EXHIBIT NETWORK - Key Persons
Erik Salazar, our Warehouse Supervisor and Lead Installer, brought his contagious energy and wittiness to Exhibit Network in 2017. Not only are we and our clients delighted with Erik's hilarious sense of humor, but exhibitors in neighboring booths usually get a laugh, too.
Erik is ingrained with an urgency to complete every task on time, on budget, and with a smile from his background in the food service industry. He is always coming up with ways to work better, faster, and smarter. And he's such a nice guy, too. Hardly anyone can escape Erik's thoughtfulness, as he has a habit of helping exhibitors on the show floor who are struggling with their booth.
In Erik's spare time, he enjoys fishing, gaming, and spending time with his niece and his dog, Ferguson. Erik also likes to try out new restaurants and to post pics of interesting entrees on Instagram.
"There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them."
Joann Salazar, Operations Director, is a seasoned exhibit professional. Respected and admired by clients, show contractors, and the entire Exhibit Network team, Joann focuses on results and won't quit until a problem is solved.
Joann's professional experience includes purchasing, inside sales, office management, accounting, payroll, profit analysis, finance, supervision, customer service, estimating, and trade show project management. Joann has by far the greatest number of commendation letters from clients and five star google reviews.
Joann's talents are at the heart of Exhibit Network's sales, design, and production teams, making sure our booths exceed clients' expectations, while keeping an eye on our company's efficiency and profitability.
Most importantly, Joann always has a smile on her face and inspires all those around her to excel and follow their dreams.
In her spare time, Joann can be found at the gym or spending time with her family.
Kathleen Maartens, Co-founder and President, is responsible for running the day-to-day business side of Exhibit Network and for its fiscal integrity and accountability.
Kathleen has a lifelong desire for learning, earning a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, followed by countless classes in Business, Accounting, and Real Estate. Kathleen is a 2012 graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program, and she is close to completing a degree in Organizational Leadership at the College of Biblical Studies in Houston.
Kathleen's focus at Exhibit Network is to integrate the functions of Sales, Operations, and Finance, to make sure everyone stays on the same page.
Kathleen loves to read. Her favorite book is "How Christianity Changed the World" by Alvin J. Schmidt.
Kathryn Salazar, one of our Project Managers, has been in the exhibit industry since the first time she misbehaved and her Mom took Kat to work with her. Nobody remembers how long ago that really was.
Lenny started in the exhibit industry at age 19 as a custom fabricator and installer, and quickly displayed an aptitude for leadership. Almost immediately, he became the supervisor of a team of 30+ members. Later experiences as Production Foreman, Estimator, Purchaser, and Production Manager prepared him for his leadership role at Exhibit Network.
The reputation that Exhibit Network holds throughout the trade show industry is the direct result of Lenny's passion for quality workmanship, innovation, and creative problem-solving. He holds himself and the employees to high standards of integrity and excellence.
Lenny is an avid outdoorsman who can be found fishing in Alaska, and hunting in Texas, Pennsylvania, and Namibia.
Waterloo Rod Company manufactures custom fishing rods in Victoria TX. Their high performance rods can be purchased at retailers throughout the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast. Rods, reels, apparel, gear, and gift cards can also be purchased at waterloorods.com.
Like many exhibitors, Waterloo Rod discovered Exhibit Network on the show floor several years before seeking our help. Waterloo had a 20×40 peninsula booth at the 45th Annual Houston Fishing Show in March 2020. Waterloo Rod had several needs:
brand recognition
more floor space for customers
effective merchandise displays
security