Eat, Sleep & Play

Chattanooga CC By F. Andrew Taylor

Chattanooga has a rich history due to its location as a nexus/transition city between the ridge and valley of the Appalachian Mountains and the Cumberland Plateau. Over half the country lives within a day’s drive. Despite that, the city was unable to attract significant convention business until they built the CCC in 1986.

Initially called a trade center, it cost $46 million and did about $23 million in business each year, but that went up to $38 million in 2003 when a $45 million expansion was completed. Today, it contributes more than $1 billion to the tourism industry and approximately 8,500+ jobs in the region, so the investment seems to have been wise. The expansion was designed by architects Derthick, Henley & Wilkerson with additional daylight design by Innovative Design. Parks Beers was the construction contractor.

Currently, the CCC has 100,000 sq.ft. of column-free exhibit space, 21 meeting rooms and 19,000 sq.ft. of divisible ballroom space on a single level. After expansion, it boasts a large number of green initiatives, including extensive use of natural light, and a fresh air ventilation and cooling system that lowers HVAC costs when the weather permits.

The roof was built using TPO, a white rubber membrane that reduces radiant heat while reflecting more natural light into the building. The design also uses architectural shading to keep more heat out of the building. The exterior windows are glazed for solar reflection, resulting in smaller HVAC equipment and lowering the initial capital costs, operating costs and upkeep.

Additional shade is provided by streetscaping, which incorporates trees for additional solar control and natural cooling. More than 5 million gallons of rain water per year are harvested from the roof to irrigate the adjacent streetscape and landscaping, and increase the energy efficiency and aesthetics.

A free electric shuttle bus stops at the CCC every 15 minutes connecting it to more than 50 restaurants and 2,000 hotel rooms. An additional 8,000 hotel rooms and 150 restaurants are within 15 miles of the CCC.

The CCC is owned and operated by the Carter Street Corporation, an urban community economic development in Chattanooga with a mission to encourage economic development.

Chattanooga is one of the most tech forward cities in the country and was the first U.S. city to have a citywide gigabit network earning it the nickname “Gig City” alongside “Scenic City.”

Conventions and major annual events include The Environments for Aging Expo & Conference, the O’Reilly Auto Parts World of Wheels, the Chattanooga Annual Tri-State Home Show, the Chattanooga International Boat and Sport Show, Guitarnooga Guitar Show, Tennessee Society for Human Resource Management Conference & Expo, and Model Con. The food and atmosphere at Urban Stack reflect the city’s urban and hip food scene. The upscale burger and bourbon bar is in the cool Southern Railway Baggage Building circa 1867. Nearby at Warehouse Row, options abound including Public House, where they use the best seafood, premium steaks and farm-fresh produce to create a fresh, refined approach to the Southern meat-and-three menu.

SLEEP

Rest your head at the Chattanooga Marriott, the only hotel connected to the CCC in the heart of downtown. Nearby, the newly renovated Chattanoogan Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton, is a full-service option that offers luxury accommodations, day spa, fitness center, multiple restaurants and rooftop bar High Rail Chattanooga. A home base for adventures great and small, Kinley Chattanooga, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, is the city’s newest hotel.

PLAY

Explore the Chattanooga Choo Choo, a thriving entertainment destination around the historic hotel in the Southside. Restaurants, shopping and entertainment include Nic & Norman’s, Frothy Monkey, STIR, American Draft (in a streetcar!), Regan’s Place, Westbound Bar, Gate 11 Distillery, Echelon Fitness, Sweetly Southern, Back Stage Bar and The Comedy Catch. Stretching under string lights, the district’s open-container Station Street doubles as patio and event space. Across from the Choo Choo, there’s more fun to be had at Terminal Brewhouse, Chattanooga Whiskey, the Hot Chocolatier, Wildflower Tea, Clumpies Ice Cream, Blue Orleans and much more. Several blocks away, the vibrant West Village packs in European charm with its cobblestone streets, public art and cutesy alleys. Anchored by the Westin Chattanooga, the West Village features a variety of restaurants, boutiques and popup events.

