by In an interview with Home News Now, he also speaks of leadership lessons learned from longtime executive Jeff Child
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — West Coast retailer RC Willey will soon have a new president. Lynn Lloyd, the company’s current vice president of merchandising, will succeed Jeff Child in April following a transition period.
While Lloyd has worked at RC Willey for 18 years, his professional relationship with Child spans nearly four decades. Lloyd first met Child 37 years ago while working as a manufacturer’s representative — a role he held for 19 years. Eventually, Child offered Lloyd an upholstery buying position at RC Willey. Lloyd worked his way up, and in 2023 became the company’s vice president of merchandising.
Despite the transition, Lloyd said the company’s priorities will not change and continuity will be key. “We have a culture that’s great, and it’s been established by our senior management, which is Jeff (Child), Scott (Hymas, CEO) and Curtis (Child, chief financial officer), and so we’ll just continue on.”
But keeping the status quo for RC Willey’s culture and operations doesn’t mean stagnation. Lloyd said one of the greatest opportunities he sees in the home furnishings industry is embracing challenges and change, a lesson he learned from Child. “That is how we will define how successful we are,” Lloyd said.
According to Lloyd, the many leadership lessons he learned from Child will guide him in his new role.
“One thing he has taught me is that I need to have a slightly different perspective based on long-term goals — where we’re trying to get and how we get there,” Lloyd said. “In the 18 years that I’ve been here, it’s never been about Jeff. Decisions are always made by the group. He may push the group a certain way, but it’s always a team decision, and I really admire that.”
One way Lloyd would define success in his new role is preserving RC Willey’s reputation. “If we’re still recognized as the same company — a high-integrity company, an honest company, that we do things the right way — that’s really important to us,” he said.
Lloyd also cited two additional measures of success: continuing to create opportunities for RC Willey’s 2,400 employees and fostering the next generation of leaders, one of whom, he noted, will likely eventually succeed him.
Looking more broadly at retail, Lloyd said he sees two major trends shaping the future: artificial intelligence and finding new ways to connect with consumers.
“Our biggest challenge is how to reach consumers in the way they want to be reached,” Lloyd said of today’s ever-shifting retail landscape. “And that’s constantly changing,”
A few years ago, influencers dominated marketing strategies. Now, Lloyd said, their authority is waning, and consumers are turning to customer testimonials and reviews. Regardless of the channel, he said, RC Willey will continue to adapt and meet consumers where they are.
Even as strategies evolve, the foundation of RC Willey will remain the same. “Our culture and attitude is that customer experience is No. 1, and we make all the decisions based on that, and that won’t change,” Lloyd said. “As far as what I plan to do, I’m going to try to keep things going the way we do things and have trust in my team.”
