Rich currently serves at the EVP, Global Chief Merchandising & Marketing Officer for NEXCOM (Navy Exchange Service Command). Since its establishment in 1946 as a United States Navy command, NEXCOM’s mission has been to provide its patrons with quality goods, services, and stays at a savings and to support Navy quality of life programs. NEXCOM’s primary business lines include the Navy Exchange (NEX), the Navy Lodge Program and the Navy Gateway Inns & Suites, Ships Store Program, Uniform Program Management Office, Navy Clothing and Textile Research Facility and the Telecommunications Program Office. Each of NEXCOM’s business lines provide the necessary support for our Navy’s warfighters and military families to remain ready and resilient.
In this unique & challenging role, Rich serves as the head of merchandising for the Navy Exchange (NEX), a $2.0B global retailer, offering a range of products and services with over 300 stores in over 94 locations around the globe. NEX locations range from a 200 sq ft micro-market to a 200,000 sq ft flagship “mall” location.
Rich also holds the additional responsibility as head of global marketing, overseeing the marketing and brand leadership for the entire NEXCOM business portfolio, including not only the Navy Exchange, and its retail, food, services, and fuel programs, but also the Navy Hospitality Group including the Navy Lodge and Navy Gateway Inn & Suites, as well all other NEXCOM business units and its internal branding efforts.
Rich was the founder of PDB Advisory Group & the Brand (Co) Lab, where he served in an advisory role to CEO’s, owners, and private equity groups working with established and emerging brands to develop disruptive growth strategies in a purpose driven environment. Prior to PDB, Rich held executive positions at Haggar Clothing Co as the SVP of Marketing, Licensing & E-Commerce and at JC Penney as the VP of Men’s & Kid’s Private Brands, leading the design, product development; trend teams that drove JCP’s private label brands to over $2.7B in annual sales. Rich has held positions of increasing responsibility in retail and wholesale, moderate and luxury, specialty and department stores.
Rich earned his MBA from William & Mary's Mason School of Business graduating with honors. Hehas a passion for youth leadership, diversity, and mentoring and has honored those by serving onthe boards of the Digital Retailing School at the University of North Texas and the Fashion Merchandising School at TCU, and for several years, he served as a national board of trustee for HOBY, a youth leadership organization. He currently sits on the NRF Marketing Council and is a member of the Global Retailer Leaders Advisory Council. He is an advocate for “military resale”, a $20B retail environment that serves as an unpaid benefit to those who serve or have served our nation.
Rich has received multiple honors throughout his career including the CMO Club Innovation Award in 2016, he was a finalist for the CMO Club Social Responsibility Award in 2018, and a winner of the Content Engagement Award in 2020. He was named an ONCON ICON Top 100 Marketer of the Year for both 2022 and 2021, and most recently was named by RETHINK RETAIL as one of the Top 100 Influencers in the retail industry for 2022. Rich’s most important roles however, mentor, husband, and of course…dad.