by Debbie Hall
To say that Debbie Parrott, owner and president of Highmark TechSystems (Highmark) in Fort Wayne, Indiana, grew up in the exhibit and event industry would be a major oversimplification.
Parrott and her two sisters were part of a family atmosphere that valued meaningful work, innovation and creativity. Their parents were constantly building and growing businesses in the exhibit and display world, while starting a school in a community that needed a serious boost in academic excellence and the arts. Her mother, Kathy, worked as a consumer brand consultant. Her father, Mick, a visionary in the exhibit industry, founded Icon Exhibits, where he developed an extruded aluminum modular system with extension configuration options, featuring a limited number of components that made it easy to install, dismantle and reuse. That system remains in demand today through Highmark, serving indoor events and permanent environments.
A Day in Parrott’s Life?
“I spend a lot of time in the office. I also go on the road to visit clients and attend events where our structures are being used,” said Parrott. “But most days, I’m managing people, team building and constantly reinvesting in our business so we can continue to grow. I also study processes to improve operational efficiency. All our products are manufactured in our Fort Wayne facility.”
She loves business strategy, marketing and sales and specifically working closely with the sales team to structure deals that benefit their clients. “We listen closely to our clients and develop solutions, pricing and programs tailored to their needs. We have wonderful heads of sales and creative as well as great marketing minds who value teamwork. I also enjoy writing, especially marketing messaging.”
The History of Debbie
Parrott is a wife and mother who started her family in her late 30s. She is now in her mid-50s with two active teenage sons. “I’ve been heavily involved in my children’s education at Canterbury School, the school my parents founded. It’s a nationally ranked, independent K-12 school in Fort Wayne,” she said. “My sisters and I graduated from Canterbury, and now my younger son attends. My older son just graduated and had the special opportunity to introduce his founder grandfather as the commencement speaker. I’ve done everything from scrubbing toilets at the school’s first building to serving on its board of trustees.”
While the exhibit industry might be part of her DNA, she took a jagged route to arrive at her current role. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, and enrolled in a program at the Denver Publishing Institute. Her first publishing job was at the Harvard Business Review.
After a stint in public relations, she earned her Master of Business Administration from Babson’s entrepreneurial Olin School of Management in Wellesley, Massachusetts. She worked in management consulting and later transitioned to business development. This experience would transfer to great success and growth in the exhibit and event industry.
Her background, education, and experience would culminate in a role in the exhibit and event industry when her father asked if she would be interested in opening a satellite office for Icon Exhibits in San Francisco.
Highmark Before and Now
Highmark was initially established as part of Icon, and in a strategic decision to offer its products to the entire industry, Highmark was spun off into a separate company.
After the sale of Icon, Parrott moved back to Fort Wayne to run Highmark. Parrott and her family relocated to Fort Wayne in 2010, where she assumed the role of president at Highmark.
Parrott purchased Highmark from her father, obtaining a substantial Small Business Administration loan, to become the 100 percent owner of Highmark. Under Parrott’s leadership, Highmark developed EventMax, a robust modular system for outdoor events that can withstand variable weather conditions. She also spearheaded Highmark’s newest venture, YOURSpace, which provides modular offices and modular privacy pods that are built from Highmark’s extrusion system.
“I intend to scale this business and continue to take on more exciting opportunities, particularly in the live event space,” said Parrott, as one of her goals.
The Future of Debbie
Parrott is grateful to the leaders in the industry who have worked to get the voice of the trade and expo industry heard at the government level, since live events are a significant part of the U.S. economy. She frequently speaks with Indiana government officials about the industry.
“I look at the wall in my office, and I have two pictures that my father purchased and had framed. One is a mobile tradeshow from the 1940s, and the other is an indoor tradeshow from 1928. This vibrant industry has been around for a long time, and I am so proud to be part of it.”
Parrott also serves on the board of directors for Turnstone (turnstone.org), a center for children and adults with disabilities, one of 13 Paralympic Games training sites in the United States.
Parrott runs and swims regularly and loves to travel, but the reality is that her day-to-day life is consumed by family, Highmark, Canterbury School, and Turnstone.
“Canterbury and Turnstone are near and dear to my heart, and Highmark runs through my veins.”
This story originally appeared as a truncated version in the Q4 2025 issue of Exhibit City News, p. 90. For original layout, visit https://issuu.com/exhibitcitynews/docs/exhibit_city_news_-_oct_nov_dec_2025/90.
