Growing up in a small town in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Lynn Knutson says she gained an appreciation “for small towns, wide open spaces and the clear water of Lake Michigan,” not to mention the value of hard work and the drive to succeed.
As visual merchandising program manager at Harley-Davidson Motor Co., America's premier motorcycle manufacturer, she's in charge of creating retail environments and presentations for one of our culture's most dynamic, most recognizable lifestyles.
In 1996, she become retail merchandiser for Harley-Davidson. “I traveled to dealer facilities and assisted dealership staff with overall merchandise presentation,” she says. “I made recommendations on store layout, product presentation and visual merchandising. I trained staff on retail-forward practices to improve the customer shopping experience.”
She presented the idea of creating a department to develop retail support programs and, in 1998, the visual merchandising programs department was born. “My staff and I are responsible for the research, design development, production and implementation of branded retail store fixtures, perimeter wall systems, graphic and signage programs, audio/video in-store digital signage programs and the list goes on,” she says.
As a member of the VM+SD Editorial Advisory Board, Knutson will once again play an active role in this year's International Retail Design Conference (September 6-8 in San Francisco). In addition to providing the VM+SD editorial staff with input and feedback, she'll be a panelist in this year's Ask the Experts session, where attendees are encouraged to ask a group of retailers about nearly anything on their minds. Knutson will be joined on the panel by Jeffrey Key of Lowe's, Karen Meskey-Wilson of J.C. Penney and Mike Tersigni of The Children's Place.
So get ready to ask Knutson all sorts of questions. We did.
Tell us about your Harley.
In 2002, I purchased my first motorcycle, a VRSC V-Rod. We put a lot of miles on that bike and sold it last summer. I am now dreaming of a new Road King Custom.
How did you earn your first dollar?
I worked the summer out of high school in a vegetable canning factory. My shift was 3 p.m. to 6 a.m. A 15-hour shift can feel like a lifetime when you're 18 years old.
What's the most important lesson you learned from that job? Factory work is hard – and I look terrible in a hair net.
What's the best advice you ever received?
Pick your battles carefully and make sure it's the hill you want to die on. Then go for it!
The worst?
If you ignore it, it will go away.
What's your favorite part of the VM+SD conference?
Networking and meeting people in our industry. Exchanging thoughts and ideas about the challenges we face in our diverse environments. If I can come home with one new great idea, it was worth the time spent.
Which one-time Lynn Knutson fashion statement now makes you cringe?
Big 80s hair. My hair was so big, I joked, that if something got caught it would be lost for days!
Name one food you couldn't live without.
Cheese. What can I say? I live in Wisconsin!
What's the very first emotion you want from someone walking into a Harley dealership for the first time?
The heart-stopping feeling that you must somehow be a part of this fantastic experience, even if it's just wearing a T-shirt. You aspire to be a part of this lifestyle.
What did you have to learn the hard way?
That life is not always black and white. There's a whole lot of gray, and that's okay.
It's summer. Where's the best place to find you on a Sunday afternoon?
In my sneakers, heading out for a long run.