design:retail - April 2017 - 44

044

← The Godiva store
on Fifth Avenue in
New York. Photo
courtesy of DASH
DESIGN

↙ [Bottom left]
Lombardi has
co-chaired the
PAVE Gala several
times throughout
her career.

APRIL/MAY 2017

DESIGNRETAILONLINE.COM

Joe Feczko

GLOBALSHOP.ORG

Harry Cunningham

2016

2014

2012
Eric Feigenbaum

of DASH DESIGN

the industry and the people she has touched along
the way."
Lombardi not only cares about her team, she
cares about the future of the industry. She demonstrates that commitment year after year through
her involvement with the Planning and Visual Education Partnership (PAVE). Coming from a family of
educators, it is only natural that she has an affinity
for education and understands the importance of
fostering the next generation of retail professionals.
She has served on PAVE's board of directors, including a position as vice president, and co-chaired
the PAVE Gala numerous times. "Every time my
term is up, I just wait out the term limits and come
back again. I will continue to support PAVE as long
as they want me around," she says.
From her own work to her role as a mentor,
Lombardi believes in taking a positive approach to
the people and organizations she works with. This
is something she learned from one of her industry
mentors, Rose Marie Bravo. "She taught me the importance of bringing the 'person' to the business,"
Lombardi explains. "She is a positive, inspiring and
magical person. She stressed how important the
strong friendships and bonds you develop are, both
professionally and personally."
Lombardi also believes in having fun, saying: "I
have fun at work. As they say, 'when you enjoy what
you do then you never work a day in your life.' If the
fun stops, then it is time to re-evaluate what to do."
The fun isn't stopping any time soon for Lombardi.
She is excited about the future of the industry, from
the growing global awareness and emerging markets to exciting connections being made between
retail and hospitality. But, for this brief moment,
she will stop and relish this recognition.
"This honor comes from a group of the most
successful people in the industry. It is amazing and
thrilling," she says. "I am so touched by it. I appreciate it and hope I can impact the industry with future
selections for this unique and special circle."

2015

tremendous travel, the support of my husband
(Cosmo Romeo) and daughter (Nicole Romeo) has
been incredible," she says. "They understand how
important my work is to me. Without their support at home, my professional accomplishments
wouldn't be possible."
Lombardi further recognizes the support of the
numerous vendors. "You go from one company
to the next and they follow you," she notes. "You
are only as successful as the vendors, the ones that
show up and do so much to support your vision.
They are so much a part of the success for me."
"Everyone loves working with Linda," Jankowski
says. "This recognition is a tribute to her years in

2013

"Linda has a unique ability to communicate a
creative vision that people understand and appreciate, and, at the same time, is business-minded. It
is the best of both worlds," Goldman says.
"As creative as she is, she is practical from
a business point of view. She understands the
practicality of rolling out a vision across a global
platform," Jankowski describes. "That combination of visual and business acumen results in spaces
that are functional, profitable and beautiful."
As the recipient of this honor, it is clear that
Lombardi is a respected retail professional, but she
credits her success to her support system, starting with her family. "With my global work and

↙ [Bottom right]
Lombardi has led
Godiva's entrance
into emerging markets, including Abu
Dhabi. Photo courtesy

Ken Smart

Bill Goddu

http://www.DESIGNRETAILONLINE.COM http://www.GLOBALSHOP.ORG

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of design:retail - April 2017