THE DOMINANT THEME AT THE RECENT RETAIL EXECUTIVE SUMMIT in Las Vegas was corporate culture - what it means, how it works, where leaders fit into it and, ultimately, the impact it has on the success of the organization.

Several speakers hit home runs with this topic, including former Wal-Mart executive Michael Bergdahl, Best Buy SVP John Thompson and Tractor Supply CEO Joe Scarlett. Several other speakers also scored well with attendees at the three-day event hosted by RIS.

But the speaker that hit a grand slam was Marty Allen, [former] CEO and president of Party America, who recently completed a turn-around and sale of Party America to Berkshire Partners, which also owned the chain's main rival, Party City.

Allen is not your typical number-crunching, Wall Street-obsessed CEO. He's a straight-talking people person who understands that corporate success depends on people. "Your company isn't a products company," Allen says, "It's a human company selling products. The pivot point on which any strategic success rests is the discretionary effort of your human organization."

Joe Skorupa, Group Editor-in-Chief RIS Magazine