Click here to download this press release in PDF format. October 31, 2007 Contact: Allison Short Public Relations Coordinator (614) 469-1001 ashort@chutegerdeman.com Agency Contact: Karen Schaffner Corporate Image Consulting (678) 579-9906 schaffner@direcpath.tv Retail Design firm Chute Gerdeman Expands Staff COLUMBUS, OH—Chute Gerdeman Retail, the Columbus-based retail design firm, has added four new staff members. Corey Dehus re-joins Chute Gerdeman as a senior designer on the brand communications team. Dehus’s areas of expertise include brand development with an emphasis on the creation of identity programs, visual communications, environmental signage, packaging, in-store signage, point-of-purchase displays, multimedia and interface design. Dehus served as an intern at Chute Gerdeman from 2000 to 2001. Clients he worked with during that time include Donatos, Blockbuster, and Sara Lee Direct. Dehus is a graduate of the Columbus College of Art & Design. His work has won awards from Chain Store Age and the Columbus Society of Communicating Arts (CSCA). Dehus is an active member of AIGA and CSCA. Tami Thompson has been hired as Program Manager and designer for Hanesbrands Inc. Thompson serves as a liaison between the client and the design team, orchestrating details and facilitating the creative process. Before joining Chute Gerdeman, Thompson worked for La-Z-Boy, Inc. as a project manager, developing and managing the implementation of new programs for La-Z-Boy stores. She graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts in Interior Design, and was certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP) through the Project Management Institute (PMI) in 2001. Jackie Trexel joins Chute Gerdeman as Program Director on the Account Management team. Before joining Chute Gerdeman, she most recently worked at Fitch as an account manager, working with clients such as Cisco, Dow Corning, Starbucks, and Owens Corning. Trexel has expertise in the financial service field as a consultant working with clients such as Harris Bank, Chase Manhattan, Key Corp., and Texas Commerce. After graduating from Miami University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design, Trexel attended Ohio University and earned a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance. Most recently, she earned a Master of Science in Marketing and Communications from Franklin University. Stephen Williams has been hired as Manager of Graphic Production. His skills, experience, and aesthetics all contribute to quality assurance and design integrity for brand communications. Prior to joining Chute Gerdeman, Williams owned Digital Mill, LLC, specializing in the design and fabrication of custom commercial signs. He has also spent time as a freelance fine art fabricator, working on large-scale public sculpture. Some of his work has appeared at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the James Cancer Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and Port Richmond High School in Staten Island, New York. Williams has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Masters in Fine Arts graduate degree from The Ohio State University. He was chosen as a Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Graduate Fellow and was honored with a scholarship to The Skowhegan School of Printing & Sculpture, a summer residency program for emerging visual artists. Please click here to download headshots of Corey, Tami, Jackie, and Stephen About Chute Gerdeman Retail Since 1989, Chute Gerdeman Retail, based in Columbus, OH, has created retail brands, their identities, their environments, and every other customer touch point. The firm’s client list includes: M&M’S® (Mars), Target, Levi Strauss, Limited Too, Kohl's, Sheetz, Lowe's, Einstein Brothers Café, KFC (Japan), Pepsi-Cola, Nationwide Arena, and Marriott Vacation Club Resorts. In 2006, the firm was voted “Designer of the Year” by readers of DDI (Display & Design Ideas) magazine in addition to the numerous awards it has received for design leadership. For more information, go to www.chutegerdeman.com