Jamie Jo Cockrell, senior vice president and GMM of home décor superstore chain At Home, will deliver the retail keynote at the International Housewares Association’s Chief Housewares Executive SuperSession (CHESS) 2025.
With a theme of “Tackling Uncertainty with Strategic Agility,” the IHA’s annual education and networking event will be held October 7-8, 2025, at the Rosemont Hilton, near Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.
“CHESS 2025 will offer a unique setting for housewares leaders to come together and discover new ways to turn today’s uncertainty into tomorrow’s opportunity,” said Derek Miller, IHA president and CEO. “In addition to peer-to-peer networking, attendees can take advantage of exclusive insights from a variety of subject matter experts to become better prepared and more agile to succeed in today’s quickly changing marketplace.”
Cockrell (pictured above) will provide an update on At Home’s navigation of the current environment, vision for the upcoming seasons and outlook of its mission to “Design Your Life AT HOME.” As At Home’s Senior Vice President and GMM since 2020, Cockrell has led brand transformational efforts contributing to more than $1 billion in growth. She joined the company in 2015, serving in various buying and leadership roles spanning merchandising, brand management and product development. Prior to At Home, Cockrell started her retail career at JCPenney.
The other CHESS keynote will feature Allen Morrison, senior professor at the Thunderbird School of Global Management and a globally recognized authority on U.S.-China trade relations. Morrison’s session will examine the deeper forces reshaping the U.S.-China economic relationship and equip suppliers with a clear-eyed, pragmatic framework for making informed, strategic decisions.
Education Sessions
Additional CHESS sessions will focus on consumer behavior and purchasing shifts, retailer adjustments, manufacturing diversification, product innovation and workforce optimization. They include:
- Spring Forward for Growth: Navigating Retail Trends and Future Disruptors—Circana’s Don Unser (president, thought leadership) and Joe Derochowski (home industry advisor) will explore the latest retail data and trends; the impact of tariffs on spending, pricing and promotion; and evolving shopping behaviors.
- Retail Outlook: Navigating Tariffs, Consumer Headwinds, and Competitive Shifts—Scott Friedman, chief credit officer, Pulse Ratings, will examine how retailers are responding to tariffs and identify which categories and operators are best positioned to manage the turbulence…and which may face margin compression, inventory risk or consumer pushback.
- Deciphering The Housewares Consumer—Drawing on up-to-the-minute market research and consumer sentiment analysis, CivicScience founder and CEO John Dick will explore the latest economic indicators, changing consumer buying patterns and their implications for housewares.
- The Reshoring Rebound: What You Need To Know To Secure Value-Added Domestic Production—David Duecker (president, SynergyOps) and John Hermann (executive advisor, Design Molded Products, Inc.) will discuss the importance of customer service and logistics while reviewing key questions to ask prospective domestic manufacturers.
- Reinforcing A Culture of Innovation—Jack Hough (Grove Product Group partners) and Warren Tuttle (founder of Aspire Open Innovation) will discuss the different mindset required for innovation in today’s uncertain and competitive environment.
- Building Value Through Your Workforce—Culture development, new skillsets and best practices in workforce optimization will be on the table during this panel discussion with Creative Planning’s Lee Roberts (partner, managing director) and Kristie Sams (virtual CFO, operational advisor) and MonkTree Partners’ David Muench and Grant Nussbaum.
- Housewares Hot Seat: Putting Agility To Work— Peter Giannetti, editor-in-chief, HomePage News, will lead a panel discussion with housewares leaders who are applying strategies of disruptive product, marketing and operational innovation to help their businesses adapt and lay a foundation for long-term, responsive success.
- IHA Government Affairs Update—IHA’s government affairs representatives, Craig Brightup of The Brightup Group and Rafe Morrissey of Morrissey Strategic Partners, will provide an update on tariffs and other regulatory and legislative issues.
- IHSA Shipping Update—Craig Akers, executive director, International Housewares Shippers Association, will provide an update on shipping and supply chain issues.
CHESS, according to IHA, offers valuable networking opportunities for the industry and a unique chance to share ideas with peers in a collaborative, face-to-face environment.
“[CHESS] presenters give great insight on subjects that impact the retail landscape and provide helpful solutions for the obstacles that we all face,” said Tom McMahon, president of Jura, Inc. “But more than that, I find that the knowledge obtained through the networking opportunities helps me to make better strategic decisions.”
“I was initially hesitant to be away from the office for two full days, but I’m certainly glad I made the commitment to attend CHESS,” said Cze-Chao Tam, CEO, Trinity/Renew by Trinity. “It’s a rare chance to surround yourself with people who understand your challenges and are willing to exchange ideas.”
Registration and More Information
Registration for CHESS 2025 is open. For more information, including a link to discounted room rates at the Rosemont Hilton, visit https://www.housewares.org/exec-networking/chess/.
