Brad Somberg

B&N Industries has won VM+SD's best-booth award for two straight years at GlobalShop's Store Fixturing Show. That's a testament both to president Brad Somberg's design and conceptualizing skills and to his doggedness.

“I never seem to be satisfied in business,” he says. “I'll never cease challenging myself or those around me.”

B&N was founded in the late 1970s by Bernice and Norman Somberg. “My father owned a hardware store for 30 years,” Brad recalls, “until he helped invent the hand-held label gun. He sold the company to Consolidated Foods, and eventually started B&N as a distributor of price-marking equipment to retail.”

Brad was founded in 1959, in San Francisco. After UCLA, he sold for Gillette, becoming the youngest member of its VIP Club. “This is where I got hooked on retail and the psychology of buying and selling.” But he also discovered that the world of Fortune 500 might not be for him. “I was told to buy a blue suit and a brown suit. I guess they did not appreciate my style.”

At B&N (San Carlos, Calif.), Somberg helped develop the company's signature puck and pog merchandising systems. “We got tired of slatwall as the only wall-based merchandising solution,” he says, “so we set out to develop a flexible merchandising system that could add a design element to the store.”

Somberg finds solace away from the office in two places. One is on the golf course, “the only bit of time I truly call my own.” The other is with his family – wife Gina and children Tessa (five) and Tucker (three). “It is amazing that the second I step in the door, all the daily grind is over. It is true love.”

What led you to this crazy business?

Crazy business? It's not that bad. I could have been a bullfighter. Watching my parents grow B&N Industries, I found myself jealous of how they could have an immediate impact on their future with each decision. Therefore, I left my Fortune 500 career and joined the family business. Their next decision was to get out of the business. Thanks, guys.

In which way has the fixture-purchasing process changed the most over the years?

A majority of our retail clients' buying decisions are made by committee. That can be a trying process. We like working with a diverse client mix, including visionaries who really understand our product. It amazes me to see the energies!

What did you have to learn the hard way?

I always gave people the benefit of the doubt, and too many times I have been disappointed. However, I refuse to become jaded.

Which TV family did you wish was yours?

The Sopranos. Could you imagine?

What is the world's single most exciting store?

There is no one store. It is all about the feeling derived from the environment. A hamburger joint can be the most exciting on some days.

What one possession do you covet most?

In a more abstract sense, “timing” is a possession I covet the most.

What's the best advice you've ever received?

As we get older and have more responsibilities, it seems we get out of balance. My wife has really been trying to help me get back in balance, not letting any one thing consume me.

What's the worst advice?

dot.com investments.