People on the Move by Exhibit City News

After more than a year, furloughs are finally ending and the tradeshow/live events industry is showing signs of life. Circle, an omnichannel guest experience agency and a Don & Mike Show sponsor, has welcomed back Las Vegas-based COO Michael Garrity (pictured right) and New York-based SVP Dave DeVito. They have also hired back Senior Project Manager Adrian Ortega and Operations Manager Alicia Rosen in Las Vegas, along with adding San Francisco-based Senior Account Executives Ryan Ricci and Robert Leyva to their team. Also based in San Francisco is Circle’s new VP of Event Operations Paula Handra.

Exploring, Inc., the parent company of several Atlanta-based companies, including Brumark, Shelmarc Carpets, ID3 Group, Chisel 3D, Atlantis WaterJet and GCI Graphics, saw its COO Matt Kelly promoted to president as CEO Dave Walens plans to focus more of his time on community and industry organizations.

Momentum Management promoted Dan Balog (pictured above right) to Chicago city manager, after seven years as assistant city manager and Eagle Management hired industry veteran Reid Sherwood as an account executive.

Based in the Chicago area, Employco USA, Inc. provides human resource solutions for national tradeshow companies, and added three new team members: Account Executive Greg Nelson, Human Resources Generalist Caille Santelli and Loss Control Manager Josh Loudermilk.

Denver-based Condit Exhibits has promoted project developer and estimator Donnie MacDonald to VP of operations after the loss of 30+ year Condit veteran Richard Raedeke, who passed away last summer after a valiant battle with cancer.

Worcester, Mass.-based BlueHive Exhibits, award-winning tradeshow design and build firm, announced the promotion of Senior Account Executive Chris Dunn to VP, sales and business development. Dunn has been with BlueHive since 2005.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based Trussworks, providers of high-quality steel truss systems, named industry veteran Joe Guerrero as their national sales manager. Guerrero’s experience includes working at Orbus, Nimlok Chicago and Aluvision, and Trussworks President Steve Hess says, “This is the next step in our strategy to become more than truss.”

St. Charles, Missouri-based Milestone

Equipment Holdings, a national leader in transportation equipment leasing solutions, announced the addition of Phil Shook as executive VP–Domestic Intermodal. Shook will be based in the Lombard, Ill., corporate office. Raleigh, N.C.-based IMA Schelling Group, a provider of sales and after-sales support of IMA and Schelling products for the woodworking, metalworking and plastics industries, has named Florian Kleinschmidt as Southeast territory regional sales manager for the U.S. office.

San Diego-based JUNO, a service leader of virtual and hybrid platforms, announced the addition of Dana Freker Doody (pictured right) to their leadership team. Freker Doody, who was most recently VP, communications and public relations for The Expo Group, will lead marketing and communications for JUNO.

Virtual and hybrid event platform Glisser has announced the appointment of Steve Pedrick as chief revenue officer, David Hose as board director, and Bill Portelli as chair. All three appointments are based in the U.S. and will be helping U.K.-based Glisser to grow globally.

First-of-its-kind social network and e-commerce SaaS platform CampfireSocial has hired Steve Gebhart as its new chief information officer. Gebhart’s 25 years of experience includes leading a multi-country team to design, build and deploy a global e-commerce and content-rich web and mobile platform for GES. In convention center news, Karen Totaro (pictured left) was named GM at TCF Center (her resume includes positions as COO San Diego CC and GM of the Atlantic City CC). Visit San Antonio appointed the former COO of Choose Chicago, Marc Anderson, as their new CEO. Anderson starts on June 1, replacing Cassandra Matej, who left to take the top role at Visit Orlando. Marshall Hilliard joined Explore Asheville CVB as VP of sales, and Vancouver CC welcomed Don Marcellus as its new director of facilities management.

