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| Exhibit City News 40 Under 40, 2009 |
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| News |
| Written by Aleta Walther |
| Thursday, August 06 2009 12:41 |
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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, millions of baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, are nearing retirement, including hundreds, if not thousands, of exhibit and association industry professionals. Who will take up the gauntlet as these industry veterans step down?
Exhibit City News knows. We sent out a call for nominations to identify our industry's under 40 hot shots and the nominations came in fast and furious, nominations sent by supervisors, peers, colleagues and friends. Following are the names and profiles of some of our industry's most dynamic young business leaders, vendors, exhibit and event managers, sales and account executives, entrepreneurs, managers, marketers, designers, and engineers. These individuals are our 40 Under 40 for 2009. Each honoree has at least five years experience in the tradeshow or association-related industries, and each has demonstrated ingenuity, creativity, or leadership in his or her career. The order is alphabetical with no honoree being highlighted over another. So, if you know one of these individuals, give them a congratulatory pat on the back, high five or kudos. They earned it! Congratulations to Exhibit City News' 2009 40 Under 40 Honorees.
Kelsey has been in the tradeshow industry all her life. Her grandfather, Carl, and grandmother, Annie, founded CB International in 1969 and eventually passed the business onto Kelsey's father, Dennis. Based in Las Vegas, CB International is comprised of three divisions: exhibit design and fabrication, tradeshow services and event contracting. Kelsey started working in the family business at 16. Her experience includes account and project management, but for the last two years she has been involved with marketing the company. She is currently attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she is studying marketing.
As one of Cyclonix's first employees, Kristie was instrumental in launching Cyclonix three years ago. Today, the Morgan Hill, California-based exhibit designer and fabricator has 30 employees and services clients nationwide. During her tenure with Cyclonix, Kristie has tackled a variety of roles and responsibilities including sales, account and project management. Overall, Kristie has more than nine years experience in the tradeshow industry, including managing worldwide tradeshow and event programs for Siebel Systems, Logitech, Maidenform, DKNY and Creative Labs. She also worked as a sales secretary for the George P. Johnson Company and was quickly promoted to account management.
As a tradeshow coordinator for Lab Safety Supply of Janesville, Wis., Michelle's She was responsible for 67 trade shows and events in 2009 encompassing a budget of almost $1million. Lab Safety Supply distributes safety and other products across North America. Michelle has been with Lab Safety Supply's marketing department for 14 years and is working to obtain her CTSM designation from Northern Illinois University.
Kevin Carty began his career with Classic Exhibits in 1994 as its national sales manager and is currently the company's vice president of sales. Based in Portland, Oregon, Classic Exhibits manufactures portable, modular, and customized exhibit solutions that are sold by distributors nationwide and in select international markets. In 1996, Kevin was named national sales manager and charged with growing the distribution channel. Under Kevin's direction, Classic Exhibits sales channel has skyrocketed from about 35 distributors to nearly 200 today. From 2000-2003, Kevin also managed the company's distribution network and customer service department. Kevin sits on the Exhibitor Advisory Committee for the TS2 Show and serves on the Scholarship Committee for the Exhibit Designers and Producers Association (EDPA).
Chrisa Chen is the founder and a partner in three trade-show related companies: the Design Factory, LLC; Network Convention Services, LLC; and Graphics by Design, LLC. It all started in 1999 when Chrisa and Chris Harvey launched the Design Factory in Las Vegas. The Design Factory plans, designs, produces, sells and rents custom portable tradeshow exhibit booths and displays. In 2007, Chrisa and Chris launched Graphics By Design to provide graphic production services to their clients. Today the Design factory has 23 employees, with sales exceeding $3 million. Before starting her own business, Chrisa worked for Skyline Displays for about 10 years. Chrisa is member of the Exhibit Designers and Producers Association (EDPA) and the Exhibitor Appointed Contractors Association (EACA), and is a past advisory board member for the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.
Whereas most people work their way up the corporate ladder, Kevin jumped in at the top when he was appointed general manager of Display Concepts Inc., of Dallas, in 1999. After about three years with Display Concepts, Kevin moved to become operations manager for Exhibit Creators Inc. /Cinema Design Group, also of Dallas. But, opportunity kept calling and he soon was appointed sales manager for Snap Drape International, Dallas. Today, Kevin is with the Expo Group and is the highest grossing sales account manager for this year for The Expo Group's Dallas division. The Expo Group services show organizers, corporate planners, marketers and exhibitors. The company also has offices in Las Vegas, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington D.C. Kevin is an active member of the Exhibit Designers and Producers Association (EDPA), serving on the board of directors of the Lone Star Chapter. He also is a member of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events.
