Target has proved itself as the big box with staying power, and you have to wonder why. Part-time Des Moines resident Laura Rowley has some answers. Rowley is a journalist, author and retail consultant who has worked with the Greater Des Moines Partnership and is a panelist on the Business Record’s CRE Forum April 25 at the Hilton Garden Inn Des Moines/Urbandale. She also participated in a Business Record video roundtable on the retail sector earlier this year. Rowley is the author of “On Target: How the World’s Hottest Retailer Hit a Bull’s-Eye,” and she points out that among many things the company has done right is putting an emphasis on unique design. FastCompany writes that Target is leaning on its design and brand management team for furniture aimed at children with sensory sensitivities. A segment of the company’s Pillowfort line offers 20 or so items — tents, rugs, a rocking desk chair — with “muted hues, soft-yet-tangible textures, and plenty of items meant to move or even be tackled … designed specifically to accommodate the senses: To offer safety and reassurance, but also respond to the needs of more stimulation on demand.” The collection is an example of Target “approaching the topic of inclusive design — or designing with the needs of fringe users at the forefront — as a core tenet of its business.” Click here to register for the CRE Forum. Rowley will be joined by Jake Christensen, president of Christensen Development, Niki DePhillips, senior vice president of store development at Kum & Go; Kris Saddoris, vice president of multifamily development at Hubbell Realty Co.; and Adam Kaduce, senior vice president at R&R Realty Group.