EXTRA! EXTRA!

ZenGenius, Inc.’s CEO Joe Baer and Macy’s National Director of Window Displays, Roya Sullivan, co-host 23rd Annual PAVE Gala in New York on December 4, 2019.

This annual creative black tie affair brings together retail design luminaries and industry experts for an evening of cocktails, networking, dinner and awards to support the future of design and visual merchandising talent.

As seasoned visual merchandisers with big personality and a flair for entertaining, Joe Baer and Roya Sullivan will take the stage as emcees at this year’s event. Keep reading to learn more about Joe and Roya, and see how your contributions can help PAVE support the future of retail.

JOE BAER

CEO + Co-Founder, ZenGenius, Inc.

Roya+Sullivan-16.jpg — ROYA SULLIVAN

National Director of Window Display, Macy’s, Inc.

About Joe Baer

From humble beginnings as a visual merchandiser for Lazarus Department Store in Ohio, to his role as a visual manager for Macy’s/The Broadway stores in the 1990s, Joe’s passion for visual merchandising has followed him throughout his retail career. After returning to Ohio in 1996 to work with the renowned Columbus-based design firm Chute Gerdeman, Joe later co-founded ZenGenius, Inc. with partner Paul Cook in 1999. Their fierce entrepreneurial spirit and strong desire to give back to the community, established ZenGenius as industry-leading visual merchandising experts in Columbus, later expanding nationwide. Often you’ll find Joe emceeing community and industry events, supporting the local arts community, or mentoring students from The Ohio State University and beyond. In recent years, his passion for education and fostering a new generation of talent has brought him closer to the mission of PAVE and their fundraising efforts.

About Roya Sullivan

After joining Macy’s in 2013, Roya Sullivan was named National Director of Window Presentation in 2014. Prior to her time at Macy’s, she held the position of Visual Design Director at Bloomingdale’s. Attending the Corcoran School of Art, Roya earned her B.A. and then her M.F.A. from the Pratt institute. She is the recipient of several prestigious industry awards including honors from Clio, design:retail, WindowWear and was named as a 2018 Women In Design honoree. Roya has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, USA Today, Entrepreneur, Psychology Today, A1 Retail and more. She was born in Iran and grew up in Germany, and later Connecticut. She currently resides in New York City with her husband and two sons.

As a vital and highly-effective organization, PAVE (Planning and Visual Education), enables young talent to build successful careers in all aspects of the retail industry. Our vision is to cultivate student talent and support educational programs through financial assistance, exposure and collaboration with top industry leadership, and mentorship opportunities.

Held in New York City at Cipriani at 25 Broadway, this year’s marquee event focuses on the future faces of retail. As a gala ticket holder, you directly support our mission of raising funds and awareness. If you’re unable to attend, we ask that you consider sponsoring a student to attend the gala, offering them a once in a lifetime experience.

To purchase tickets, or sponsor a student to attend, please click the button below.

PURCHASE TICKETS

“Supporting students and offering mentorship to the retail industry’s freshest talent has been a passion of ours during our more than 20 years in business. I’m honored and excited to co-host with Roya and engage our industry in fostering the future of retail at the gala in December.”

— Joe Baer, CEO + Co-founder, ZenGenius, Inc.