George Fern Company Expands to Texas
George Fern Company Thinks Green
Industry Veteran Laura Boehmke to Lead Sales Efforts
for George Fern Company’s New Chicago Office
George Fern Company Attends IAEE Expo! Expo! in Las Vegas
for a Mixture of Networking and Education

There are two new “Shining Stars” in Texas as George Fern Company continues to expand its presence nationwide with its recent acquisition and opening of two Texas branches. On November 1, 2007, George Fern Company acquired the Grapevine, TX-based Pinnacle Decorating Company and the Houston-based Transamerica Convention Services.  The purchases positions George Fern Company to be a major supplier to the convention, tradeshow and corporate meeting industry throughout the state of Texas.

“With these offices we will serve the state of Texas, specifically, and the South, in general, more completely,” said Rick Tyner, General Manager, George Fern Company – Southwest region.

Texas is home to a fast-growing convention industry with a number of quality facilities throughout the state. The two Texas office purchases will make way for a greater reach of potential business in the Southwestern region of the United States including all of Texas and as far East as New Orleans, a region previously underserved by George Fern Company.

The Dallas/Fort Worth/Grapevine and Houston offices will offer the George Fern Company’s full range of services while maintaining the company’s commitment to providing one-on-one personal service and top-quality resources.

“These two homegrown Texas companies are getting bigger and better with the George Fern Company name behind them. We’re a national power with great equipment and people,” said Rick.

In Dallas, living large and thinking big isn’t just a slogan, but a lifestyle brimming with vitality and Texan attitude. As the Southwest’s leading business and financial center, Dallas is one of the top convention cities in the United States and, with its unique blend of Southwestern warmth and modern sophistication, it was a logical move for the George Fern Company in its on-going policy to live large and think big.

The newly renovated Dallas Convention Center offers over one million square feet of exhibit space, including the World’s largest singular column-free exhibit hall and includes, at no additional charge, the famous Texan hospitality.

“We are excited about the opportunity to be a part of the George Fern Company family and look forward to the added value we can bring to our existing customers as well as to new customers,” said Jim Miller, former president of Pinnacle Decorating Company and General Manager of the George Fern Company – Dallas.

Houston, TX - more famously known as Space City USA - is the fourth largest city in the United States with a population approaching three million and will provide the George Fern Company with infinite possibilities in the convention, tradeshow and corporate meeting industry. A diverse, multicultural city, Houston is a top convention and tourism destination. With the recent expansion of the George R. Brown Convention Center offering more than one million square feet of meeting, registration and convention space, Houston was the ideal location for take-off in the Southwest region.

“The Houston acquisition will provide the George Fern Company with an ideal location in which to serve the Southwestern region of the United States. Houston is a great city with many large facilities and a great reach to other cities around this region,” said D’Andrea Thompson, office manager, George Fern Company – Houston.

For more information about the Dallas/Fort Worth/Grapevine office, please contact Jim Miller, general manager, George Fern Company - Dallas at 817-481-0043. For more information about the Houston office, please contact D’Andrea Thompson, office manager, at 281-260-7200.

Thinking green has become a fast-growing and popular movement sweeping through communities with public pressure intensifying the efforts of governments and industries to increase fuel efficiency, decrease waste and maintain environmental sustainability. At George Fern Company, however, thinking green isn’t a new trend but rather an on-going way of doing business. For several decades, George Fern Company has been doing its share to enact green initiatives at events and in their warehouses. By doing so, George Fern Company hopes to create a smaller ecological footprint and save customers money.

“Working in facilities throughout the country, we at George Fern Company find an array of approaches addressing the care of the environment, from an eight-point recycling program at some hotels in Washington, D.C. to basically no regulation what-so-ever elsewhere. We gladly conform to whatever the local municipalities require and our standards often go beyond their own guidelines for recycling and energy conservation,” said Bob Pugh, George Fern Company national sales manager.

George Fern Company’s green initiatives start in their warehouses.

“We have created an inventory of standard items we can buy in bulk, transport and store easily. Our use and re-use of our inventory has created little waste,” Bob said.

George Fern Company’s focus on recycling or re-using materials includes scrap foam recycled by vendors who reprocess it for George Fern Company’s future use and foam core, an inherently non-recyclable resource, which is reused to pack trailers, slip-sheet metal and protect props. Furthermore, the George Fern Company recycles all scrap aluminum, cardboard and bulk paper. Additionally, George Fern Company is looking into grinding used standard carpet into materials for asphalt.

