Katie McNeil leads merchandising strategy at PGA TOUR Superstore

Influential Women is highlighting PGA TOUR Superstore Vice President of Merchandising Katie McNeil for her two decades of retail leadership, customer-first strategy and continued focus on learning. The profile traces her path from college retail jobs to senior roles at Dillard’s, Ross Dress for Less and now sports retail.

Why it matters: - Katie McNeil’s career shows how merchandising leadership can shape the customer experience across retail, from apparel to sports retail. - Her role at PGA TOUR Superstore puts data, vendor partnerships and assortment planning at the center of how the chain responds to changing shopper expectations. - McNeil’s focus on continuous learning, including new technology, reflects how retail leaders are adapting as the business evolves.

What happened: - Influential Women featured Katie McNeil, Vice President of Merchandising at PGA TOUR Superstore. - McNeil has more than 20 years of experience in retail, merchandising, buying and strategic business development. - Her career began in college, when retail jobs sparked an interest in consumer behavior and product development. - After earning a B.S. in Marketing from LSU, McNeil joined the Dillard’s Executive Development Program. - She later earned an M.B.A. from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock while attending night school. - After five years at Dillard’s, McNeil joined Ross Dress for Less as a buyer. - McNeil advanced through senior leadership roles at Ross and eventually served as Vice President of Merchandising. - McNeil now leads a team at PGA TOUR Superstore focused on customer experience in sports retail.

The details: - McNeil’s merchandising background includes assortment planning, trend forecasting, vendor partnerships and sourcing. - She said the core retail lesson she learned early was to deliver the right product at the right time. - At PGA TOUR Superstore, McNeil combines data-driven decision-making with market intelligence and long-range planning. - Her approach also relies on collaboration with vendors and a focus on emerging trends. - McNeil said she most enjoys seeing an idea turn into a store experience that customers can engage with. - Her move into sports retail began after a conversation about an opportunity, even though she was not a golfer and had worked mostly in apparel. - McNeil is involved with the Women in Retail Leadership Circle. - She recently earned an AI for Business Certification from Harvard Business School. - Outside work, McNeil enjoys shopping, reality television, mystery novels, swimming and spending time around water. - McNeil is also an aunt who enjoys spending time with her nieces and nephews.

Between the lines: - McNeil’s path suggests retail leadership still rewards curiosity, flexibility and a willingness to move across categories. - Her emphasis on staying visible and connected points to a broader industry reality: career growth often depends on relationships as much as performance. - The AI certification signals that merchandising leaders increasingly see technology literacy as part of the job, not an extra.

What's next: - McNeil is focused on staying connected with other women in retail and continuing to learn from peers. - At PGA TOUR Superstore, her next challenge is likely to keep aligning product strategy with evolving customer demand while new tools and trends reshape the category. - More information is available in Katie McNeil’s profile.