By Jim Kelley
As Fern heads into 2022, the organization is pleased to announce several personnel changes. These changes, driven by Fern’s growth, will allow the company to continue to meet the evolving needs of show organizer clients and maintain its focus on exhibitor solutions and service while providing an increased level of operational efficiencies across the organization.
As of January 3rd, the following changes have occurred:
Steve Larsen has been promoted to Chief Operation Officer, reporting to Aaron Bludworth, CEO. “Steve has 
been performing many of the COO duties temporarily throughout the pandemic and has done a tremendous job. Since joining Fern, he has always been thoughtful and deliberate in his decisions while at the same time being quick to act and has had the best interests of the customer, team members, and company at every turn,” said Bludworth.
Larsen added, “I am looking forward to the new role and continuing to support the mission and vision of Fern that keeps us focused on our customers and their exhibitors. Along with the company’s mission and vision, our values have been and will continue to be guideposts for me as COO.”
Neil McMullin’s current role as Senior Vice President of Shared Services has expanded to include leadership of Fern’s Exhibitor Sales and Solutions Team. This expanded role will allow McMullin to guide the exhibitor experience while developing new products and solutions. This role is very familiar to McMullin as he was instrumental in developing Fern OneView and 1Rate, both of which are industry-leading solutions for exhibitors and show organizers.
At the Branch Level, Chris Meecha will assume the role of General Manager of the Louisville Branch. Meecha has long been a leader in the Louisville location, managing many key accounts, and will carry on the strong legacy Fern has in Louisville. In Atlanta, Zach Schlag will assume the role of General Manager. As a member of the Fern team serving major show portfolios, Schlag has proven himself capable of leading some of Fern’s most complex projects while keeping a keen focus on client relationships and service delivery.
Robin Mullins will take on the newly created role of Director, National Support Services. As the company returns to a pre-pandemic like show schedule in 2022, the importance of internal operational efficiencies and efficiencies within Fern’s vendor network have been magnified. Mullins will work closely with the account service & operations teams to determine how production processes can improve, resulting in an enhanced service experience for clients.
“While the pandemic certainly presented our industry and organization with unprecedented challenges, it provided us a rare opportunity to slow down, step back and look under the hood internally,” Bludworth said. “Based on that, we were able to make changes that we are confident will provide a better experience for our clients while continuing to provide our employees an excellent work environment they can be proud of.”
Jim Kelley is Vice President, Marketing & Industry Relations for Fern.