Leading up to events, George Fern Company urges exhibitors to take advantage of the electronic service kits available via the George Fern Company web site as a way to partner with its customers in energy savings and eliminating the impact of printing, recycling and the energy costs of shipping.

George Fern Company’s commitment to the green movement continues during their travels on the road. While on-site at a show or event, George Fern Company implements a variety of environmentally conscious procedures including reducing the lights, power and HVAC used during event move-in and move-out.

On-site George Fern Company utilizes a variety of renewable and reusable resources including support units, registration counters, entrance units, magazine bins and kiosks. Booth and aisle carpet is made from a fully recyclable fiber and backing, and all inks are water-based eliminating the release of harmful solvents into the atmosphere. Moreover, all motorized equipment is fueled by natural gas contributing to the improvement of air quality.

George Fern Company also helps show management think green by advising their staff on assisting facility workers with the proper disposal of recyclable materials and other waste.

“For many years, our way of doing business at George Fern Company hasn’t been obviously environmentally friendly until you really look at it. The savings in energy costs and labor alone enables George Fern Company to produce programs throughout the United States while remaining economically priced and environmentally responsible,” Bob said.

With a population of over 2.8 million - ranking it the third largest city in America - and its position as a major economic hub, Chicago was the logical location for what has become a continued nation-wide expansion for the George Fern Company.

The new sales office in Chicago, Illinois is led by Laura Boehmke, a 20-year veteran of the exposition and tradeshow industry. Laura joins the company’s staff as an account executive and will manage sales in the Chicago office.

Boehmke comes to the George Fern Company with experience that includes independent show management, association management and corporate events. Her multi-faceted background and exposure to events ranging from start-ups to “Trade Show 200” events give her the unique ability to relate to the individual needs of exhibitors as well as visualize the big-picture objectives of the client.

“I am delighted to join the George Fern Company family, and I am looking forward to working for an organization of such high integrity,” said Boehmke. “George Fern Company has a very dedicated and talented staff, and I’m proud to have the opportunity to contribute here in Chicago to our continued national growth.”

To contact the George Fern Company’s Chicago office, call 773-735-1207. Or email Boehmke at Lboehmke@georgefern.com. The company’s website is www.georgefern.com.

Las Vegas – a city branded as the Entertainment Capital of the World – played host to the International Association of Exhibitions and Events’ (IAEE) Expo! Expo! December 10 - 12, 2007, creating a perfect mixture of business and education for many George Fern Company office representatives and the nearly 2,000 industry professionals in attendance.

Expo! Expo! provided attendees with face-to-face networking opportunities with those in the exhibition and events industry representing more than 20 countries.

“In this age of Blackberries, iPhones and an endless assortment of ways to keep you connected, face-to-face is still the most effective way to facilitate business, share best practices and obtain resources to help you reach your goals and make your organization’s events more successful,” said CEM Assistant Executive Director Robin Preston.

The three-day event offered participants many networking opportunities and educational sessions including in-depth, hands-on clinics with coverage of topics such as communications, life issues, marketing, operations, sales and strategic business intelligence and targeted subjects including event and meeting management, global issues and public events.

“IAEE’s Expo! Expo! provided the George Fern Company with an excellent opportunity to see existing clients, visit with potential new clients, learn from our participation in the many seminars and meetings, along with providing beneficial networking opportunities with other service contractors,” said Michael Cox, General Manager.

George Fern Company office representatives in attendance at Expo! Expo! included: Cox, Tom Drullinger and Tina Rembusch of the Indianapolis office, Carolyn Hodge of the Columbus office, Jeff Mash of the Kansas City office, Jim Miller and Michael Odagis of the Dallas office, Sheila Pannell of the St. Louis office, Greg Pignatiello of the Cleveland office, Bob Pugh of the National Sales office and D’Andrea Thompson of the Houston office.

“Our objective was to increase our existing client base by making them aware of the services and discernible differences the George Fern Company can provide them. Special emphasis was placed on informing clients of our newly acquired Texas offices and our continuation to build and broaden our scope of capabilities,” said Odagis, general manager of the George Fern Company – Dallas. 

According to Odagis, participation in the event is essential in maintaining George Fern Company’s status as a leader in the exhibition and events industry. 

“It is important for us to participate in this event as it is the leading and most recognized industry- specific event in the world,” he said.

IAEE is the largest association of the exhibitions and events industry in the world, with a membership of show organizers, exhibitors and exhibition suppliers.