hey, howdy, hello.
Playing well with others.
Hi. I’m Liz.
I’m a: Creative Cultivator. Designer. Idea Generator. Leader. Listener. Budget Balancer. Collaborator. Mentor. Optimistic Realist. Client Mind Reader. New Business Chaser. Joke Teller. Coach. Question Asker. World Traveler. Trend Hunter. Challenge Accepter. People Connector. Doodler. Decision Maker. Inspiration Craver. Hard Conversation Haver. Student of the World.
I have a passion for leadership, specifically creative leadership. I love getting to the root of what motivates people, understand what stresses them out, find their strengths, and turn them into superpowers.
Here’s what people say:
Liz is simply amazing. It is rare for someone to be as beloved and respected by legitimately everyone who has worked with her. Liz's results-oriented approach and willingness to go above and beyond set her apart.
Life in an agency is extremely fast paced; Liz skillfully guides teams, ensuring they stay on course, while also driving exceptional work. As a leader, she excels in extracting excellence from her team while ensuring every voice is heard. She is truly a unicorn leader.
- Jenny Ha, Senior Retail Designer, Arc Worldwide (Direct Report)
I worked with Liz for the past 6 years in our Retail Design Group and she wasn't just my creative partner, she was my business partner. Her dedication, tenacity, integrity, business acumen, and design sense are truly unmatched. Her overall value that she brings to the agency and her teams transcend her job title and responsibilities. She is always in relentless pursuit of improving the creative product, her team and herself. She's a force...and in all the best ways. She's a design guru, a culture maven and an all around quality human. Liz will always be tops on my list of people I would start a business with and hope to work with her again soon.
- Dana Stotts, EVP Business Leadership, Arc Worldwide (Peer on same team)
Liz is a secret weapon if ever there was one. Just when you think you’ve witnessed the top end of her skillset, you learn that there’s even more. She’s an incredibly talented designer (interior and architectural), a savvy strategist, an informed business leader, and a trusted partner. She is voraciously hungry for knowledge from all corners. She seeks financial and business understanding as much as she does design inspiration.
Liz is an amazing team lead who cultivates deep relationships with her people but she’s also an incredible team player who is up to do anything required of the task at hand to make everyone else look great.
- Matt Weiner, Chief Creative Officer, Arc Worldwide (Indirect Manager)
I tell Liz that she is the best hire of my career and someday I'll go work for her. She was everything our agency needed and wanted, and Liz went beyond what we could have imagined in a creative, a leader, a learner, a collaborator and a business partner. Liz became an icon at Arc. She is driven, takes initiative, builds trust, delivers excellence, and inspires everyone.
If you are looking for someone who has great creative leadership, thinks strategically, brings new and innovative solutions to clients, can bring people together to solve problems, thrives in a cross-functional collaborative environment, proactively looks for business development and growth opportunities, is always up on design trends, builds talent and manages teams that LOVE her, is a balanced leader who continually pushes for high quality of creative deliverables - while being a very collaborative - and just a great person to work with, Liz is it.
- Matt Denten, EVP Creative, Arc Worldwide (Direct Manager)
While we often differentiate "leaders" from "makers", Liz is the best of both. For her team, she makes space for her people to dream and build up new ideas. She makes time to to be a mentor, and coach her team on matters both professional and personal. And she makes the case, time and time again, to reward, elevate, and celebrate her team after a job well-done. She's an energizing leader and it's been such a pleasure to partner with and learn from her.
- Glenn Madigan, Associate Creative Director, Retail Design Group, Arc (Direct Report)
The ultimate strategic and creative partner to her team and clients. Her energy, passion and dedication are contagious. Liz didn’t leave a stone unturned as we reimagined our client’s retail footprint. She welcomed the clients into her world of retail design opening their eyes to how consumers browse and shop products agnostic of industry. This enabled her to not only reframe how clients thought about their own customer experience, but also ground every design decision in consumer behavior. Liz consistently balanced client’s feedback and business needs with innovative design and customer experience solutions. Her work laid the foundation for the client’s future stores and inspired an optimized customer experience (from online to in-store).
- Sarah Kaminsky, Account Director, Leo Burnett (Peer)
Liz is a force. She is a rare combination of a stellar designer, strategic problem solver, and creative leader. You can trust her to take any ask, no matter how confusing or ambiguous and create something smart, strategic, and innovative. She can navigate large organizations, hold clients’ hands, think on the spot, all while maintaining an incredible level of contagious passion and energy.
She also, if not more importantly, is an empathetic leader who puts her people first. She truly invests herself in her team members, going above and beyond to support their careers. She is someone you can truly learn from just by observing. She is a once-in-a-lifetime type of coworker. If your path crosses with Liz’s, you are lucky!
- Kylie Wendell, Senior Environmental Designer, Retail Design Group, Arc (Direct Report)
Liz is hands down one of the best Creative Directors that I’ve worked with. She represents the perfect blend of creative visionary and business-savvy. Her integrity and commitment to the work produces not only produces results, but also makes her a stellar partner on even the most complicated of projects. She’s a master collaborator, always taking a solutions-focused approach to anything that comes her way. Her energy is contagious, enabling her to foster a solid team dynamic built on honesty, trust and respect. I often referred to Liz as a unicorn because she truly is one-of-a-kind!
- Jenni Rizzo-Stevens, Account Director, Upshot (Peer on same team)
I've never worked with a manager who cares deeply for both the work and the people who make it; This combination is a rare and wonderful trait of Liz Rinaldi. She fosters a unique type of collaborative atmosphere by giving her team the space to create unconventional solutions and bring everything about ourselves to the table. She sees the value in a sentence, a photo, an experience someone shared - nothing is too small or abstract to draw inspiration and gain insight. Best of all, Liz actually sees every person around her as a person. She has an exceptional ability to listen & work with each one of us as individuals which ultimately creates a strong team and even better work. Liz is a great Creative Director who offers excellent feedback, but what I find most valuable is her ability to bring out the best work in everyone around her.
- Britt Meyer, Environmental Designer, Retail Design Group, Arc (Direct Report)
Liz exhibits a relentless attitude towards Brand development and demands excellence from not only her design team but also from the suppliers that support her vision. Liz has shown an appreciation for the Form and Function of the designs and product lines she develops. As a manufacturer for McDonald’s, her partnership and willingness to listen to our concerns has helped to develop a superior product. In my opinion, Liz’s greatest asset is her ability to develop and grow relationships. Liz has had to train and support 6 Seating & Décor suppliers throughout the national remodel program, along with developing relationships with complimentary material suppliers that are part of each package. Her patience and determination have led to a smooth transition. Additionally, she is always accessible and is not afraid to have a tough conversation to solve a problem. This type of support is crucial to the success of the McDonald’s brand initiative.
- Scott Hoopingarner, National Sales Manager (McDonald’s), Elkay Interior Systems (External Partner)
I have worked with Liz for a number of years in multiple capacities. We worked together on the McCafe program in NYC. Her sense of professionalism and ability to build trust within a team were key to delivering projects on time, and maintaining brand standards. Her creative approach in developing solutions to unique site issues was key to earning the trust of the owner operators. I have worked with many companies and teams in delivering projects and it is rare to work with a client who is a team builder. Liz is extremely organized, creative and an excellent problem solver. She is an asset to McDonald’s and her team.
- John Ott, Construction Program Manager, Bovis Lend Lease (External Partner)