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. Over the last 40 years, he has launched, acquired, and successfully sold many businesses, most of which have been in the trade show industry. The Expo Group has been recognized with numerous awards for innovation and growth through Ray’s vision and leadership as Chairman and CEO. Ray shares many of those experiences in his first book, Lessons of an Entrepreneur, available HERE.
He and his wife Linda support their community and charities through philanthropic contributions with the Communities Foundation of Texas.
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.
Originally a computer designer working at IBM and graduating from Rice University in 1984, Daniel has been a serial entrepreneur for 30 years, starting and running companies from Japanese cartoons to real estate to oil and gas properties to apple apps to golf courses to software for the event space.
Daniel now manages, along with his brother, Robert, a family private equity company.
Danielle Cocanougher has spent the last seven years in the tech, event, and startup space in Dallas and Los Angeles. She has done everything from launching a technology platform at large-scale events like Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic Con, to raising a $1.5M seed round for myLAB Box, an at-home lab testing startup. She is currently the co-owner of RB Golf Club & Resort, a DFW golf course and event center, and Texas Golf Shows, which runs the DFW Golf Show.
Before getting into tech and events, she graduated from New York University with a degree in Journalism and worked as a producer at the local Fox and NBC news stations in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Years of experience: 47
Area of expertise: Visionary
Industries: Trade shows, Corporate Events, Exhibits
Skill used most often: Creative Solutions
New area of knowledge: Web3
Industry affiliations: PCMA, IAEE, ESCA
Certifications: PhD
Superhero: Jesus
Favorite color: Turquoise
Sports team: TCU
Vacation spot: Mediterranean
Hobbies: Golf
Film: The Great Escape
Food: Pasta
Admire: Tony Evans
Years of experience: 27
Area of expertise: Leadership, Operations, Finance
Industries: Events, Airlines
Skill used most often: Navigation
Superpower skill: X-Ray Vision
New area of knowledge: At-Home COVID Rapid Tests
Boards: ESCA, Young President Organization - Mid-Atlantic
Acknowledgements: 2006- 40 Under 40, ESCA President's Award
Superhero: Aquaman
Favorite color: Blue
Vacation spot: Someplace on the Water
Hobbies: Boating, Golf, Exercise, Hiking
Film/Show: Succession
Food: Pizza
Admire: Abraham Lincoln
Years of experience: 30
Area of expertise: Human Resources, Leadership, Operations
Industries: Healthcare, Legal, Waste, Trade shows/Events
Skill used most often: Problem Solving
Superpower skill: Mind Reading
New area of knowledge: Social Media
Industry affiliations: SHRM
Superhero: Superman
Favorite colors: Blue & Orange
Sports team: Denver Broncos
Vacation spot: Italy
Hobbies: Collecting Art
Film: Top Gun
Food: Mexican – Who doesn't love tacos?
Admire: Titian
Years of experience: 32
Area of expertise: Finance & Operational Strategy
Industries: Trade Show General Contracting
Skill used most often: Multitasking
Superpower skill: Staying focused on the end game and creating a win-win for parties
Industry affiliations: PCMA, IAEE
Superhero: Wonder Woman
Favorite color: Black
Vacation spot: Skiing Resorts
Hobbies: Skiing, Beaching, Boating
Food: Love all kinds!
Admire: Oprah Winfrey
Years of experience: 23
Area of expertise: Technology & Experience
Industries: Trade shows, Events, Technology, Software, Professional Services, CPG, Sports
Skill used most often: Listening
Superpower skill: Logical Reasoning
New area of knowledge: Cyber AI, Hyperautomation
Industry affiliations: IAEE, Technology Leaders of DFW
Coding: Fluent in 10 Programming Langauges
Superhero: Moms
Favorite color: Blue
Sports team: Baylor Bears & Savannah Bananas
Vacation spot: Breckenridge, CO
Hobbies: Running, Cycling, Hiking, SUP
Film: The Sandlot
Food: Yes, a lot.
Admire: Brian Gazer
Years of experience: 23
Area of expertise: Challenging & Inspiring thinking for the future, Strategy, Creative
Industries: Events, Associations, Corporate
Skill used most often: Storytelling & Strategic Thinking
Superpower skill: Distilling a Million Ideas into 1 Powerpoint Slide
New knowledge: Connection Tech
Brands: Clarion, Money 2020, AWS, SFN, USGIF, AHA, NRF, FDIC, Connectiv, Insurtec, Kehe, Hyve
Certifications: Best in Class Speaker PCMA
Superhero: Steve Prefontaine
Favorite color: Blue
Sports team: US Snowboard Team
Vacation spot: Bermuda, St. John, Nantucket
Hobbies: Snowboarding, Cooking, Boating
Film: April Fools Day
Food: Pasta Bolognese & Cabernet
Admire: People that balance work & life proudly.
