Joe Baer

Co-Founder + CEO

Joe Baer is the Co-Founder, CEO, and Creative Director of ZenGenius, Inc., a creative design firm based in Columbus, Ohio, and founded in 1999 with Paul Cook.

ZenGenius specializes in providing Visual Merchandising, Creative Direction, and Special Events support to retail brands, businesses, and organizations of all types. Going on 25 years, ZenGenius has been a proud part of the creative and retail design communities across the globe.

Joe is on the Editorial Advisory board for VMSD, has been a regular judge for the International Visual Merchandising Competition, and created and hosts the popular Iron Merchant Challenge held annually at the IRDC Conference. Joe now sits on the Advisory Board for the Masters of Retail Studies at Columbus College of Art Design and is on the Board of PAVE Global.

Dedicating much of his career to leading engaging workshops, visual merchandising training programs, and interactive visual challenges, Joe Baer celebrates the art of visual merchandising and inspiring event design in all he takes on.

With Joe, he brings along a talented team of creatives that are ready to problem solve and bring "the calm to the chaos"; a motto at ZenGenius. Ready to Zen? Let's go!