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2009 ESCA Board of Directors

Aaron Bludworth
Chief Operating Officer - George Fern Company
Aaron began his career at Modern Exposition Services in 1991 as a production supervisor working on the show floor and held various senior management positions up until leaving the company in 2007. 

In 2007 Aaron accepted the position of Vice President, Corporate Events with GES Exposition Services in Las Vegas, NV.

In 2008 Aaron joined George Fern Company as Chief Operating Officer in their Cincinnati, OH headquarters.

In addition to Aaron’s many years involvement in ESCA, he has been active in the industry with committee and panel positions with IAEM and CIC and has presented on various topics at numerous industry meetings.  

Aaron was a member of the executive committee of the Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau and a mayoral appointee to the Salt Lake County Convention Facilities advisory board. Aaron was active in Utah politics and community efforts including chairman of the American Lung Association of Utah, a member of the David Eccles School of Business (Utah) Alumni Board, chairman of the Salt Lake Chamber Healthcare Committee, and member of the Governor’s Healthcare Working Group.

Aaron, his wife Holly, and their four children live in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Steve Hagstette
Senior Vice President – Freeman
Steve started his trade show career with Greyhound Exposition Services/Manncraft in New Orleans in 1976.  He held positions in the New Orleans office as Production Supervisor, Director of Sales and General Manager before being promoted to Regional V.P. over New Orleans, Houston and San Antonio in the mid - 90’s.  In 2002 Steve took the position of V.P. of Exhibitor Sales.  Prior to his current position, Steve was Vice-President of Electrical Services.

Steve formerly held the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors for the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau and served as President in 1997.  He helped organize the New Orleans Hospitality Coalition Political Action Committee and served as President from 1999 - 2005. Steve is currently President of the Exhibitor Appointed Contractors Association (EACA) and Vice President of the Exhibition Services and Contractors Association (ESCA) as well as Chairman of the ESCA Education Committee.  He is a member of Trade Show Exhibitor’s Association and speaker at numerous industry meetings.

Steve graduated from LSU with a Bachelor of Science Degree and since received an MBA from Loyola University of the South.

Steve and his wife Natalie currently divide their time between homes in Las Vegas and New Orleans.

Chuck Grouzard
Vice President National Sales - GES Exposition Services
Chuck began his career in the tradeshow industry as an Account Manager at McCormick Place, Chicago Illinois.  After two years working for a facility, Chuck traded his facility hat in for that of a Official Services Contractor, joining United Expositions in 1988, now known as GES Exposition Services.  Since 1988 Chuck has held positions in Operations, Account Management and Sales.  In his position as Vice President National Sales, Chuck works with the city sales teams with training, new business development and account retention.  Chuck also stays actively involved in managing several tradeshow 200 accounts for GES.  In addition to Chuck’s involvement with ESCA, he has been active in the industry with committee and panel positions and served as the Chair for the Midwest Chapter of IAEM. 

Born and raised in Chicago, Chuck and his wife Margaret along with their two daughters Maddie and Grace (official ESCA 50/50 raffles sellers at the Summer Meeting) live in Northbrook, IL.

Tim McGill
CEO - Hargrove Inc.
In his position as Hargrove’s Chief Executive Officer since 2002, Tim oversees the strategic and daily operations of one of the fastest growing tradeshow and event contractors in the country. Hargrove currently employs more than 200 full time employees.
 
Prior to working with Hargrove, Tim was with I&D, Inc in Stone Mountain, GA.  Tim joined Hargrove in 1985 and has held many positions and responsibilities within the company, most recently serving as the company’s Vice President for trade shows.  Tim has managed major events and trade shows for the company, including every Presidential Inaugural since 1993.

Tim’s long experience in the industry led him to active membership in exposition industry trade organizations.  He currently is in his second term on the ESCA Board and is serving as Secretary/Treasurer for the organization. 

Cecil Adams
Vice President National Operations – Shepard Exposition Services
Born near Knoxville Tennessee, Cecil attended high school and junior college while living in North Palm Beach, Florida.  Cecil moved to Atlanta in 1966 and began working in the freight business part-time while attending Georgia State and Georgia Tech.   He was an air traffic controller in Atlanta for eight years until August 1981, when he resumed a career in management in the freight business for five years.

In 1984, Cecil began his career with Shepard as Material Handling Manager for the company, and over the past 22 years have assumed duties as Vice President of National Operations.  Cecil has very much enjoyed watching and helping the company and its people grow and develop over the past two decades.

