Custom Packaging, Eco-Friendly Innovation & E-Commerce Unboxing Trends with Mordy Kurtz

Product returns represent an $800+ billion challenge across the e-commerce landscape, yet most brands barely scratch the surface of secondary market recovery. In our Season 3 FINALE of Retail War Games, Jeremy sits down with Sender Shamiss, President & CEO of ReturnPro. Sender breaks down his journey from writing multi-channel e-commerce software to building a massive reverse logistics infrastructure that spans across the U.S., Mexico, Canada, and Europe. Sender reveals how ReturnPro helps major retailers like Walmart protect brand MAP pricing, recover up to 80 cents on the dollar for returned inventory, and deploy cutting-edge X-ray and AI technology to catch organized return fraud without even opening the box. Thank you for tuning into Season 3 of Retail War Games!   

What happens when a Food Network celebrity chef turns her culinary expertise toward solving a massive supply chain issue? In this episode of Retail War Games, Jeremy sits down with Nettie Frank, Celebrity Chef and CEO & Founder of CITREVE. Nettie shares her wild journey competing on Food Network's Cake Wars and Chopped, managing high-volume pastry departments in luxury resorts, and eventually launching CITREVE—a patented line of freeze-dried, flavor-layered citrus and produce. Nettie breaks down the difference between dehydrated vs. freeze-dried ingredients, how CITREVE reduces restaurant citrus waste from 40% down to zero, and how culinary innovation is reshaping both D2C consumer experiences and commercial food service. Watch the full conversation for a fresh look at CPG innovation, food sustainability, and building a high-growth brand!  

That's an official wrap on our May Summit! We're closing out this incredible event series with Panel 10: Founder Strategy & Scaling. In this grand finale, top founders and executive operators share their candid playbooks on what it really takes to navigate rapid growth, adapt to economic shifts, and scale physical product brands without sacrificing core strategy. Moderators: Matt Behrend (Agility Ads) & Robert Pedersen (Zagg) Panelists: Jacob Durham (Nomatic), Brad Smith (Sunday Lawn), Jeff Durham (Gimme), Jonathan Johnson (Overstock) Catch every single Summit discussion now available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify! ⚡ Looking Ahead: We are officially gearing up for our Winter Summit in early 2027! Get ready for a brand-new lineup of high-caliber speakers, premier brands, and an added 3rd-day Hackathon. Stay tuned for registration details!  

Running a physical products brand over the last few years has meant navigating supply chain hurdles that no operational playbook could have predicted.   In this episode of Retail War Games, Bobby Djavaheri, President of Yedi Houseware Appliances, breaks down how his family built a 40-year housewares brand from the ground up. Bobby shares the inside story of transitioning from traditional B2B distribution to Amazon marketplace domination, landing on Oprah's Favorite Things list over a dozen times, and fighting through the massive ocean freight crisis that sent container prices skyrocketing to $35,000.  

Scaling a company past a few dozen employees usually forces founders into a tough dilemma: do you hand over the keys to traditional managers, or do you find a way to scale your operational vision? In this Keynote session from our Retail Summit, former Overstock CEO Jonathan Johnson shares his framework for transitioning from "founder mode" into shared team ownership. He breaks down how to implement intent-based leadership, shift employees from reactive "red work" to creative "blue work," and cultivate an unshakeable culture of accountability across every department.   Watch the full keynote to learn how to empower your team to think like owners as your business expands.  

In this episode of Retail War Games, Jeremy sits down with former NFL offensive lineman, National Champion, and Co-Founder & CEO of Momentous, Jeff Byers. Jeff shares his journey from playing alongside Heisman quarterbacks to launching and scaling a premium performance nutrition brand trusted by elite military units, professional sports teams, and top athletes.   Jeff breaks down how Momentous built brand trust by starting in the Department of Defense and professional sports before expanding into D2C and mass retail. He also discusses the critical role of ingredient sourcing, innovation over "me-too" marketing, and why long-term brand defensibility beats quick performance marketing plays.  

Building a successful hard goods or home products brand in today's economic climate requires constant adaptation—from navigating global supply chain disruptions and tariffs to establishing factory redundancy across multiple countries.  Live from the Retail Collective Summit, this panel of founders and executives dives into the operational realities of scaling physical products.  Discover how leading brands balance international manufacturing with quality control, leverage real-time market data to innovate faster, and maintain a competitive workplace culture while expanding globally.   Moderator: David Berkowitz (JP Morgan Chase)   Panelists: Brynn MacLennan (Slate Flosser), Aaron Gaffey (HexClad), and Atul Vir (Equator).   

In this episode of Retail War Games, Jeremy sits down with Mordy Kurtz, CMO of The Boxery, to discuss the evolution of e-commerce packaging and unboxing experiences. Mordy breaks down the massive shift toward eco-friendly and biodegradable materials—from corn-based tape to paper protective void fills—and how sustainable packaging directly impacts brand perception. He also shares how brands can leverage custom structural designs and tailored inserts to protect complex products and create a lasting impression.  

Building a category-defining health or nutrition brand in today's CPG market requires a balance of rigorous formulation, supply chain transparency, and unyielding consumer trust. Live from the Retail Collective Summit, this executive panel dives deep into the forces shaping the future of clean CPG, functional nutrition, and wellness. Discover how leading operators navigate the complexities of clean-label manufacturing, evolving consumer expectations around ingredient integrity, and the strategic distribution frameworks needed to scale clean nutrition brands across modern retail channels. Moderators: Abby McLennan (Fed Reserve) & Dane Anderson (Opco) Panelists: Val Oswalt (Kodiak Cakes), Matt Peterson (Nature's Fusions), Reyn Soffe (Young Living), and Jake Hadlocks (Nutriient).  

In this episode, Jeremy sits down with Owen Carr, Chief Marketing Officer at Spreetail and host of the CarrTalk! podcast. Owen breaks down how Spreetail grew from a $500 million business to $1.8 billion in revenue by operating as an end-to-end e-commerce accelerator for durable and hard goods across 20+ channels, including Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Home Depot. He explains why heavy-ground logistics and sub-40-hour delivery speeds are critical growth levers, how their 9-facility network functions without relying on Amazon FBA, and why operational hygiene and left-to-right metrics (LTRs) are essential when scaling past the $1 billion mark.