Nick Bertram’s journey from being the first in his family to attend college to becoming president and COO of Michaels was shaped by an EKU scholarship, strong leadership experiences and a willingness to bet on himself. Now, he focuses on creating opportunities for others.
National First-Generation College Celebration Day on Nov. 8 recognizes the experiences and achievements of first-generation college students. At Eastern Kentucky University (EKU), nearly half of all students are the first in their families to pursue a college degree.
Nick Bertram, ’02, knows firsthand how a college education can shape a person’s future. The first in his family to graduate from college, he now serves as president and chief operating officer of Michaels.
“I’m on the path that I planned for, but I didn’t plan for the path,” he said.
Bertram began working at an early age for his family’s plumbing business in Stanford, Kentucky, always thinking he’d follow in his dad, grandpa and great-grandpa’s footsteps. But when his grandpa encouraged him to go to college, his path changed.
“He was my hero,” Bertram said. “So anything he said meant a lot to me, and that’s really what pushed me into going to college.”
Bertram first experienced EKU through the summer Foster Music Camp. Then the Opal and Kermit Patterson Scholarship offered him a full ride to EKU for marketing, sealing his future.
“I came from a family that wasn’t able to help me pay for college, so that made the decision pretty easy,” Bertram said. “It decided my major, and it decided my career path. That scholarship really changed everything directionally for my life.”
Bertram had also recently discovered a passion for retail and business from his high school job at JCPenney. He liked the variety of tasks from visual merchandising to sales to operations, meeting different people, working as a team toward a goal and being rewarded for individual goals. Overall, he found retail to be fun and exciting.
As a resident advisor and student body president at EKU, Bertram tapped into his natural leadership abilities, learned to solve complex problems and managed multiple stakeholder needs, skills he’s continued to use throughout his career.
By graduation, Bertram knew he would one day lead and make an impact at a high level. He climbed to leadership roles as a regional general manager at Walmart, then served as president of The GIANT Company before landing his role at Michaels in 2025.
Today, Bertram oversees Michaels stores and services, leading 40,000 employees.
“I’m creating the system and culture that enables outcomes, but not by myself—I’m surrounded by brilliant people,” Bertram said. “I aspire to continue making change and continue to create great brands for great companies that create great lives for people.”
One of Bertram’s favorite parts of working for Michaels is getting to see what people create. Through the company’s custom framing shops, he sees how people preserve meaningful moments, whether it’s a first-generation college graduate’s diploma—like the one he had framed at Michaels in Richmond that now hangs in his office—or a fallen soldier’s uniform or a little girl’s ballet slippers.
“There’s something so personal and special and emotional about the things people are framing,” Bertram said. “These artisans in our stores— they’re laboring over it. It’s amazing to see that, and that happens in our stores every day. Somebody is creating something that didn’t exist before.”
Bertram spends two days in the field every week, visiting different markets across North America to bring ideas to life and observe how the stores operate. He also makes time each week to personally respond to a customer from the call logs and write a thank-you note to a store employee whose work has been noticed.
When it came to finding his own path, Bertram said everything changed at EKU when he started to bet on himself, rather than worrying about other people’s doubts.
“I don’t give up, I’m hungry to learn new things and I treat people well,” Bertram explained as the distinctive characteristics behind his success.
Bertram and his wife, Jennifer, ’03, have five sons, further driving him. Having met at EKU, the couple prioritized their own education and want to show their children how education unlocks opportunity and “proves that you can finish something.”
Reflecting on his journey from a first-generation college graduate to now president and COO of a major corporation, he said, “I have a responsibility to set the next generation up for something bigger. That’s what it all comes down to—that every generation moves society further and moves the world further.”
By: Elise Russell
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