Bios // Karl Eller

Karl Eller

Mr. Eller is currently Chairman/CEO of The Eller Company, specializing in Outdoor advertising for clients on a worldwide basis.  After receiving his BA in business from The University of Arizona and serving in various capacities with Foster & Kleiser Outdoor Advertising Company from 1952 to 1962, Mr. Eller purchased the Arizona operations of F&K, renaming it Eller Outdoor Advertising Company and eventually Eller Media. In 1997 Eller Media merged with Clear Channel Communications and Mr. Eller became the Chairman and CEO of the Outdoor division until he retired in December 2001.

In 1983, Mr. Eller established and funded the Karl Eller Center for the Study of the Free Enterprise Economy at The University of Arizona (UA).  In mid-1987, The University of Arizona named its MBA School for Mr. Eller.  Then in June of 1999, the UA honored Karl further by renaming its business college as the Eller College of Business and Public Administration, which has since been re-named the Eller College of Management.

Additional Highlights

  • Instrumental in getting both ASU and the UA into the PAC 10
  • Founding Member of the Fiesta Bowl
  • Member of the Phoenix Thunderbirds for over 40 years
  • One of the Founders of the Phoenix 40, which later became the Valley Leadership
  • 2000 – Honored as an Arizona Historymaker for extensive personal commitment within the community by the Arizona Historical Society
  • 2001 – Alumnus of the Year, The University of Arizona
  • September 2001 – Outdoor Advertising Association of America Lifetime Achievement Award
  • 2002/2003 – Co-chaired The University of Arizona’s Presidential Leadership Team’s Billion-Dollar fund raising effort
  • March 2004 – Inducted into the American Advertising Federation’s Advertising Hall of Fame.