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Vincent Joy is a living example of his last name these days — and a reminder for executives to remember a valuable lesson: Don't fret about things out of your control.
Joy is the general manager of the J.C. Penney store in the Desoto Square Mall in Manatee County. His store recently won a coveted Founder's Award from the company for outperforming sales and margin goals. Only the top 10% of the chain's 1,000 stores qualify for Founder's Awards, according to a statement. Joy joined fellow Founder's Award winner Cheri Musheno, manager of the J.C. Penney Lakeland Logistics Facility, at a company ceremony in Texas March 16. George Williams, district manager for the Lakeland and Tampa regions, was also there, in addition to J.C. Penney CEO Marvin Ellison.
Recognition of the Desoto Square location is notable for two reasons: One, Penney's has been one of the most battered retailers in the industry the last five years due to a confluence of internal and external forces. That ranges from a failed strategy shift to increased competition. The Desoto Square Mall, owned by New York-based Mason Asset Management, has likewise struggled recently. Tenants big and small, from anchors such as Dillard's and Macy's to Chick-Fil-A in the food court, have bolted.
But Joy says running a high-performing department store is all about focusing on the one factor that matters most: customer service. “If we can operate well in the customer service arena, even in a declining mall, we will succeed,” Joy tells Coffee Talk. “We must make the customer feel like their dollars matter.”
Joy has been with J.C. Penney since 1985, when he was a management trainee in North Carolina. Joy ran a store in Tampa for four years before he was appointed to oversee the Desoto Square location last summer.
Joy takes the control-what-you-can-control philosophy to heart. He holds a daily meeting with floor leaders and reminds them good retail customer service is in the details. “We strive to listen to the customer,” he says, “and we take pride in that.”
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