Lowe's CEO Marvin Ellison Talks Emergency Preparedness
Retailer pledges $2M for Hurricane Michael relief efforts, doubling 2018 storm aid
To Lowe's CEO Marvin Ellison, the importance of surviving a storm like Michael is preparation and aid before such a destructive hurricane comes ashore. Lowe's Cos. Inc. supports evacuation centers and shelters by sending supplies such as blankets, hygiene kits, food and water as the storm nears.

The Mooresville, NC-based home-improvement chain also announced Thursday that it is donating $2 million in relief aid in the wake of Hurricane Michael, which includes that $250,000 for the American Red Cross. That brings Lowe's total relief support to $4 million for two storms within the last 30 days that have brought swaths of destruction to Southeastern states. The first was Hurricane Florence, which is still fresh in the minds of Carolinians.

"Even before a natural disaster strikes, our focus is on the safety and well-being of our associates, customers and communities," Ellison says. "Before, during and after a disaster, we are committed to helping residents of the communities we serve, and today's commitment starts by providing a safe shelter and critical supplies for our thousands of neighbors impacted by the devastation."

Before the storms strike, Lowe's ships plywood, generators, bottled water, chainsaws, tarps and gasoline cans to Lowe's centers in the path of the storms. Those orders for shipment - involving 400 truckloads of supplies - come from the Lowe's Emergency Command Center in Mooresville.

After the danger of the passing storms subsides, Lowe's employees are dispatched to the trouble spots.

"After any storm makes landfall, we transition to mobilizing our Employee Relief Teams who volunteer to be deployed to the hardest-hit areas so that impacted associates can focus on their families' needs," Ellison says. "More than 100 Lowe's associates stand poised to deploy to areas impacted most by Hurricane Michael."

Ellison also announced that Lowe's will double its commitment to the Lowe's Employee Relief Fund, which provides financial assistance to Lowe's associates during times of crisis. Established in 1999, the fund has so far delivered $35 million in financial aid to more than 30,000 employees. bizjournals.com

Editor's Note: Back in 2010, during a C-Level panel discussion at NRF Protect, Marvin Ellison - then EVP of Stores for Home Depot and a former LP executive himself - talked about how Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was a defining moment for Home Depot's Asset Protection team, as they took a huge leadership role in the organization's recovery efforts, making a huge impact that earned the respect of everyone at Home Depot at the time.

You can read more about Marvin's comments during that presentation and about his rise from LP executive to CEO in our Special Report from a few years ago here.

Hurricane Michael Death Toll Rises To 11 As Southeast Reels From Storm's Power
At least 11 people have died from Hurricane Michael, which slammed into Florida's Panhandle with 155-mph winds on Wednesday. The storm hacked a trail of catastrophic destruction in Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia before finally heading back out over water. Five deaths were reported in Virginia, in addition to four in Florida, one in Georgia and one in North Carolina.

More than a million people are without electricity, and areas along the Gulf Coast and elsewhere report severe outages of cellphone service and other communications. As Michael moved through the Mid-Atlantic Thursday and overnight, flash flood warnings were sent to people in towns from the coast to the slopes of the Appalachian Mountains. npr.org

Florida Retailers Take a Hit as Hurricane Michael Makes Landfall

Hurricane Michael Damages Are Projected at $30 Billion as Relief Efforts Ramp Up

Waffle House - known for staying open during some of the worst natural disasters - has closed 30 restaurants due to Hurricane Michael

Walmart, Sam's Club announce $2.5 million for Hurricane Michael relief

Publix Charities Donates $250,000 for Hurricane Michael Recovery

 

Los Angeles, CA: Family of 'Penny Pincher Bandit' suspect fatally shot by LAPD detectives files lawsuit
Family members of a robbery suspect who was fatally shot by undercover Los Angeles police detectives in North Hollywood last year have filed a federal lawsuit alleging constitutional and civil rights violations, excessive force and negligence. Juan A. Barillas, 37, was shot multiple times on Nov. 30 following a short vehicle pursuit by Los Angeles Police Department Metropolitan Division officers and undercover detectives, according to authorities. LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division detectives had been investigating a series of recent robberies in the San Fernando Valley at the time. dailybreeze.com