Sean Combs saw so much opportunity in Steelhead Productions that he became an equity partner in the exhibit design, fabrication and rental company in 2002. In 2003, he was named president of the Silverdale, Washington-based firm. He has been instrumental in guiding the firm to five consecutive years of revenue growth and profitability, in addition to moving to Las Vegas and opening a second office in 2007. In 2008, Steelhead recorded the highest revenue in company history. Sean believes that Steelhead's success is in the "details, details, details". Sean is also a member of the Exhibit Designers and Producers Association (EDPA) and Health Care Exhibitors Association (HCEA).
Chris Condotti began working as a dispatcher for a third-party logistics provider in 1993. Chris focused his energies on learning all aspects of the business, building relationships with customers and carriers. By 1995, Chris had moved into sales management. In 1999, Chris formed Leader Express, Inc., a full service transportation trucking company. Today, home for Leader Express is a 100,000-square-foot warehouse and freight distribution facility in Wood Dale, Illinois. Leader deploys more than 200 trucks and employs several hundred people while providing transportation services to hundreds of customers across many different industries. In 2007, Chris expanded his company's national presence by opening a terminal in Las Vegas to support Leader's growing tradeshow division.
Having worked for an exhibit house and then a retail design firm, John-Paull loved the creativity of designing exhibits, but disdained the waste created in the production process. For years, he dreamed of starting his own design firm specializing in eco-friendly tradeshow booths and did so in 2006. Today, that company is Booster.com of Portland, Oregon. Boothster is a full service design and fabrication firm laser focused on designing and building eco-friendly trade show booths. The business recently expanded into retail signage and display. Boothster.com was recently certified as an "Emerging Small Business" by the Office of Women, Minority and Emerging Small Business, State of Oregon.
Curt started with Willwork while still in high school, but quickly progressed thru the ranks to become master foremen for the company. He is based out of the company's South Easton, Mass. office. Curt has traveled the world for Willwork, managing some of the largest projects in the company's history. After an injury, Curt worked in the office for years as national operations manager. Today, he manages Willwork's most complex and intricate projects and general contracting events. Willwork provides event contracting, installation and dismantlement, permanent installations, and audiovisual services.
Derek started with Willwork while he was still in college, working part time. Now, just five years later he successfully manages some of Willwork's "most high profile clients". In addition to working as a master foreman, Derek recently added sales to his repertoire. Landing a large show for Willwork from Yahoo!, as well as many others, Derek is now a valuable member of the Willwork sales team. Willwork provides event contracting, installation and dismantlement, permanent installations, and audiovisual services. Matthew Devenney, 31 Matthew's career niche is automotive shows. His auto show industry experience began with a three-year stint working as talent for the Ford Motor Company. He would introduce show audiences to Ford automobiles while also educating them on the specifications of concept vehicles and new automobiles. In 2007, he jumped to National Convention Services where he is an account executive. In addition to working with his company's I&D labor force at nearly 60 auto shows each year, Matthew is also a member of the company's Motor Trend Auto Show general contracting team. This team serviced five shows during the 2008-2009 auto show season. National Convention Services provides a comprehensive line of tradeshow, event and exposition services nationwide.
Michelle Durpetti's passion for events began very early at her first internship at J/T in Chicago, where she quickly fell in love, and dreamed of owning her own, event production firm. Her dreams came true, March 2008 after 10 years experience when she launched McGowan Durpetti & Associates with Denise McGowan. McGowan Durpetti & Associates is a Chicago-based firm specializing in event management and production. Earlier in her career, Michelle worked for Jasculca/Terman & Associates of Chicago where she worked with several high profile clients, including former President Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Senator Barrack Obama and Mayor Richard Daley.
