Principal and COO
Michael Lopez Designs Inc. (MLDI)

Michael J. Lopez, ASID, is principal and COO of Michael Lopez Designs Inc. (MLDI), a Troy, Mich.-based organization incorporated in 1978. At present, he exclusively serves the collegiate bookstore marketplace, coordinating the requests of auxiliary services and bookstore management to build new or remodel existing not-for-profit facilities, which are central in serving institutional operations. Responsible for meeting with the entire bookstore planning team, Lopez provides leadership for the development or redevelopment of bookstore and convenience store facilities and for ensuring that the plans are operationally efficient and that store fixtures are manufactured with “green” technology that can contribute to LEED certification and are constructed to be durable and to withstand heavy usage.

Previously, Mike served Hart, Schaffner & Marx; Allied Store Corp. in New York; and Grand Rapids Store Fixture Equipment Company. In 2003, after completing a five-year contract with Kmart Corp. as director of fixture development, Lopez returned to private business, coordinating the interior merchandising plans of collegiate bookstores and specialty stores with the architecture, concept development, store interior design, lighting, freestanding fixtures, project administration, and visual merchandising. Specifications and bid packages are delivered for procurement and purchasing. Mike’s strong knowledge of store fixture construction is evident in the quality of the bid documents and reflects state-of-the-industry knowledge for reducing the cost of store fixtures while producing collegiate bookstores with the “wow” factor.

A 42-year veteran of the store planning and design industry, Mike is the author of numerous publications, including the tutorial primer Retail Store Planning & Design Manual, for which he won the American Society of Interior Designers Educational Foundation's Joel Polsky Prize in 1996. A past president of the Chicago Chapter of the Retail Design Institute (RDI) and an associate of the National Association of College Stores (NACS) and the National Association of College Auxiliary Services (NACAS), he is a frequent speaker on store planning and design. He is currently working on a new directive educational project, Procedures and Processes for Collegiate Retail Design.