Christopher Kappes Joins Craftsmen Industries

Industry veteran Christopher Kappes, the founder and COO of Exhibitshub, an online marketplace of exhibits and services billed as the nation’s first “Airbnb of exhibits,” has joined St. Charles, Missouri-based Craftsmen Industries, Inc., with the title of client development.

His extensive industry resume stretches back to 1992 when he was VP of sales for GES, which was followed by executive director sales marketing for George P. Johnson; corporate VP, sales & marketing for Contempo Design; EVP sales for Matrex Exhibits; SVP, Strategic Alliances for 3D Exhibits, a Sparks company; VP, sales and marketing for RES Exhibit Services; and VP, strategic development for Live Marketing.

Kappes believes that “with tradeshows slow to return, and virtual events losing luster, marketers are reaching into their omnichannel playbook and contacting Craftsman Industries to develop unique experiential solutions to engage audiences in safe, controlled environments anytime, anywhere,” adding, “Welcome to Craftsman Industries, where rapid development, design and awesome experiential solutions are created for the world’s greatest brands and their event marketing partners. Thinking about a roadshow to support your sales team…got ya covered. Thinking about stadium, arena, retail or corporate graphic rollouts…got ya covered.  Thinking about a food truck…got ya covered.  Thinking about mobile medical…got ya covered.
35 years of not saying ‘no’ has resulted in Craftsman being recognized as the go-to partner for usual and unusual solutions that engage audiences where they work and live.”

Kappes has a Bachelor’s degree in journalism, PR and marketing from Ball State University.

Craftsmen Industries began by selling trailers in 1982 in St. Louis, Missouri, but as their clients began to ask for more and more specialty modifications to their vehicles to enhance their marketing message, they expanded their services to include design, engineering, fabrication, printing and installation in-house so they could accommodate their customers’ requests, manage tight deadlines, deliver within budget and bring an unmatched level of satisfaction to their customers. In 2000, they built a stand-alone, 127,000-sq.ft. facility on 20+ acres just 15 minutes from the St. Louis airport that houses their base of operations, fabrication facility and graphics production group. Their motto is Ideation to Creation—FAST and they believe they can almost build you anything you can dream up. For more info, visit www.craftsmenind.com.