Years of experience: 25
Area of expertise: Creative, Production, Strategy
Industries: Events, Marketing, Trade shows, Consumer Activations
Skill used most often: Production Management
Superpower skill: Flying
Superhero: Daredevil
Favorite color: Blue
Sports team: Chicago Bears
Vacation spot: Any Golf Resort
Hobbies: Golf
Food: Pizza
Years of experience: 30
Area of expertise: Marketing & Communications
Industries: Trade shows, Events, Technology, Software, CPG
Skill used most often: Creativity
Superpower skill: Predicting the future
New area of knowledge: Web3
Industry affiliations: CMO Club, AMA, IAEE
Certifications: Digital Marketing (DMI)
Superhero: Captain Marvel
Favorite color: Orange
Sports team: Oklahoma State
Vacation spot: Italy
Hobbies: Music/classic cars
Film: Anything Star Trek
Food: Chinese
Admire: Frank Lloyd Wright
Years of experience: 24
Area of expertise: Storytelling, Event Production
Industries: Higher Education Fundraising
Skill used most often: Marching Forward
Superpower skill: Consistent Persistence
Industry affiliations: CASE
Superhero: James Bond
Favorite color: Orange
Sports team: Chicago White Sox
Vacation spot: Israel
Hobbies: Golf
Film: Almost Famous
Food: Anything on the Grill
Admire: My Parents - who achieved so much, personally & professionally
Years of experience: 28
Area of expertise: Sales, Project Management, Relationship Building
Industries: Trade shows, Events, Exhibits
Skill used most often: Listening with Intent
Superpower skill: Solutions Guru
New area of knowledge: Learning & Development
Industry affiliations: EACA, EDPA
Superhero: My Mom & Dad
Favorite color: Pantone 295
Sports team: Texas Tech
Vacation spot: Anywhere new
Hobbies: Travel & Cooking
Film: Shawshank Redemption
Food: Tapas
Admire: Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Years of experience: 25
Area of expertise: Creative Direction & Experiential Design
Industries: Tech, Healthcare, Arts & Entertainment, Associations, Beauty
Skill used most often: Creativity
Superpower skill: Tenacity
New area of knowledge: AR /VR
Superhero: Spiderman
Favorite color: Green
Favorite Musical: The Color Purple
Vacation spot: Spain
Hobbies: Theatre & Photography
Film: Memoirs of a Geisha
Food: Japanese
Admire: Anyone living their Authentic Self.
Years of experience: 25
Area of expertise: Sales, Strategic Account Management
Industries: Trade shows
Skill used most often: Relationship Building
Superpower skill: Teamwork
Industry affiliations: IAEE, PCMA
Superhero: Han Solo
Favorite color: Blueish
Sports team: Dallas Cowboys
Vacation spot: Snowy Mountains
Hobbies: Mountain Biking
Film: Apollo 13
Food: Mexican or BBQ
Admire: Major Richard Winters
Years of experience: 20
Area of expertise: Exhibit Sales, Sales Enablement
Industries: Tradeshows
Skill used most often: Relationship Building
Superpower skill: Turning clients into friends
Industry affiliations: EDPA, IAEE
Superhero: Wonder Woman
Favorite color: Aggie Maroon
Favorite song: Brown-Eyed Girl
Vacation spot: Mexico
Hobbies: Photography, Family taxi driver
Film: Silence of the Lambs
Food: Pizza
Admire: Nikki Haley
Years of experience: 22
Area of expertise: Operations & Logistics
Industries: Trade shows, Events, LTL/TL Freight
Skill used most often: Leadership / Team Building
Superpower skill: Smoke Jumping
New area of knowledge: Graphic Production
Industry affiliations: ESCA, IAEE
Superhero: George S. Patton
Favorite color: Navy Blue
Sports team: Texas Longhorns
Vacation spot: Yellowstone
Hobbies: Woodworking / Shooting
Film: Sands of Iwo Jima
Food: Texas BBQ
Admire: My Amazing Wife