Paul Schleef has spent 30 years in retail and 20 years in store planning, starting with store management and store planning with Gemco Department Stores, followed by 18 years in specialty retailing and then 18 years in store planning with Michaels. In his current position, he has developed and maintained a store opening program for more than 800 new stores, including all documentation, and developed a comprehensive program to coordinate corporate, field, and vendor execution of projects. Schleef is responsible for project management, including budgets, planning, and execution, and for the fixture and equipment purchasing for all projects and 1,000-plus existing stores.