Article published in the Waukesha Freeman on September 8, 2017, written by Dave Fidlin.
Any way you slice it, this is a year of milestones for Exhibit Systems, an evolving company on Brookfield’s far east side that specializes in manufacturing trade show materials. The company, which founder Dave Johnson established in his Milwaukee home, is in the midst of its Silver Anniversary. Current business partners Dave Jentz and Richard Magliocco purchased the company from Johnson in 2007, and they are celebrating 10 years at the helm.
Over the years, Exhibit Systems bounced around from various locales in the Milwaukee area. The heavy lifting on the company’s current perch at 12600 W. Burleigh Road began about five years ago, and Jentz and Magliocco are quick to say they plan to call Brookfield home far into the future. Magliocco, president, and Jentz, executive vice president, took time to reflect on the company’s evolution and offer a sneak peek into the future during an anniversary gathering Thursday at their headquarters. Hundreds of visitors dropped by, including Brookfield Mayor Steve Ponto, Waukesha County Board Chairman Paul Decker and County Executive Paul Farrow.
Under Jentz and Magliocco’s watch, Exhibit Systems has grown rapidly, and the business partners said they have no intention of slowing down. The company currently employs 25 persons, up from a 7-person workforce a decade ago. Jentz said additional positions will be added as the Exhibit Systems continues on its evolutionary path.
“There’s so much opportunity for us out there,” Jentz said. “We’re growing fast.” Magliocco is quick to point out much of the company’s success is at the feet of its employees. “We continue to grow because of their capabilities,” Magliocco said. “We have even bigger growth plans in the next three years.”
New marketing division
One of the company’s newest growth opportunities was just announced. Exhibit Systems has added a marketing division to its roster of services. The announcement came on the heels of the company’s partial acquisition of Results Marketing, a company specializing in branding, email and marketing automation.
As he reflects on the past decade of running the company with Magliocco, Jentz said he takes pride in noting the company has never lost money. The proclamation is especially noteworthy, considering the timeline of events. Jentz and Magliocco took the reins of the company just a year shy of what would become the economic recession. Challenges inevitably abounded, but Jentz said, “We always kept a steady growth,” in the depths of the recession.
Ponto, who addressed the crowd during a brief ceremony Thursday evening, described Exhibit Systems as a “star business” within the community. “I think this is one of the showpieces on the east side,” said Ponto, who noted the company fits hand-inglove into the city’s strategy of continuously looking at economic growth opportunities. Farrow briefly discussed Waukesha County Center for Growth, a year-old organization aimed at exploring economic development opportunities throughout the various cities, villages and towns.
“You’ve got a great group of people here with passion and a desire to get it done,” Farrow said to Jentz and Magliocco. “You guys knock it out of the park.”
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