In association news, Dave Leskusky was named president and Bill Pope as VP, Tech Services for the PRINTING United Alliance, and Philipp Zettl joined IFES as PR manager.

JDC Events, an event management company based in the D.C. area, has promoted Dana Rice to exhibits and sponsorships manager. Folsom, Calif.-based ConferenceDirect, a full-service global meetings solution company, has hired Kathy Rasmussen as their new VP of housing. The tradeshow and events industry is sending best wishes to Detra Page, who recently became communications manager at the Desert Research Institute, a leading environmental research institution, after more than 16 years with GES in Las Vegas.

Scott Frederick Clemons June 22, 1955 - March 27, 2021

Scott Frederick Clemons of West Bloomfield, Mich., passed away on March 27, at the age of 65. Scott crossed over peacefully in the great care of Angela Hospice Care Center in Livonia, with the love of his family surrounding him.

He joined Freeman’s executive sales group as national sales manager, exposition services, in 2007 after a 26-year career with Donald E. McNabb Company in Michigan in a variety of management and sales positions, including business development, account management, sales and marketing in the auto show, tradeshow and special event flooring industry. At McNabb, Clemons oversaw and managed many of the company’s largest client partnerships, and was well-known and respected in the auto show marketplace. He began his career with Sony of America as a marketing representative, later working for Bell and Howell Video Division as account director before he began his long career with McNabb.

Scott was born to Martha and William Clemons in Detroit, brother to David (Cindi), Mark (Karen) and Douglas (Jen). Scott proudly attended Bloomfield Lahser High School, graduating in 1973. It was at Michigan State University that he built lifelong friendships in Delta Chi fraternity and met his former wife of 41 years, Karen (McNabb). He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from MSU in Telecommunications.

Scott and Karen married in 1978 and raised their three children, Kathryn (Jon) Parenteau, Laura (KiAundre) Garland, and Stephen (Alison), in Bloomfield Hills. They spent their summers at Forest Lake Country Club, where Scott and Karen played golf, and the family enjoyed years of SICSA swim meets and time together, and made wonderful friends. Scott and Karen were active members at St Hugo of the Hills Catholic Church, where Scott was often a reader and commentator at Mass.

Scott was passionate about his work in sales, working in the niche event services space, providing custom flooring for auto shows, conventions, concert tours and more. He traveled the country and the world for his work, making friends everywhere he went. He loved travel and especially enjoyed family vacations to historic places near and far with Karen and their children.

Scott was a super fan of the Michigan State Spartans, Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings. For years, he carried a piece of confetti from the 1997 Stanley Cup Championship win in his wallet. He was a scholar of classic rock, enjoying his early career as a disc jockey, and he was an American trivia whiz. He loved the city of Detroit, its people, its music, its spirit, its cars and its grit.

In the final years of his life, he relished the role of “Poppy” to his grandchildren, Caroline Cole (10), John Patrick (8) and Ada James (3).

Scott is survived by countless friends, loving relatives and colleagues who will remember him for his charisma, warmth, passion and storytelling. He had a unique ability to make each person he encountered feel special, important and worthy. He was an energetic mentor, good buddy and constant cheerleader to so many, yet fully known by few. He leaves a great legacy of serving others in their time of need. He will be greatly missed and fondly remembered.

On his online tribute wall, colleague Jennifer Eades wrote, “Scott and I met when I began working for him at McNabb in 1995. He quickly became my mentor, guiding me through the labyrinth of the auto show/tradeshow/special event industry. I had the privilege of working with him daily, listening to all of his MSU tales, his golfing adventures and stories about his children as they grew. He and I shared a very similar taste in music, including Steely Dan. He’d crank his stereo for me to hear the music, annoying everyone else in the office...He was the best. I was fortunate to have spoken to him in September, giving me the opportunity to thank him for everything he’d ever done for me over the years. I’ll miss running into him on the show floor, having lunch once every blue moon but most of all, his energy and spirit. Thank you for everything, sir, may you rest in peace.”

