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The Patio Podcast
The Patio Podcast is a wistful exploration of my hometown's enduring attachment to Hess’s Department Store. In candid conversations with residents, historians, collectors, former shoppers and employees, The Patio hopes to shed light on Allentown, Pennsylvania’s multigenerational interest in one single place.
Does nostalgia this visceral unite a city, or hold it back? How has Max Hess Jr.’s marketing genius endured? What happened to his famous chandeliers? And how good was all that whipped cream pie, really? The Patio Podcast is a new collection of Hess’s memories, meant for the here and now!
The Patio Podcast's original music: Theme created and produced by Dave Meyers with Vocals by Sam Cummings
The Patio Podcast
S2 E5: Steve Greenberg talks Merchandise, Mistakes & Mr. Hess
Steve Greenberg is the son of Hess’s last, local Chairman & CEO, Irwin Greenberg. The stories Steve shares speak for themselves, but the level of detail he recalls is one of the most remarkable things we've heard on The Patio Podcast. There is no doubt that Irwin and Steve Greenberg experienced so much of this business together, and when they were not together, Irwin nurtured their relationship by sharing many ideas and decisions of running a business like Hess’s.
Steve does not hesitate trying to recall a single detail, he seems to remember them all!
TRANSCRIPT FOR THIS EPISODE CAN BE FOUND HERE:
Steve has been a part of "retail royalty" his entire life. In this episode he shares the Greenberg family history at Hess's; how the store's many transitions shaped his father's career; memories of Mr. Max Hess Jr.; plus 30+ years of opportunity and mistakes inside the many locations of Hess's Department Store.
Steve also shares an update on his dad today (hiya Irwin!!). Irwin Greenberg ended his career as president, CEO and chairman of Hess’s in 1990. Irwin worked there for 35-years, starting as merchandiser under the leadership of the great Max Hess Jr. At the time of his retirement, Hess’s had grown to 75 or 76 locations (both numbers have been reported) in the US.
The Patio's original music: Theme created and produced by Dave Meyers, with Vocals by Sam Cummings.
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