Kevin Fett had a successful seven-year career with Skyline Displays, including being named Skylines "Global Rookie of the Year" in 2002, "#1 Top Sales Performance Award" in 2007, and many more awards in between. Over the years, Kevin cultivated a breadth of experience in the tradeshow industry, including project management, booth design and fabrication, ROI definition and measurement, pre- and post- show marketing and more. In April 2009, Kevin took his career to the next level with the launch his own company, Evo Exhibits. Evo Exhibits is a full-service trade show exhibit company based in West Chicago. Evo offers its clients a range of trade show exhibit options and tradeshow services, including exhibit design, exhibit installation and dismantle, trade show logistics, exhibit storage, exhibit management and tradeshow marketing services.
Dana has been with The Expo Group for all of her tradeshow industry career, 8.5 years. The Expo Group services show organizers, corporate planners, marketers and exhibitors. The company has offices in Irvine, Texas, Las Vegas, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington D.C.
Matt began his career in the exhibit industry in 1998 as an accountant at ICON Exhibits in Fort Wayne, Ind. Talk about climbing the corporate ladder! Matt went on to earn his CPA license and was subsequently promoted to accounting manager, controller, vice president and most recently to vice president and general manager. Through his career at ICON, Matt has greatly improved financial management and reporting, integrated an acquisition, shown leadership through the ups and downs, and most recently has been integrating ICON Exhibits with Delphi Productions. Icon Exhibits is a worldwide provider of exhibit design and fabrication services.
Jay began as a worker in Boston with Willwork in 2000 and quickly progressed to leadman to traveling leadman to show floor manager to national operations manager. A sudden vacancy in Boston gave Jay his next challenge, Boston city manager, where he has been successfully managing Willwork's busiest city ever since. Willwork provides event contracting, installation and dismantlement, permanent installations, and audiovisual services.
Amy is a CTSM and senior veterinary conference planner at Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc., a global pet food manufacturer in Topeka, Kansas. Amy helps plan and execute 22 veterinary conferences each year. Since being hired by Hill's in 2006, Gregory has managed the building and launching of two new booth properties. She was promoted to Senior Veterinary Conference Planner 2008. In 2008, Gregory was recognized for her project management skills. She was the recipient of the 2008 Exhibitor Magazine All Star Award. Gregory also co-presented a course on her project management skills at the 2009 Exhibitor Show in Las Vegas.
Jeff started his tradeshow industry career as an exhibit builder at Skyline Exhibits where he won multiple honors and served on various committees. It wasn't long before Jeff moved from exhibit builder to project management, to traveling I/D with SkyService, to the director of convention services for Skyline's Mid-Atlantic region. Jeff and Chris Miller recently partnered to start Positive ID, an installation and dismantlement firm for the tradeshow, special events and museum environments and based in Philadelphia. Positive ID completed 284 Installs in its first year.
Tony Helfman has been with Access TCA for six years and today is the firm's general manager based in the Las Vegas office. Access is among the largest independently owned experiential marketing companies in North America and has offices in Atlanta, Boston and London. Before Access, Tony was the general manager for Moss Chicago and managing director of business development leading the introduction of Moss Rental in 2002. He also managed Studio Stitchers, taking it from a three-man operation to 67 at its peak. Tony is active in his local Exhibit Designers and Producers Association (EDPA) and a contributing writer for Exhibit City News, Exhibitor Magazine and Event Design.
"Joe" is the owner of 300 Exhibit Services & Events, Inc. with offices in Plainfield, Illinois, Las Vegas, New York and Boston. 300 Exhibit Services & Events, provides installation and dismantlement services, and recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. Joe's first endeavor in the tradeshow industry was that of a senior account executive for EG, then at Sparks Exhibits & Environments before launching 300 Exhibit Services & Events. He is also a member of the Exhibitor Appointed Contractors Association (EACA), Exhibit Designers and Producers Association (EDPA), and Health Care Exhibitors Association (HCEA).
Colleen Johnson has been an integral part of Sho-Link, Inc. since its inception in 1993. Sho-Link provides installation and dismantlement services across 60 US cities. Initially hired as a customer service representative, she soon took on the role of office manager, and is currently the firm's director of administration. Over the years, she has had her hand in various marketing, legalities, human resources, information technology, and accounting projects.
Cindy is an 18-year industry professional who has executed and directed virtually every facet of tradeshow creation, production and site management. She has earned multiple management promotions and currently is general manager, Las Vegas operations for CEP and also is the firm's director of corporate account management. CEP Exhibits is an exhibit design and fabrication (exhibits, environments and events) firm headquartered in Chicago and full-service offices in Orlando and Las Vegas.
