About ERICA

Erica Wertheim Zohar is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, journalist, and connector. An entrepreneur at heart, she first started American Groove, her women’s and children’s sportswear and private label clothing manufacturing company in 1995, at the age of 23. Serving as the company’s CEO, she grew the company’s brands to be sold in nearly 1,000 retail outlets and manufactured for some of the country’s largest retailers.  

Erica is currently active as an investor and advisor to many start-up companies and a journalist serving as Contributing Editor to Town & Country Magazine and currently as a Contributor to Forbes. 

Mrs. Wertheim Zohar sits on several boards and is a long-standing member and former Chapter Chair of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO).  

Erica's love for entertaining and educating the people around her is what she truly enjoys. Her ability to curate and connect is one that has awarded her a title as a lifestyle ambassador for luxury brands, a marketing strategist for luxury brands, and an advocate of charitable causes. 

Her clients appreciate her marketing perspective as a luxury buyer her honest approach on how to communicate to that specific audience. As an authentic consumer of the brands she works with, she understands what a brand needs to do to be effective with its messaging and its strategy. She naturally knows how to produce high-quality events and brand moments that are tasteful and fun. With her business background, she is used to working within a budget and coming up with out-of-the-box ideas that are executable. 

Philanthropy is an important part of Erica's life. In the events that she produces, she likes to tie in a charity to benefit from the sales of the event. She has worked with Operation Smile, ICLA, Vista Del Mar, CHLA, and others to help bring awareness to the good that they are doing. 

Her passion for giving back started with her family and their lifetime of philanthropy. Erica serves as a Director of her family’s foundation, The Dr. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Family Foundation. The Wertheim Foundation has given more than $100 million towards funding higher education, medical research, and community projects, most recently partnering with the University of Florida in its naming of the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, and Miami’s Florida International University in establishing the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and the Nicole Wertheim School of Nursing and with UCSD for the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health.  An article in the Forbes February 2019 issue highlights the family’s philanthropy.