The Clemons family is planning a celebration of life this summer. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Angela Hospice in Livonia or the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, the institutions that provided such exceptional care for Scott in his three-year battle with biliary cancer.

Clemons family in 2015: Stephen, Laura, Karen, Scott and Kathryn

To share a memory or leave condolences, visit www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/20552286/ Scott-Frederick-Clemons/wall

Kenny Merrill

Jan. 5, 1956 - March 20, 2021

Kenny Merrill, 65, started with Laser Exhibitor Service Inc. in 1993 in Southern California. In 1995 he assumed ownership of the new Denver, Colorado, office. He took a secondary convention market and treated it as the top market in the country. In his mind it was just that. His work ethic was second to none and his kindness and gentle manner was well known throughout the Rocky Mountain Region.

In January of 2020 he noticed a tingling in his feet. After many different diagnoses and a trip to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., it was determined that he had contracted ALS. By January 2021 he decided that he wouldn’t put his family or friends through the grief of his disease. He, instead, elected to apply for a self-euthanasia dispensation from the state of Colorado. He was granted that option.

Les Bunge, founder of L.E.S., talked to Kenny the day before he left this earth and said he was very much at peace with his decision. “I have never seen such bravery and caring for others so close up before. It was inspiring and heartbreaking at the same time. I cannot explain how much he will be missed by the entire L.E.S. family.”

Kenny is survived by his wife Dona, mother Mary, brothers Chuck and Larry, sister Suzette, daughter Sara and son Kenny Jr.

Michelle Sanford

March 18, 1969 - April 19, 2021

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers Senior Director of Contract and Vendor Management Michelle Sanford, 52, passed away on April 19 after a battle with cancer.

Michelle started her career as a secretary in the exhibitions department in 1994 and quickly grew in her career to become an integral leader of the AEM exhibitions and operations team. She oversaw operations for AEM’s many tradeshows, including CONEXPO-CON/ AGG, The Utility Expo, AG Connect and World of Asphalt. She traveled the globe to support international exhibitions in China, India and Russia, among other places. Through her leadership, AEM was able to advance their mission to create successful and effective opportunities to connect equipment manufacturers with agriculture and construction equipment end users.

“For more than 20 years, Michelle was a bright asset to the AEM team, and her infectious laugh and smile are profoundly missed,” says AEM President Dennis Slater. “A large part of AEM’s success in producing some of the largest tradeshows in the world are due to Michelle’s tremendous management skills and leadership. We all have a heavy heart as we move forward without Michelle. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family during this difficult time.”

Michelle was a long-time member of International Association of Exhibitions and Events, earning her Certified Exhibition Manager designation. She shared her love for exhibitions on numerous councils and committees within IAEE, including the education committee, the CEM oversight committee that wrote the curriculum on the contract management segment, and she also served as proxy for several other AEM staff looking to also receive the CEM designation. She served on the board of the Major American Trade Show Organization and led that group in its strategic planning. She was a member of the Advisory Group for the cities of Las Vegas and Orlando. She launched tradeshows on behalf of AEM in China and Russia, and she supported many other domestic and international events.

Michelle enjoyed time with family and giving back to her community. She volunteered at many organizations, but had the strongest connection with the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Wisconsin. Michelle served on their board and served as a direct volunteer.

She is survived by her husband, Donald, mother Claire MacKenzie, brother Doug (Nicole) MacKenzie, sister-in-law of Vickie (Mike) James, father-in-law Dannie Avers, and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. A celebration of her life was held on April 24 in Greenfield, Wisc. The AEM staff will honor Michelle when they are back together in the office in the fall.

