From Joe’s humble beginnings as a visual merchandiser for the Lazarus Department Store in Ohio to his role as a visual manager for Macy’s Broadway stores in New York in the 1990s, a passion for visual merchandising has followed him throughout his retail career. In 1996, he was given a unique opportunity to return to Ohio and work with the renowned Columbus-based design firm Chute Gerdeman. Joe knew that well-executed visual merchandising in the retail space would change the world for consumers. With that knowledge, he took a chance in 1999 by co-founding ZenGenius, Inc. with his partner Paul Cook. Together, their entrepreneurial spirit and desire to give back to the community quickly established ZenGenius as an industry-leading visual merchandising expert in Ohio, and later, worldwide.

Joe's love of education and fostering new talent has brought him closer to the mission of PAVE (Planning and Visual Education Partnership) over the years. He often emcees community and industry events, supports the local arts community, and mentors students from The Ohio State University, Columbus College of Art & Design, and beyond. In recognition of his contributions, Joe was honored to step into the role of Vice President on the PAVE Global Leadership Board in 2023. In this role, he will continue to support and uplift the bright future of retail design and the next generation of talent.

• CEO and Co-Founder

• Creative Entrepreneur

• Creative Direction

• Visual Merchandising

• Visual Strategies

• PAVE Global Leadership Board

• Training, Workshop, Seminars

• Public Speaking

• Creator and facilitator of the first Visual Digital Olympics at EuroShop (Düsseldorf, Germany) in collaboration with Chute Gerdeman

• Creator and facilitator of The Iron Merchant Challenge, an interactive networking competition held annually at the International Retail Design Conference.