great industry groups, whether that's HR or maybe operations that could really help people.
00:11:24
Speaker
um i I think learning the business, you you mentioned informal, I think some of those stretch assignments, I think Taking a turn in the distribution center, for example, maybe packing some orders if that's an opportunity available to you in your business is huge.
00:11:38
Speaker
When you see how the product moves, maybe how the customers interact with us in the stores, it's anytime you can build your business acumen and make those connections to your work and the larger business, um you can carry those throughout your career, even beyond the current business you're with.
00:11:56
Speaker
Right. So I want to shift gears a little bit and talk about company culture. you know ah so Homage is well known for for its apparel and all the the retro things and the um professional sports licensees licenses that you have. But really, particularly around Columbus, I know a lot of people admire the culture that Homage has built, even you know from the time when your founder, Ryan Bessler, started this whole business.
00:12:25
Speaker
I believe out of his parents' garage or maybe basement. It's a fascinating story. So I would encourage listeners to go in and check that out. But talk to us about the demands of making sure that you pay attention and maintain the type of culture that the company was built around while you're continuing to add people and grow. Because quite honestly, that's a struggle that's real for a lot of middle market companies is, you know, they they're very fearful of losing, know,
00:12:54
Speaker
the elements of culture that made them successful in the first place. So talk about a little bit of the care that you put into making sure that that gets preserved along the the path of of growth.
00:13:06
Speaker
Yeah, that's one of the biggest challenges and I would say the biggest joys of my role. think, as you've said, we know there's something special about the way homage feels and that there are things that make our culture, as we say, uniquely homage.
00:13:21
Speaker
And we do work intentionally to make sure we don't lose that heart as we grow. Yeah. You know, we're not just selling T-shirts. We're celebrating memories, moments, and identity. And that sense of reverence and joy and connection is baked into who we really are.
00:13:41
Speaker
So as we have scaled, we are focusing on how, the how of things. So how we show up for each other, how we solve problems, and how we celebrate together. As more people join, it's essential that they not only understand what we do, why we do it, and how we do it together. Because preserving what makes us homage mean doesn't stand in the way of our growth, but actually powers it.
00:14:06
Speaker
So we ensure that we're embedding these kind of key culture moments or things that make us uniquely homage in everyday practices. And that could be from the way we welcome new team members with our number one draft pick tea, which you only get june when you join the company, and how we communicate to people in um through all hands meetings, trying to reinforce our values with recognition and feedback loops.
00:14:35
Speaker
um It's not always easy, but we believe that staying true to who who we are and what makes homage homage is part of how we grow and not something that stands in the way of it.
00:14:46
Speaker
So I'd encourage leaders who are listening to take the time to sit with and think about what truly makes your company special. I think when you can clearly name that and consistently connect your people to it it becomes a really powerful engine um for your company.
Building Early Culture and Support Systems in HR
00:15:04
Speaker
So you touched on something I want to follow up on, which is collecting feedback from your team. um yeah and When there's 20 people in the company, it's probably easy to do because you see each other every single day and you're working very closely together. At the beginning, you mentioned now you're around 200 people. You're across multiple stores. You have different operations. So what are the ways that you go about collecting input and feedback from the team so that your leadership can kind of assess that and make any changes that are needed?
00:15:38
Speaker
Yeah, good question. So I think often we can look at feedback and think that it needs to be formal. And I think there's absolutely a place for formal feedback. At Homage, we have you know our annual engagement survey.
00:15:51
Speaker
We've built in um stay interviews and and upward manager feedback into our performance cycle. and But the feedback can also be in small moments, too. It's at the end of an all hands meeting, just listening, and maybe it's sending out a survey.
00:16:08
Speaker
Maybe it's just getting to know your employees. um But feedback can also come in quick moments after the close of a meeting or or a one on one interaction. I think it becomes just embedding that constant, timely, direct feedback, if you will, into the everyday and then having maybe some more formal programs. And I don't think that has to be a big engagement survey that you go out and buy. i think that's something you could do with Google Sheets and and administer that to your team.
00:16:39
Speaker
i think it's better to ah that you get the feedback versus maybe how. Sure. That makes sense? ye ye Yeah, that's that's a great point. And that goes back to the the resources question. It doesn't always have to be you know fancy and extravagant with a huge investment or a lot of bells and whistles. So um I know that that's a piece of advice that will resonate with a lot of middle market ah leaders and and people who oversee their teams.
00:17:08
Speaker
So I just have one final question to kind of close us out and it kind of segues into that, which would be, get yeah With your experience, what would be like a single piece of advice you would give to other middle market ah HR leaders who are thinking about the challenges of making sure that they're retaining top talent, that they're challenging people, developing people? like what What would be um you know a takeaway that you could offer to to other middle market companies to help them along that process?
00:17:39
Speaker
Yeah, I would say don't wait until you're you know big enough to invest in people. i think build practices that reflect the culture you want. um ah Too often, i think companies think structure and intentionality are things that you earn at scale. But the truth is, the foundation starts today. You're you're building you're building it. You're building your culture and rebuilding it every day.
00:18:05
Speaker
through the connections you have. And as a middle market company, we have real advantage. We're close to our people. we can move quickly. We can be intentional, like use all those things, you know, make room for the feedback, as we said, align around that shared purpose and create clarity whenever you can. You don't need a big HR team or a big HR budget to create great culture.
00:18:29
Speaker
It's just showing up when it's messy, like asking questions, helping others navigate change. I think personally that HR shines in this space when we can help leaders make thoughtful decisions and drive both results and build trust.
00:18:46
Speaker
but if I can make one more plug, I would say build your own support system as an HR leader, really any leader. you know When you're lean, it's easy to feel like you're figuring everything out alone so that whether it's mentors, peers, industry groups, maybe podcasts like this, like invest in the relationships and the time to help you grow too.
00:19:07
Speaker
Because we have ah you know HR leaders in this space, we're uniquely positioned to shape what scaling and intention looks like. You know, if we focus on people and and that purpose now, we're not just supporting growth, but we're defining how it how it feels to be a part of all this.
Conclusion and Thanks
00:19:25
Speaker
So exciting, exciting space to be in. ah Yeah, certainly. ah Well, this has been a very interesting and hopefully helpful conversation for our listeners. I know when you know when we were prepping for this, we could go on for hours about all the different facets of of people management and you know, we so to narrow it down to just a few things around development and culture, you know, it's tough, but appreciate all your insights and and comments today. And just want to thank you for for being a guest on our our podcast.
00:19:58
Speaker
Thanks for having me. Sure. So for more information about homage, you can visit their website, which is homage.com. And that is spelled eight O M a G E.com.
00:20:10
Speaker
Thanks again for joining us and we will talk to you again soon.
00:20:15
Speaker
Thank you for listening to the market that moves America. Never miss a new episode by subscribing anywhere podcasts can be found. You can also subscribe to our email newsletter at middlemarketcenter.org.