Michelle Sanford with Helen Sun in China

To share a memory or leave condolences, visit www.legacy.com/us/ obituaries/jsonline/name/michelle-sanford-obituary?pid=198391876

This story originally appeared at www.aem.org/news/in-memoriam-longtime-aem-team-member-passes

Michael Hart

May 23, 1953 – March 12, 2021

Michael Hart, best known as the editor-in-chief for Tradeshow Week, died on March 12, at age 67, after a valiant but tragic battle with cancer. He attended the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif., graduating from Raymond College, and as a graduate student pursued journalism at the University of Arizona.

His first job after graduate school was as the editor-in-chief of the Glendale Star and Peoria Times in the Phoenix, Ariz., metropolitan area. Michael’s interest in local journalism landed him a job with the Los Angeles Times in 1998. He edited for the “Our Times” division, which focused on the vast diversity of L.A. neighborhoods. The L.A. Times’ takeover by The Chicago Tribune ended its neighborhood orientation, but Michael found another “local” niche in the business-to-business magazine realm. He edited, first, the San Fernando Valley edition of The L.A. Business Journal, then moved on to become editor-in-chief of Tradeshow Week.

While at the helm of Tradeshow Week, Michael’s career took a pronounced turn. As the journal’s editor, he proved repeatedly that he was not only a firstrate journalist, but a savvy, candid and outspoken industry-observer. When business reporters needed a well-informed source, Michael was always the first one they phoned. They knew they could count on him for accurate details, keen insights and maverick opinions.

Tradeshow Week served as the “must read” news weekly for more than 8,000 subscribers until, unable to compete with online news sites, it was shuttered in 2010, along with 25 other trade journals owned by its parent company, Reed Elsevier.

Out of a job, Michael moved to run the leading education-technology journal, and soon after to edit the number one event-industry monthly, EXPO, but that magazine survived only another five years before ceasing publication. The decline of print journalism was not totally kind to Michael, even though he had the foresight to master digital and online formats. Despite many challenges, he continued to work for a variety of media and event-related business firms as an editor, writer, conference producer and event organizer, until his retirement in 2019.

“Michael became the ‘go to’ journalist for the exhibition industry,” said Steven Hacker, principal of Bravo Management Group and former president of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events. “He was a passionate and reliable spokesman for tradeshows in the U.S. and around the world.”

“Michael was smart, curious and always probing for the ‘story behind the story,’” said Sam Lippman, president of Lippman Connects. “He was successful because he could be trusted. We in the tradeshow industry appreciated and benefited from his professionalism.”

Provided by Warwick H. Davies, principal, The Event Mechanic

Exhibit City News sends condo-

lences to the families of Nth Degree and Atlanta Local 225 carpenter Michael Eulin, DC-Baltimore carpenter/rigger Jerry Boecher and San Francisco Teamster Local 85 Tanu Mamea. Your tradeshow colleagues will miss you! Tributes on social media include:

“It saddens me to say farewell to my friend, Michael Eulin, so many years of memories! The Bah Haw & SixOne gang, Jed, Curtis Basden, Derek, Michael Eulin Sabrina Burch, Linda! RIP Mike, you are loved and will definitely be missed forever. May God comfort your family during this time.” Martha St Louis wrote, “My condolences to his family. Mike was like family to me. He was a genius. My heart is deeply saddened” while another friend wrote, “This is so hard... like a brother for over 27 years....We lost a good one!!! I will miss you, Michael Eulin.” “Union Carpenters Local 491 DC-Baltimore has lost Jerry “the King of Rigging” Boecher. The legend will truly be missed in the Brotherhood and Sisterhood of carpenters. He’s up in heaven hanging signs; he will truly be missed when working on the show floor. Godspeed, brother, I will truly miss you,” wrote Michael Markel. René Paul Cinq-Mars wrote, “Jerry hung many of my signs over the years, he was a good man with a great sense of humor, Rest in peace Brother.”

Bob Reges shared, “Every time I see a Lincoln town car, I think of him. R.I.P.”

Peggy Whittington wrote, “Jerry was always so sweet & kind!! Heaven has gained another Angel!! Prayers for his family!!”

Jerry Boecher