September 24, 2026
Best. Day. Ever.
This week I was part of a Costco experience too good not to share. Dave Messner (SVP of Real Estate), Tom Mahoney (AVP of Real Estate), and I were joined by CBRE’s Laura Barr, Scott Schnuckel and John Miller in support of the ICSC Foundation.
We started with an array of food court goodies (including the churro–the McRib of Costco) while Dave shared more about Costco’s scope, scale, and culture.
Then we did something truly special–a tour and tasting in the R&D test kitchen led by Chef Franck Myrhe. We tested a top-secret new recipe and learned about a dozen different new items that were just about to be reviewed for green-ink approval [a longstanding company tradition honoring co-founder and former CEO Jim Sinegal; bonus points if you already knew that].
Next we went across the street to the Issaquah Warehouse #110 where GM Hector Ocampo took us step by step through how he manages one of the highest performing warehouses in the fleet; and the only one that gets a weekly shop from founder Sinegal himself, who was there a few hours before.
We learned about the minute-by-minute oversight of the warehouse; how item placement and curation fuel turnover speed and productivity.
Speaking of fuel….the fuel center at Issaquah is about to be replaced by a new 50-pump facility [almost as big as a Buc-ee’s] directly across the street, doubling the number of pumps and adding 150+ net new parking stalls to the warehouse–an expansion property near and dear to me.
Costco turned a Red Robin restaurant pad into a massive expansion of the Issaquah fuel center and a win for the member experience.
Joining us at Issaquah was Chad Sokol, the wine and spirits buyer responsible for Kirkland Signature and outside-branded products. He showed us the newly expanded wine “boats” and how small tweaks on the floor have led to significant sales increases. We also discussed product placement with the name brand next to Kirkland Signature, like the new Kirkland Signature Grass-Fed Beef Sticks.
Next, Chad had a presentation on all things wine and spirits at Costco, ending with a tasting of Kirkland Signature Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2022. My favorite was the Rutherford.
Special treasures in Issaquah: the Frankenstein Monster Mash chocolate head filled with gummy body parts (if you’re reading this far and you haven’t gotten to the warehouse yet, it may already be gone!).
A huge thank you to Dave, Tom, Chef Franck, Hector, Chad, Rene Holliday for coordinating every detail, the CBRE team, and the ICSC Foundation for an incredible experience.