Evidence based forensic tool to help solve violent crime:
Justice Department & ATF Name 22 Sites to Receive New National Integrated Ballistic Information Network Equipment
Helping to Connect Shooting Incidents & Identify Shooters
As the only crime gun ballistic network in the United States, NIBIN compares images of cartridge casings recovered at crime scenes and firearms recovered by law enforcement to connect shooting incidents and identify shooters. ATF's broader Crime Gun Intelligence strategy involves multiple technologies to identify criminal shooters and uses NIBIN as a leads-generator in support of this comprehensive approach. The deployments of this NIBIN equipment will help fill gaps in the intelligence and investigative networks and allow for a more efficient processing of firearm related violent crime evidence.

"Under President Donald Trump, the Department of Justice is prosecuting more firearm offenders than ever before," Attorney General Sessions said. "Ballistics technology has given law enforcement an unprecedented ability to make connections between cases and track down dangerous criminals. Today this Department of Justice is once again investing in the 85 percent of law enforcement officers who serve at the state and local levels and we are equipping them with cutting edge technology that will lead to smarter, targeted prosecutions of the most dangerous people in their communities. I have no doubt that this equipment will help to reduce crime in America."

NIBIN is helping cities solve crimes every day.

There are 16 agencies receiving NIBIN equipment for the first time:
 

NJFC Hosts Timely Loss Prevention Conference
Scott Dougherty, VP of LP, Saker ShopRites, and others to be honored
The New Jersey Food Council (NJFC), in partnership with the New Jersey Retail Merchants Association (NJRMA), will host the 2018 Loss Prevention Conference and Exhibition at Forsgate Country Club in Monroe Township on Thursday, November 1.

Linda Doherty, President & CEO of NJFC, explains the event tackles all aspects of loss prevention, ensuring security professionals understand all the latest trends in asset protection to preserve and protect company resources. In addition, awards will be presented to individuals and law enforcement officials committed to the field of loss prevention.

Doherty said, "With the overwhelming amount of dark threats targeting the retail community, loss prevention professionals will find this year's conference to be insightful and full of new information that will greatly benefit their businesses."

The event offers a number of compelling presentations, including an eye opening account of the significant threats of organized retail crime, emerging technologies, asset protection, active shooter scenarios, and the impact of the Regional Automated Property Information Database (RAPID) on the retail community.

Scott Dougherty, Vice President of Loss Prevention for Saker ShopRites, Inc. will accept the "NJFC Loss Prevention Professional Award." David Wallace, LP Analyst for Staples, Inc. will accept the "NJRMA Loss Prevention Professional Award". "Retail Law Enforcement Achievement Awards" will be given to FBI Special Agent Csapo and Somerset County Detective Jeff VanderGoot.

Amazon tops up pay for longtime staff after disgruntled workers
email Jeff Bezos directly
Amazon announced that it would boost the pay of longtime workers to counter fears that a new minimum wage increase would actually leave them out of pocket. That's after Amazon last week said it would up its minimum wage to $15 an hour starting November 1, including for part-time and temp workers, but also said it would phase out monthly bonuses and stock options for its hourly employees. Amazon is giving workers that already make $15 an increase of $1.25, and announced it will be introducing a direct stock purchase plan in 2019. businessinsider.com

Walmart to pay $65 million to settle lawsuit over seating for cashiers
Will begin providing seating to cashiers in California
Walmart Inc has agreed to pay $65 million to nearly 100,000 current and former cashiers in California who accused the retailer of violating state law by refusing to provide them with seating while they worked. Walmart denied any wrongdoing in the nine-year-old case, which was scheduled to go to trial later this year, in a filing in federal court in San Francisco on Wednesday. The settlement must be approved by a federal judge. In addition to the payout, the company said it would begin providing seating to its cashiers in California. reuters.com

California Employers: Be Prepared for These New Workplace Laws
California lawmakers considered a number of workplace-related bills this session addressing sexual-harassment prevention, lactation accommodations, pay equity and more. Gov. Jerry Brown had until the end of September to sign or veto bills. Here's what employers need to know about new laws that will take effect in 2019 and vetoed bills that may resurface. shrm.org

Don't Just Tell Employees Organizational Changes Are Coming - Explain Why
From leadership transitions and restructurings, to mergers and acquisitions, to regulatory changes, there seems to be constant unrest in the workforce. But according to one survey of more than half a million U.S. employees, almost one-third don't understand why these changes are happening.

