This Print Pro Unwinds at the Family Lake House, Where Everyone Must Abide by an Important Rule

Gary Schellerer
VP/Partner, ER2 Image Group, Chicago, Illinois

Schellerer began his career in signs at the age of 19, when his parents joined a Signs by Tomorrow franchise. Bloomingdale Signs by Tomorrow would become the largest franchise sign company in the US, ultimately rebranding as ER2 Image Group in 2014. With so many family members in the company, you’d think it would be hard to get together without talking shop. But even with more than 30 years spent in the business, family means everything to Schellerer. So, when he takes to the lake house once a month with his parents, brother, and sister, it’s all about boating, cooking, playing board games, and trail riding with his hybrid bike. Business talk is strictly off-limits.

“There’s a lot of day-to-day stress that a business can have on you,” he says. “It took years to realize the importance of stepping away from those pressures so I could fully enjoy time with my family.” When he’s not steering the direction of ER2 with his partners or heading to the next Schellerer family gathering by the lake, you can find him at a beach in Mexico, Jamaica, or Hawaii, where he and his son have put their PADI certifications to good use.