Everything Led Here: Meet ClearTech’s New Senior Account Executive, Brent McKay September 2026

“Some career moves seem like a gamble. Others feel almost pre-ordained,” says Brent McKay.

“Much of what I’ve done throughout my career has led in this direction. Not only have I worked for years in the audio and visual solutions field, helping clients utilize technology to communicate more effectively, but the evolution in my approach to client relationships—and how best to meet client needs—overlays perfectly with ClearTech’s founding philosophy.”

A Midwest native who studied business management at Western Michigan University, Brent began his career selling print and then radio advertising for various media groups. “Within a few years, I entered the agency space, helming strategy and creating content for companies like Jet’s Pizza and its hundreds of franchisees.”

It was during this phase that Brent felt his first pull toward smaller, earlier-stage entrepreneurial ventures where he could play a greater role in steering growth. Working in Detroit at the time, he learned about a new brand in town—an upstart called Shinola. “The owner had an animation and entertainment studio called Reel FX, a division of which was something called Flight School Studio—basically its emerging-technology arm, combining storytelling with experiential and brand-activation technologies.”

The union of storytelling and experiential design would inform Brent’s career trajectory in a profound way.

“I left Reel FX for a company called Image 360, bringing with me a strong belief in the power of narrative to drive action. The firm primarily manufactured signage and sign-related products, and the opportunity I saw involved helping them learn how to leverage their core competencies—the creation of architectural elements—to shape the story of built environments.

“Today, you can see the results of that work in a wide range of spaces. For example, in Amazon warehouses around the country, we transformed vast facilities into much more engaging environments that spoke to passion and purpose. And our work extended to numerous aspects of the visual experience, including signage and wayfinding.”

Storytelling. Visual solutions. Experience and engagement.

“See what I mean when I say it led me to ClearTech? But that’s just half of it, because there are so many other overlaps between my experience and what ClearTech does. For instance, I have extensive experience in the education and health care verticals—two areas tailor-made for ClearTech. I’ve also worked directly with many of the same end users, like facility teams, understanding their needs and objectives.”

But perhaps the greatest points of commonality for Brent have little to do with technology.

“What sealed the deal for me was two things: ClearTech’s passion for problem-solving and its commitment to doing whatever it takes to be a real asset to our clients. I’m talking about truly collaborating with them. This is a company that’s always asking, ‘How can we make your job easier, better, more efficient, and more impactful?’”

Whatever the answer may be, says Brent, “ClearTech will figure out a solution. That combination of desire and ability to get the job done was key for me.”

Beyond that, there was ClearTech’s drive to tackle the next challenge.

“That was hugely appealing to me,” Brent explains. “We have incredible relationships to build on and amazing opportunities to seize. That’s a great foundation for taking ClearTech to the next level, and it really excites me professionally.”

The same passion Brent McKay brings to ClearTech resonates throughout his life. He’s also a dad to two sons, a sports coach and a lifelong musician—a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter whose band, The Strange Detroit, is highly regarded in the modern Detroit rock scene.

“I cherish my Michigan roots,” says Brent, “but I love living in Southern California. I’m a huge fan of the outdoors. I run 25-30 miles a week, and I can’t get enough of the ocean. Living in L.A. was a lifetime dream. As my kids gravitated to the West Coast, I kind of followed them, and this has become my home.”

To which we say, wholeheartedly: “Welcome to the ClearTech family, Brent.”