Lisa Ham
Director, Merchandising & Space Planning
Yesway
Lisa is an accomplished leader in the retail sector, currently serving as the Director of Merchandising and Space Planning with P&L responsibility and a team of direct reports at Yesway, an emerging Top 20 chain of convenience stores.
In her role, Lisa oversees strategic planning, store layouts, category management and data-driven decision-making to drive business growth. A typical day for Lisa involves leading team meetings, analyzing market trends, developing strategic initiatives and collaborating with cross-functional teams. She aims to be a resource for frontline workers in stores, ensuring they have the support and tools they need to succeed. Success in this role requires a blend of strategic vision, effective communication and a deep understanding of market dynamics.
Lisa was instrumental in the integration of the Allsup’s banner into Yesway and helped lead the rollout of business intelligence tools within the organization. She also helped develop internal competencies for space planning and drove the implementation of Spaceman software to bring more precision to merchandise sets for new stores, remodels and acquisitions.
Outside of work, Lisa volunteers as the local Cub Scout troop treasurer and is a member of her parish life committee.
“I’m big on maintaining an open-door policy to foster a supportive environment where my team members feel comfortable seeking guidance. Recently, we conducted an exercise where each person shared three words that describe themselves at work, and then did the same for me as their leader. When the recurring themes included caring and compassion, it reaffirmed that while I may not always have all the answers, my team knows they can rely on me for support and problem-solving. This trust and mutual respect are hard to get but invaluable once you get them.”
How do you explain your profession to people outside of the industry? What do you find most exciting and/or rewarding about this work?
What are the core requirements of your job and how do you measure success?
What is one notable professional achievement you've made over the past year that you are most proud of?
What professional challenge or failure has stuck with you, and how did you embrace it?
What trend or technology do you believe will have the most profound impact on your work (and the work of your peers) over the next year?
If you could say one thing to your younger self, what would it be?
