Business leaders discuss shifts in construction and retail sectors

Ann Caruso, CEO of Cross Management, discusses the evolution of the construction and office markets. Since taking the helm in 2022, Caruso has helped transition the firm into a national construction management company. This growth follows a strategic partnership in which the Japanese construction giant Shimizu acquired a 51% stake in the firm. Caruso notes that while the pandemic altered workplace footprints, there remains a high demand for quality commercial interiors and flexible, high-value construction projects.

In the retail sector, former J.C. Penney CEO Ron Johnson discusses his career in his forthcoming memoir, ‘Shop Different’. Johnson reflects on his influential tenure at Apple, where he helped shape the brand's retail philosophy under Steve Jobs, as well as his subsequent leadership roles and philosophies regarding customer service and brick-and-mortar retail competition.