Chris began his tradeshow career as a union carpenter with Local 8 before joining Atlantic Skyline of Chantilly, Va., as a service technician. Chris was later promoted to manager of I&D. Recently, Chris partnered with Jeff Haefner to start Positive ID, an installation and dismantlement firm for the tradeshow, special events and museum environments and based in Philadelphia. Positive ID completed 284 Installs in its first year.
Brad Montgomery's experience in tradeshow, marketing and communications spans more than 10 years. This cumulative experience includes coordination and execution of nearly 500 tradeshows and events throughout the United States and beyond. Considered a marketing leader in the identification (signage) marketplace, Brad has helped steer Accuform towards year-on-end double-digit growth since 2001. Brad is also certified in tradeshow marketing (CTSM) through Northern Illinois University. He also serves on the Exhibitor Show Advisory Council, 2009/2010. Additionally, he sat on the CTSM Curriculum Review Committee overseeing the marketing and personal/career growth portions of the required curriculum elements.
Linda Musgrove is president of the Miami-based tradeshow
She teaches corporate staffs how to improve their tradeshow results. She also wrote"The Complete Idiots Guide to Trade Shows" and has presented at TS2, the Exhibitor Show, the Exhibit Designers and Producers Association (EDPA) and the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE). and writes a column for Exhibit City News. In total, Linda has been in the tradeshow industry for 15 years. Prior to launching Tradeshow Teacher, Linda worked as a tradeshow manager for a variety of companies.
Randy worked his way up to vice president and CEO of The Expo Group shortly after turning 30. One of his notable achievements is the creation of the patented "Single Source Solution". Randy is the official inventor-of-record for this unique business system that is at the heart of The Expo Group's business model. The Expo Group services show organizers, corporate planners, marketers and exhibitors. The company also has offices in Las Vegas, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington D.C. Randy is a member Exhibitor Appointed Contractors Association (EACA), International Association for Exhibition Management (IAEM), Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and Exhibition Services and Contractors Association (ESCA).
Chad is a third generation "Exhibit Guy" and has been in the industry for about 17 years. He started at 15 with Exhibit Dynamics, and worked in the warehouse, graphics, production and logistics. In 2001, Chad became a senior account executive with Skyline DFW. After several years as the top producing account executive with Skyline, Chad left Skyline to co-found ExhibitTrader.com in 2003. ExhibitTrader.com is an online platform for buying and selling tradeshow displays. Chad helped co-invent "The Estimator", a patented electronic interface that allows exhibitors and exhibit manufactures to estimate a value electronically for their pre-owned exhibits and display inventories.
Alicia started in the exhibit industry in 2002 as an account manager at Elements Exhibits in Las Vegas. Elements is a full service exhibit designer and fabricator. In 2005, she was promoted to vice president of marketing and sales and also manages some of the company's major clients. Alicia has successfully marketed and managed company volume up to $12 million in sales and managed the launch of "Elements Events" this past February. She currently serves as vice president of the Las Vegas chapter of the Exhibit Designers and Producers Association (EDPA).
Kellie has been in the tradeshow industry for more than 10 years, including acting as the sales and industry relations director for the TS2 show for seven years and managing exhibit and sponsorship sales for National Trade Productions (NTP). She is currently with the Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show where she participates in all facets of the planning, coordination and execution of the this consumer show held in West Palm Beach, Atlanta and Washington D.C. Kellie is a certified in exhibition management (CEM) and also a member of multiple trade associations, including the Exhibit Designers and Producers Association (EDPA), Health Care Exhibitors Association (HCEA) and International Association of Exhibition & Events (IAEE).
David has been with Matrex Exhibits since 2006 and is the founder and director of Matrex's PerformanceScience program. Headquartered in Addison, Illinois, Matrex specializes in creating 3-dimensional brand environments/exhibits while also providing tradeshow support services. PerformanceScience uses interactive tools and training to engage and educate audiences while driving data collection. Through PerformanceScience David is leading a burgeoning new movement in the exhibit industry toward greater emphasis on interaction, data, and measurable returns. Before joining the Matrex team, David was the creative director for Impact Unlimited of Dayton, Ohio for about four years.