Cecil is in his second term on the ESCA Board of Directors, and currently serves as Chair of the Advocacy Task Force.

Jay Atherton
Executive Vice President Operations – Freeman
Jay joined Freeman in 1977 as an Operations Manager for the recently opened New Orleans Office.  Since 1977 Atherton has held positions in operations, sales, sales management, and administration.  Atherton was promoted to General Manager in Washington DC in 1987, and subsequently assumed the General Managers position when Freeman opened in New York.  He was promoted to Regional Vice President for the Northeast Region in 2000, and is currently Executive Vice President of Operations residing in Dallas, TX.  

Jay received his B.S. in Physics & Mathematics from Lynchburg College in 1976.  He is currently active in ESCA and IEEM and in his first term on the ESCA Board of Directors. 

Jay and his wife Kay currently reside in Dallas, TX.

William Casey III
President and CEO - Brede Exposition Services
Bill is responsible for operating a full service national trade show company, with six offices and warehouses serving twelve major U.S. markets. Three major clients of Brede are: The Industrial Fabrics Association International; The International Sign Expo; and The Oncology Nurses Society.  Brede produces over 500 trade shows and events per year and has been in business since 1898.

Mr. Casey is a graduate of Holy Cross College and resides outside of Boston. He is also CEO of New England's largest commercial moving company, Casey & Hayes, Inc. which was founded by his grandfather in 1925.

Bobby Lee
VP & COO – Metropolitan Exposition Services, Inc.
Robert, known to all as Bobby, entered into the tradeshow industry immediately after finishing high school.  He worked with United Exposition from 1984 to 1994 as a freight supervisor.  United was bought by GES where Bobby continued working for 1 year until GES closed it's New York office.

Bobby easily made the transition into a similar role at Freeman Decorating Company where he advanced his career until 2001. 

In 2001 he made he decision of a lifetime, to partner with his two lifelong friends Marty Glynn and Jerry Schreck both industry veterans to form their own company; Metropolotian Exposition Services, Inc.  As of 2008, Metropolitan Exposition Services, Inc. has experienced significant and steady growth and from its inception has been a proud member fo ESCA.  Bob is hppy to give back to the industry in any way he can and hopes to be able to do so in his role on the ESCA Board.

Bob and his wife Ann of 18 years are high school sweethears and live in their hometown of Ridgefield Park, NJ.

Bruce Nable
President & C.E.O. – SER Exposition Services
Bruce is the CEO and President of Special Event Rentals, LLC and its operating subsidiary SER exposition services.  He founded SER in 1985 to provide complete contracting services to the exposition, meetings and events industry in the secondary New England market. 

Bruce has served as Chairman of the Central Massachusetts Convention and Visitors Bureau and is active in many local and community endeavors.  He is currently serving his second term on the ESCA Board of Directors.  During his tenure on the ESCA board, he has worked closely with outside consultants, industry stakeholders, members and past and present board leaders, to develop ESCA's strategic plan.  He is chair of the ESCA Brand Pillar Committee, has served on the ESCA Management Search Committee and the Summer Education Conference Committee.

Bruce is a 1972 graduate of the University of Maryland.  Prior to founding SER, Bruce had a background in manufacturing and in retail administrative services. He is an avid skier and biker and enjoys all forms of outdoor activities.

Bruce and his wife Robin have three grown children and reside in central Massachusetts.   

Randal Bailey
Executive VP and General Manager – STRONCO
Randal Bailey is the Executive Vice President and General Manager of the STRONCO Group of Companies, and is an Industry veteran of forty years. He started his career with STRONCO learning the business from some of Canada’s true Industry pioneers. Randy spent a number of years in Toronto with Panex Show Services (now GES). Panex eventually relocated Randy to Calgary, Alberta where he served as Manager of their Western Canada Offices for a number of years, until returning to Toronto. His return to Toronto saw him move to Design Craft (now Freeman), managing their MTCC and Skydome Divisions before returning to their main office and expanding their role in the US marketplace. His career seems to have completed the cycle as he returned to his roots at STRONCO where he has been for the past seventeen years.

Over the years Randy has, and continues to, contribute his time, experience, and knowledge to many industry associations in various roles on a local, national, and international level.

