Programs for Organizations

Dependent on Independent Retailers?

The ROI offers special programs for organizations and associations that serve independent retailers. These include:

Serving Retailers Worldwide Since 1999

The Retail Owners Institute® is a web-based resource at www.RetailOwner.com.  Now the "foremost self-help resource" on retail finance, The ROI has been serving independent retailers worldwide, 24/7, since 1999. 

With its emphasis on the basics of retail finance, inventory management and cash flow control, The ROI is particularly relevant to owners and decision-makers of retail operations with up to 100 stores (especially those who may be accounting-averse!)  The ROI has been called "a WebMD for retail owners." 

By Retailers, for Retailers. 24/7

The ROI's how-to training and resources about the business of stores is simply unmatched. It serves retail business decision-makers from around the world, offering practical approaches for better financial management and control of a retail business.

Proprietary Content Available Only at The ROI

All of the content and specialzed retail financial modeling tools available at The ROI have been developed by and are the proprietary intellectual property of Outcalt & Johnson: Retail Strategists, LLC. 

About The Co-Founders

Patricia M. Johnson, CMC and Richard F. Outcalt, CMC
Co-Founders, The Retail Owners Institute®


Pat Johnson and Dick Outcalt, the Co-Founders of The ROI®, are recognized experts in strategic retailing.  Working only as a team – Outcalt & Johnson: Retail Strategists, LLC – they have been consulting, publishing, and speaking professionally throughout North America. They focus exclusively on retail, or wherever retail is involved. They work with CEOs, CFOs, boards and owners of retail operations, as well as manufacturers or wholesalers expanding into retail, retail property owners or developers, equity partners, and lending institutions.  In addition:

  • Their how-to articles on retail management have been purchased and published more than 1,100 times by trade publications from more than 40 separate retail niches;
  • They have been retained by associations and organizations to present their concepts at conferences and trade shows, reaching more than 10,000 independent retailers;
  • Outcalt & Johnson have been quoted regarding retail issues in Business Week, Time Magazine, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, as well as local and regional publications;
  • And, on four different occasions, Pat & Dick have been invited by The National Retail Federation to speak at its annual international show and conference in New York City.

Pat Johnson is a graduate of Whitman College. Prior to founding her own strategic planning consulting practice, she was an officer of a national bank, director of a college news service, and co-published a national newsletter for practicing design professionals. She has served as a trustee of an independent K-8 school in Seattle.  Pat is a Certified Management Consultant, the highest accreditation in management consulting, and is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants and the National Retail Federation. 

Dick Outcalt is a graduate of Duke University, and earned an MBA in retailing from the University of Pittsburgh. He was an executive for a national department store organization, as well as the owner/operator of three independent specialty stores. He was president of both the Foundation for Private Enterprise Education and the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Institute of Management Consultants, and also served as a national board member of IMC. He is a Certified Management Consultant, the highest accreditation in management consulting, and is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants and the National Retail Federation.

For more about Pat and Dick's work, see Outcalt & Johnson: Retail Strategists, LLCRetail Turnaround Experts; Business Strata:G® Solutions; Retail Startup.


The Retail Owners Institute® has been empowering retailers since 1999 to "Turn on their financial headlights!"
Our tools and resources are trusted by thousands of store owners to help grow profitable, resilient businesses.