Holiday shopping will be a different experience this year, because of COVID-19. Join Press Herald Business editor J. Craig Anderson and three leaders from Maine’s retail sector for a discussion about how stores are adapting and what shoppers can expect.
On the panel:
David Fox, Photographer
Curtis Picard, President and CEO, Retail Association of Maine
Curtis Picard joined the Retail Association of Maine in November of 2007. The Retail Association of Maine is the statewide voice of retailers, founded in 1935. Prior to his current position, Curtis was Vice President of Business Development and International Trade for the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. He was responsible for the VT Chamber’s international trade program with offices in Shanghai, China and Taipei, Taiwan. Picard serves on the board of Topsham Development, Inc., and the Maine Society of Association Executives. He was appointed by Governor Mills to the Economic Recovery Committee. In 2018, Curtis was awarded the J. Thomas Weyant award by the National Retail Federation recognizing the state retail association executive of the year. He graduated from the University of Vermont in 1991 with a B.S. in Business Administration. He is a 2008 graduate of the U.S Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Organization Management and earned his Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation in 2012
Mary Alice Scott, Executive Director, Portland Buy Local
Mary Alice Scott is the Executive Director of Portland Buy Local (PBL), and sits on the Board of the American Independent Business Alliance. For nearly a decade, Mary Alice has worked on community building through advocacy and supporting local economies. Previous to her work with PBL, she helped to open the Portland Food Co-op. She is passionate about advocating for independent businesses on a local and national level.
Greg Elder, Vice President of Retail, L.L. Bean
Greg Elder is the Vice President of Retail, International and L.L.Bean for Business divisions. His role involves the oversight of L.L.Bean’s 44 retail and 10 outlet U.S. stores spread across 18 states with a focus on store operations, visual presentation and customer experience. Greg also oversees International – a cross-functional team dedicated to supporting, developing and promoting business in Japan and Canada. Finally, Greg leads L.L.Bean for Business that offers a range of product and embroidery solutions from workwear to recognition/promotional products for businesses. Greg is a Finance and Philosophy graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota. He is very active in outdoor recreational activities with a passion for running, biking, skiing, hiking, fishing, and camping. He has been at L.L.Bean for 13 years and was with Eddie Bauer in Seattle, WA for 15 years prior to Bean.
