Mindy Thompson-Banko is the voice of Healthcare Retail. She is the leader, pioneer and catalyst behind the concept.

In 1994, Thompson-Banko founded Simply Retail, providing retail consultation to independent and national retailers, shopping malls, retail manufacturers, e-commerce sites and franchises. In 1999, she chose to re-direct her company's retail expertise and focus solely on the healthcare industry. Her passion for retail and love of the business launched the Healthcare Retail movement, and has defined the standard for retail excellence.

Over the past eight years, Thompson-Banko has consulted with thousands of healthcare leaders across the United States about the opportunities retail provides. She has been an advisor to healthcare CEOs and senior executives on 98 major retail initiatives — recommending and implementing retail concepts, now generating in excess of $100 million annually. Thompson-Banko’s 25+ years of hands-on retail expertise has helped healthcare organizations look beyond their own gift shops to define retail in profitable, patient-driven terms.

Thompson-Banko's retail philosophy is grounded in the basics, what she refers to as "the science of retail," and is executed through the creation of customized Retail Systems. This philosophy emphasizes the fact that retail is a business with industry-proven processes and techniques. “We’ve taken sophisticated retail science and applied it to healthcare,” says Thompson-Banko. “Not in a cookie-cutter approach — but through a highly customized process that meets the specific needs and opportunities of each hospital.”

Also key to Thompson-Banko’s success: Results and relationships. She and her company are results-driven, which depends on a high-touch, high-communication client relationship. Says Thompson-Banko: “For us, it’s about hitting all the measures set out in a plan and creating exceptional value at all times — that’s done through good collaboration and going above and beyond the call of duty.”

Thompson-Banko's early years (before Simply Retail) included senior positions at such leading retailers as Dayton-Hudson Marshall Fields, Units, Anne Klein, M & F Girbaud, Pepe Jeans and Munsingwear, where she guided marketing efforts and sales.

She lives in Edina, Minnesota with her husband, Greg, her daughter, Kelsey, and their seven much-loved pets, Lenny, Fred, Ginger, George, Ben, Eddie and Ruby.