Tom Ertler (Past Speaker)

Tom is a LEED accredited retail designer and creative director focused on brand development, graphic communication, environments design, and implementation (A&E). His career spans 28 years and is distinguished by industry awards and, more importantly, industry results for some of the best-known brands in the world as well as emerging brands.

He re-joins Miller Zell from his most recent role as a founding partner with Authentic Retail Group in Pasadena, California, an integrated brand development firm. Prior to that, he was creative director at Envision, the full-service environmental design studio of Palladeo and WD Partners.

Tom is a graduate of The Cleveland Institute of Art with a Bachelor of Fine Art degree in Industrial Design. His diverse client list includes projects for: General Motors, BMW, Best Buy, Whole Foods Market, Walmart, Longhorn Steakhouse, Kroger, Office Depot, Red Robin, 7-Eleven, ExxonMobil and The Home Depot. Tom’s experience includes projects in the U.S., Canada, Europe, South America and Asia.

He has led teams that produced many award-winning projects including:

• Honorable Mention, Retail Store of the Year, Chain Store Age

• Special Award Brand Extension, Chain Store Age

• Special Award, Chain Store Age

• Best Original Design, Convenience Store News

• First Place, Retail Store of the Year, Chain Store Age

• International Design Awards, ISP/VM+SD