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14 Business Profiles 2014 Worcester Business Journal www.wbjournal.com D esigning an exceptional, eye-catching exhibit, lobby entrance or 3-D market- ing experience requires skill and know- how. At Elevation Exhibits & Events, you'll find a top-notch team of profes- sionals with a range of abilities from creative thinking and master building to graphic design and project management. But the company's reputation for excellence also depends heavily on the production, warehouse and shipping teams. In 2006, Jim Burke, Founder and Principle, and Ken Karns, President and Principle, launched Elevation Exhibits & Events, determined to deliver the best possible product, collaborating with the client from concept to completion. While every department within the firm is critical to success, the production, warehouse and ship- ping teams at Elevation Exhibits represent the glue that holds projects together. When the firm is awarded a project, the design team leaps into action. At the same time, marketing solutions launches a plan to spotlight the client's exhibit. From designing a successful preshow campaign to creating excitement-building experiences during the show, these professionals work tirelessly to promote every client. But before initiating the actual build, Pre-Production Manager Joe Drouin determines a budget, orders any specialty items and creates a realistic construction plan together with the engineering department. "We take the rendering from the CAD department and turn it into blueprints. We examine the concept and break it down into manageable pieces," says Drouin, who admits that sometimes plans need refining. "These projects are not permanent and have to come apart so we can ship them. Our job is to make sure they can stand – literally." Once Drouin's job is finished, he hands the project over to production. Frank Kreidemaker, Production Manager, tackles all aspects of construction from ordering materials to the actual build. "I have ten men who build the project according to the CAD print-out," he reports. "But not everything on paper always works. We have to make adjust- ments sometimes so the project can be assembled, disas- sembled, crated and shipped. It's like a big jigsaw puzzle." Consider that some of the projects can be as large as a small house or larger. For instance, a booth for a com- puter giant stood two stories high. NEC required a booth with two double-deckers. "Some of the projects even require plumbing," says Kreidemaker. So where does the warehouse factor into the process? It's not just about shipping and receiving, notes John Dube, Warehouse Manager. He faces the monumental task of tracking the 175 booths that move in and out of the ware- house annually. It's not unusual for one booth to have as many as five or six hundred pieces. His warehouse also stores nearly 80 exhibit properties with the ability to expand. "We keep track of every part, creating a detailed con- tent list that matches the CAD printout," Dube says. "I call a meeting with the account executive, manager, CAD expert and graphic designer to review the list. If everyone agrees and all the pieces are there, the booth is ready to be shipped." Critical to the entire process, these quality assurance meetings help Elevation track shipments. "We don't want any surprises," Dube asserts. Once the booth arrives at its destination, the client should find all the pieces necessary for his project. If a part becomes "lost," Dube – thanks to his comprehensive system – can quickly inform the client where to find the elusive item. Jim Burke, Principal and Founder, explains that Elevation Exhibits is a "details business." To successfully produce a quality product, every department within the company puts a concerted effort into making sure that no detail is overlooked. Obviously Elevation Exhibits is doing something right. Its client list includes many repeat customers, such as NEC, Dentsply Implants and Raytheon. Although many large companies approach Elevation, the firm works with any company, regardless of size, that needs its services. Altogether, the professionals at Elevation Exhibits keep the wheels turning, but production, warehouse and ship- ping play a key role in managing, delivering and tracking a quality product in line with the client's requirements. "Without these groups, we're just a design company," Burke asserts. "I can safely say we have the finest produc- tion and warehouse teams in New England." n Elevation Exhibits & Events: Production, Warehouse and Shipping Keep Projects on Track s h r e w s b u r y , m a elevation exhibits & events Address: 905 Hartford Turnpike Shrewsbury, MA 01545-4148 Phone: 508-842-1213 Fax: 508-842-7204 Website: www.elevationee.com No. of Employees: 43 Top Executives: Jim Burke, Founder/ Principle; Ken Karns, President/Principle Product or Service: Full-service trade- show design and marketing firm that builds award-winning exhibits for com- panies in diverse industries. Year Founded: 2006