This can be detrimental for any company trying to implement change. When employees don't understand why changes are happening, it can be a barrier to driving ownership and commitment and can even result in resistance or push back. And employees' resistance to change is a leading factor for why so many change transformations fail.

Executives and those responsible for leading change cannot assume that employees understand the reasoning behind them. You must spend time explaining the changes and why they are important. Based on my experience supporting organizational change initiatives, there are four key aspects to helping employees understand change, to drive commitment, and to ultimately contribute to your success.

  ● Inspire people by presenting a compelling vision for the future.
  ● Keep employees informed by providing regular communications.
  ● Empower leaders and managers to lead through change.
  ● Find creative ways to involve employees in the change.

Assuming employees understand the changes your company is going through will jeopardize your change initiative. So the next time you're approaching a change project, be sure to think about how you can inspire, inform, empower, and engage your most powerful ambassadors - and successfully lead your company into the future. hbr.org

EPLI: Protection Against Bad Actors at Work
Employment practices liability insurance (EPLI) can offset the cost of defending claims of sexual harassment and other bad behavior in the workplace.

Fearing lawsuits alleging wrongful employment practices, a growing number of business leaders are girding themselves with EPLI. After all, a big judgment for an aggrieved employee, not to mention the cost of litigation, could be devastating. But the right insurance policy could soften the blow. It might even save your business.

"A company can do everything right to follow best practices and policies, but that doesn't stop employees from filing lawsuits. And the cost of defending against those claims and paying them can be very expensive."
 
The average cost for defending and settling employment law cases is $160,000, according to business insurance company Hiscox.

EPLI "is a good way to mitigate risk to a company, and it's unfortunate that many small and midsize companies don't carry it."

Standard EPLI policies generally don't include wage and hour claims, like allegations of shortchanging employees on tips or failing to pay for time spent putting on protective clothing. Other types of claims that typically are excluded relate to the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, COBRA, the National Labor Relations Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. shrm.org

Top 50 Mall Owners "Dying to Get Sears Out of Mall - They're Thrilled"
In malls where leases were signed decades ago, Sears rents could be as low as $4 a square foot. New tenants in the same space could bring as much as six times that amount.

But for mall landlords in more economically depressed areas, where there is often still a glut of run-of-the-mill retail and much of the former foot traffic has migrated to online shopping, the loss of Sears as anchor tenant could be troubling.

Either way, mall owners seem prepared for Sears to go. wsj.com

MedMen Become U.S.'s Largest Weed Retailer & Cultivator - Purchases PharmaCann for $682M
The combined company will have licenses in 12 U.S. states that will allow it to operate 79 cannabis facilities. Dubbed the Apple Store Of Weed due to its trendy retail outlets, L.A.-based MedMen began trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange in May.

"This is a transformative acquisition that will create the largest U.S. cannabis company in the world's largest cannabis market," MedMen CEO said in a news release.

Editor's Note: They've been picking up executives and building an LP program as well. investors.com

Will Amazon enter the insurance business?
Travelers Cos. Selling Home-Security Gear via Amazon
Travelers Cos. began selling discounted home-security and sensor devices to its home-insurance customers on Amazon.com Inc. on Wednesday, the first time an insurer has had a retail presence on the online retail giant. wsj.com

SEC Chair Says Quarterly Reporting Won't Change 'Anytime Soon'
In the near term, public companies won't get a break from quarterly earnings reporting, an idea that President Trump asked U.S. regulators to study. The Securities and Exchange Commission may weigh the idea of moving to six-month reporting for smaller firms, but "I don't think quarterly reporting is going to change for our top names anytime soon," SEC Chairman Jay Clayton said Thursday. wsj.com

Macy's Opening Thanksgiving at 5 pm

Dollar Tree and Family Dollar to hire 25,000 at Oct. 17 jobs event

UK: Karen Millen buys Coast's UK operations out of administration; Coast was owned by Aurora Fashions, which also owns retailers Oasis and Warehouse