Nicole' first and only tradeshow-related job has been with Steelhead Productions, but she has experienced great success working for the custom exhibit rental company these past five years. She started working in the company's Silverdale, Washington location as an account manager, but recently relocated to the firm's Las Vegas division. She manages Steelhead's largest client and attends an average of 60 shows a year for the client. She also takes on new accounts from the business development team and is responsible for growing the accounts. She is also active in the Las Vegas Chapter of the Exhibit Designers and Producers Association (EDPA).
Robert has been with Expo Services for 12 years, working his way up from lead man, to floor manager to assistant city manager to city manager for Expo Services' Las Vegas location. Expo Services provides exhibit installation and dismantlement services. Expo Services has 17 divisions located in the major tradeshow markets. Robert oversees the Las Vegas operations as well as seven surrounding states. He is accountable for all financial, personnel, performance and levels of service provided.
After a job transfer from New York to California in 2001, Andy entered the tradeshow industry as a sales account executive and worked his way up to become show director for the Outdoor Retailer and Fly-Fishing Retailer. In May 2006, Andy became group show director of Action Sports Retailer (ASR) show. Now under the ownership of Nielsen Business Media, Andy's responsibilities expanded in May of 2008 with the additions of Interbike and Health and Fitness trade shows. He is responsible for all sales and marketing, operations, and "big picture" planning for the three shows. Nielsen is the world's leading marketing and media information company.
Christopher has been with Gilbert Displays for five years and has been promoted twice, first to account executive and to senior account executive. Gilbert Displays is a full service exhibit designer and fabricator headquartered in Melville, New York. Last year, Christopher secured $5 million in new business. This sales success earned him Gilbert Display's President's Award. He also managed accounts that won two "Best of Show" awards and two "Best in Design and Innovation" awards at MAGIC, a fashion industry show, in 2007. Prior to Gilbert Displays, Christopher worked in sales and marketing for Ziff Davis Media and C & G publications.
At age 20, Daniel goes on record as the youngest student in school history to graduate from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan. After earning a degree in industrial design, Daniel expanded his skills across multiple disciplines in the field of design including graphic, product, furniture, exhibit, interior and interactive design. Before founding Tu Design, Daniel was the creative director for Square Mile Studio and Derse Exhibits. Over the years, he has designed for many Fortune 500 companies such as Microsoft, Intel, SGI, Cisco Systems, Pontiac, Nintendo and Fruit of the Loom. Headquartered in Fremont, California, Tu Design is a "cross-disciplinary" design studio focusing on brand building and marketing communications.
Maria has been with Nimlok Chicago for the past eight years. Nimlok is a full service tradeshow booth manufacturer with 200 authorized distributors in 56 countries. Maria began her career in the tradeshow industry as receptionist and account manager for Deb Venable, partner and owner of Nimlok Chicago. She quickly moved up at Nimlok and has since become a top sales consultant. Most recently, Maria accepted two major awards for her hard work, "Most Improved" Nimlok sales representative and "Highest Sales in 2008". Maria's primary focuses include managing the client and partners' expectations, project management and product knowledge.
For the last seven years, Lily has been the lead designer on more than 30 projects a year for EP&M International, earning dozens of national and international creative design awards. Her highly innovative work has provided outstanding trade show environments for a range of clients exhibiting or hosting events in the U.S. and at more than 100 locations around the world. EP&M International is a full-service exhibit designer and fabricator headquartered in New York with offices in Singapore and Germany.
Rob's first job in the tradeshow industry was that of a union carpenter in 1995 with West Displays and Sho-Link, Inc. He soon relocated to Orlando to help open the city for Sho-Link. He initially worked as a leadman and was quickly promoted to assistant city manager and within that same year became city manager. He remained as city manager for 10 years and in 2006 was promoted to regional operations manager and returned to the Chicago corporate office. Rob also spent one year on the board of the Exhibitor Appointed Contractors Association (EACA). Sho-Link provides installation and dismantlement services across 60 US cities.
Miranda began her career at Houghton Mifflin as a freelance graphic designer. She was promoted to tradeshow coordinator, and then event marketing manager for the company's corporate office. At Houghton Mifflin, Miranda used Nimlok Chicago as her exhibit house. When her career shifted, she found herself moving in a new direction, an exhibit consultant at Nimlok. Nimlok is a full service trade show booth manufacturer with 200 authorized distributors in 56 countries.
Honorable MentionEvan Carbotti, 27 Jordon Carbotti, 31 Tracey Gould, 37 Tami Forero, 37 Julie Ann Schmidt, 39 |