Randy and his wife Susan, along with their wonder dog Jerome, reside in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Julia Smith
Vice President, National Sales - GES Exposition Services                Julia Smith, CEM, joined GES in 1989, and is currently vice president, national sales, based in the Los Angeles office.  She started her events industry career in 1982 in Washington, DC, as an exposition manager at Ralph Whitener & Co. (now Nielsen Business Media), and later served as director of marketing & expositions at the American Health Care Association.
Smith is a frequent speaker and panelist, and has taught CEM modules for IAEE in the U.S, China, Europe and Canada.  She is a past recipient of IAEE’s Distinguished Service Award, and has served on or chaired the IAEE Services Board, the CEM Commission, the Awards Committee, the CEM Appeals Committee and the Future Leaders Institute Committee.  She was the first Associate member to earn the CEM designation.  She also served for many years on the boards of the Health and Pension Trusts for Local 831.
She was named one of the “25 Women to Know” by Tradeshow Week in 2003, and recently contributed chapters to PCMA’s  “Professional Meeting Management,” and IAEE’s  “Art of the Show” textbook, as well as co-authoring the re-write of the CEM Floor Plans module.

Julia is a graduate of Penn State.  She and her husband, Mike, live in Orange County, CA.

Al Dyess
Vice President/General Manager – PRG Hi-Tech
Al began his career at United Expositions in 1986, as a production supervisor of show management projects. He also worked in several other capacities leading up to the acquisition of UX by GES Expositions in 1993 that included warehouse operations, carpet depot operations and general foreman.

Following the acquisition of UX by GES, Al moved to Miami, FL to assume the role of General Manager for the new office acquired through the GES acquisition of GELCO.

Following the move to Miami, Al served in several other GM positions for GES, including New Orleans, Atlanta and Orlando. In 1998, Al became the Vice President /General Manager for the newly formed Southeast Region of GES. In 2000, Al and his family relocated to Las Vegas where he assumed the role of Executive Vice President for the Western Region of GES, responsible for all operational functions of GES west of Texas. He served in that role until 2005.

After a brief stay as Assistant General Manager of the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Al assumed his current position as President of Hi Tech Rental & Staging, Inc based in Atlanta. Hi Tech is a premium provider of high end AV equipment and personnel to tradeshows, exhibit builders and production companies.

Al, his wife Robin, 3 children and a new granddaughter currently reside in Atlanta. 

Philip DiTrolio
President – Georgia Expo Manufacturing
Philip has been a supplier in the exhibition industry since graduating from Oglethorpe University in 1976 and has been an active member of ESCA since 1986.  In 1986 Philip initiated his concept to create the idustry's first vertically integrated full line manufacturing company.  Over the past 20+ years Georgia Expo has grown to becaome the largest manufacturer of Exhibit Pipe & Drape in the United States.

He and his wife, Karen, live in the Atlanta area.

Mark Zimmerman
General Manager - Georgia World Congress Center
Mark is responsible for managing over 400 employees at the nation’s fourth largest convention center and overseeing the marketing and operations of the facility. Zimmerman has 20 years of industry experience, most recently serving as assistant general manager at the Georgia World Congress Center. He began his career in 1984 as a concessions supervisor at the convention center and two years later was promoted to Senior Event Coordinator and later Director of Event Services.

Over the years, he has filled key positions for numerous high-profile events, including the 1988 Democratic National Convention, the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games and Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000. He served as Assistant General Manager of the Cobb Galleria from 1992 to 1995, before returning to the GWCC as Assistant General Manager and serving as General Manager since November 2004.

Mark is an active member of the International Association of Assembly Managers (IAAM), the International Association of Exposition Managers (IAEM) and is in his second term as Facility Board Member for ESCA.

Mark grew up in Saginaw, MI and attended Northwood University where he earned a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration.  Mark, his wife Karen and four children currently reside in Marietta, GA.

Bob Lessin
Bob’s first job at age 17 was as a tradeshow installer for the Stuart Company in Los Angeles in 1972. He has worked in the exhibitions and meetings industry ever since.  Over the years Bob moved from installing to building, to special productions and into warehouse operations. 

In 1992 Bob was elected as a Business Representative for Tradeshow and Sign Crafts Local Union 831 and later became Business Manager. He went back to school in 1996 to earn the designation of Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS).

Bob is currently the Assistant Business Manager of Painters & Allied Trades – District Council 36 in Southern California where he is responsible for their Trade Show Industry activities. He is also Tradeshow Advisor nationally for the IUPAT and is a Commissioner for the City of Los Angeles on the Convention Center Authority, and is serving his first term on the ESCA Board of Directors.

Bob and his family live in the Los Angeles area where the kids are fifth generation Southern Californians.