Off the Record
Off the Record is a podcast exploring the lives and stories of Twin Cities executives. Join the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, in partnership with Platinum Bank, for robust conversations with local leaders as they share pivotal moments in their lives, some of their career highlights, and their goals for the coming years. You know their names and faces, now get to know their stories.
Off the Record
Jill Renslow, chief marketing officer with Mall of America, on embracing what’s new in retail and entertainment
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When Jill Renslow saw the joy she could create for others as the events chair with her college’s American Marketing Association chapter, she knew the event marketing field was right for her.
Deciding her dream job at Disney presented a geographic challenge after getting engaged to her college sweetheart, the Minnesota-based Renslow set her sights on “the Disney that’s closer to home” — in her case, the Mall of America (MOA).
She started as an events intern in 1997. Now, as the chief marketing officer, Renslow combines hospitality with a passion to lead the way in the entertainment industry. “If there’s something new in the retail and entertainment space, (customers) are going to expect us to have some facet of that. And that’s what we love,” she says on the latest episode of the Off the Record podcast, brought to you by Platinum Bank. “We want locals to have something unique to come and experience.”
Renslow shares stories about everything from riding roller coasters with Justin Timberlake to keeping a seven-acre theme park running during COVID-19 with hosts Kathy Robideau, market president and publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank. Listen to learn more about:
- Spearheading MOA’s huge transition from “Camp Snoopy” to “Nickelodeon Universe” (18:37).
- What happens when COVID-19 meets a seven-acre theme park (21:19).
- Developments with the upcoming waterpark (31:28).
- How MOA provided free brick-and-mortar space for local businesses displaced in the wake of COVID-19 and the unrest stemming from the 2020 murder of George Floyd (34:29).
- The value of saying “no” as a working mom (47:04).
- Why taking risks to give back to employees pays off (49:24).
Leaders like Renslow understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.