Our Mission: Helping People Perform at a Higher Level
Founded on a business method that makes life easier for exhibitors, organizers and planners, The Expo Group is committed to extreme personal service. Our teams are empowered to develop customized solutions to specifically address your challenges.
Our vision is to be the undisputed service leader creating trusted partnerships fueled by personal, emotional connections.
INTEGRITY
Always do the right thing. Be a good steward of our resources. Set a positive example.
COMPASSION
Honor God in all we do. Care for work family like our own family. Appreciate others’ talents and perspectives.
EXCELLENCE
Pay attention to details. Work hard. Practice daily discipline. Be passionate.
Ray is a driven entrepreneur with almost 40 years in positions related to trade shows and exhibits, including Greyhound Exposition Services Co. and then United Exposition Service Co. Ray’s experience and unique vision of customer service led to the development of the Single Source Solution® for exhibitors and show managers.
He introduced the term general service contracting to the trade show industry and created The Expo Group with its patented customer service model. Ray is an organizer and director of The Independent Bank of Texas and is very active in industry and community charities alongside his wife, Linda.
Ray holds a bachelor of science degree from Northern Illinois University. Ray’s first book Lessons of an Entrepreneur was recently released. It is available here.
Randy has been in the trade show industry for more than 20 years. His responsibilities encompass execution of strategic planning as well as day-to-day operation tactics across the enterprise involving sales, service, finance, information technology, and operations. He is an inventor of record for The Expo Group’s Automated Convention Processing System and Method (U.S. Pats. 6,557,007 and 6,721,763), the business process that enables the company to deliver its renowned Single Source Solution®.
A Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Management from Texas A&M University and post-graduate studies in Owner President Management from Harvard Business School have prepared Randy for transitional leadership.
Toby has an unwavering commitment to the customer journey by ensuring The Expo Group serves as a brand steward for their clients throughout each touchpoint of the journey. He brings a mix of expertise in trade shows and events, including a significant tenure at Freeman, along with proven leadership performance at Fortune 100 companies.
He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and holds an MBA from Clark Atlanta University. Family, golf and travel are his passions plus he is active in several civic organizations.
With almost 20 years of human resources management experience spanning several industries, Mark has proven himself to be a valuable leader excelling in strategic planning, leadership and organizational development, recruitment and selection, State and Federal government regulation compliance, and employee and labor relations.
Mark earned a bachelor of business administration degree from the University of New Mexico and a master’s in business administration from Colorado Technical University, both with an emphasis in human resources.
He is a longstanding member of the Society of Human Resources Management.
Corey is the mastermind and architect behind The Expo Group’s transformational technology platforms.
Having spent 20 years developing and architecting cutting-edge applications and frameworks, Corey brings abundant experience and foresight, allowing The Expo Group to push technology boundaries.
At the root, Corey believes technology should make life easier, not harder. He leads internal teams to create human-centered solutions designed specifically to support our internal team and our clientele.
Shannon Fitzpatrick McDaniel is a seasoned executive with more than 30 years of experience in the exhibitions and events industry. She leads current growth initiatives with a dynamic team of sales leaders utilizing discovery and strategy to ensure alignment with our customers.
Shannon is known for her commitment to clients, team-first attitude and deep understanding of the exhibitions and events business.
She graduated from Virginia Tech, and lives in Virginia Beach with her husband and daughter.
Working on both the client and agency side with brands like Intel, Walmart, Chase, Dunkin’ Brands, National Association of Broadcasters, NACS and Prudential, Gary really understands what it takes to deliver a program on time, on budget and on message.
Gary’s been able to move the conversation beyond gear, using his unique insight into combining strategy, creative and his production knowledge, to create fully-integrated audience experiences.
Nicole is the VP of Creative & Strategy at The Expo Group, working as a partner with customers to align, elevate and rethink strategy to propel the right growth. She leads our creative teams to architect shows and events to deliver unique, compelling and memorable experiences that engage, and immerse audiences.
Focusing on creating a human-centric approach for all generations is key in providing lasting memories and loyalty. Nicole looks to ensure creative and strategy are purposeful and experiential but with a strategic business approach.
Nicole is a 18-year veteran having led the experience design and strategic creative efforts for large associations, corporate events and global brands. She is international speaker around the future of trade shows and creative strategy. She also is a PCMA best-in-class speaker.
When not leading our design teams, try and catch Nicole between sailing in Buzzards Bay on Cape Cod or snowboarding with her family.
Michael Preston, EVP, National Accounts, has dedicated his 20+ years in the communications industry to digging deeper and truly understanding the critical issues facing his clients. A passionate advocate for the power of face-to-face engagements, Michael has applied his background in journalism and media production to helping create successful engagement solutions for Sprint, Hospira and JP Morgan Chase in the corporate space.
Most recently, Michael helped guide The University of Chicago’s $4.5B capital campaign launch and the University of Washington’s $5B comprehensive campaign launch, and is currently partnering with the University of Florida on the public launch of their campaign scheduled for October 2017.
When not on the road with his clients, Michael and his family- wife Kim, sons Koby and Joe, and daughter Emma, love to tour baseball stadiums around the country.
Ray is a driven entrepreneur with almost 40 years in positions related to trade shows and exhibits, including Greyhound Exposition Services Co. and then United Exposition Service Co. Ray’s experience and unique vision of customer service led to the development of the Single Source Solution® for exhibitors and show managers.
He introduced the term general service contracting to the trade show industry and created The Expo Group with its patented customer service model. Ray is an organizer and director of The Independent Bank of Texas and is very active in industry and community charities alongside his wife, Linda.
Ray holds a bachelor of science degree from Northern Illinois University. Ray’s first book Lessons of an Entrepreneur was recently released. It is available here.
Vice Chairwoman of the Board Linda Pekowski has built a life on Helping People Perform at a Higher Level. At The Expo Group she has overseen service initiatives, branding, event planning and marketing communications, all as co-owner and Corporate Director, a position she has held since the company’s inception in 1991.
As vice-chair, she inspires how the company and its employees communicate with each other and the world.
Linda is deeply involved in her community and in the company’s charitable efforts, serving the least of these through hurricane relief, honoring our troops, basic support for those rebuilding their lives, and events to raise funds for noteworthy organizations. She has served in many philanthropic roles and now stewards the Pekowski Family Communities Foundation of Texas fund.
Randy has been in the trade show industry for more than 20 years. His responsibilities encompass execution of strategic planning as well as day-to-day operation tactics across the enterprise involving sales, service, finance, information technology, and operations. He is an inventor of record for The Expo Group’s Automated Convention Processing System and Method (U.S. Pats. 6,557,007 and 6,721,763), the business process that enables the company to deliver its renowned Single Source Solution®.
A Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Management from Texas A&M University and post-graduate studies in Owner President Management from Harvard Business School have prepared Randy for transitional leadership.
A 20-year industry veteran, Michael has led creative teams on unique projects for national television, cross-channel media and in the world live entertainment programs.
April has been with The Expo Group 20 years and has experience across all departments. This knowledge base allows her to recognize, develop and implement new products and services for trade shows, exhibits and all kinds of events.