by Amadeus Finlay
New England is a hotbed of exhibit houses, and the trend for enterprising event professionals in the northeast going out on their own doesn’t look set to stop anytime soon. One of the latest to spring up is GEM Exhibits in Webster, Mass.
Sharon Wharton is the firm’s part-time front office manager and wife of GEM Exhibits’ President, Scott Wharton (pictured above). Standing outside the historic mill building that GEM calls home, Sharon explains, “Scott’s great at what he does because he puts passion into it, but he only achieves that because he puts the client first—whatever it takes.”
We’ve heard this line before; successful companies rarely place any factor other than their clients’ interests at the forefront of their operation, and the unique few that do are the Silicon Valley-type figures of the industry with an entirely different way of thinking. What makes GEM the firm that can state this conviction without sounding like a thousand other voices in the choir? Step through the door and the visitor soon sees why.
First, and most importantly, is the intentionally agile, low-overhead nature of the GEM Exhibits model. Unburdened by a large operating budget, Wharton and his team have removed a significant amount of day-to-day baggage by establishing relationships with trusted vendors, allowing energies to be focused on client interests.
“I believe in making everything cost-effective for the client,” explains Wharton, “all the while ensuring they receive the high standards of exhibit building they’ve come to expect from the big players. We accomplish this through an outsource model, a.k.a. my bag of tricks, populated by some of the finest and most experienced figures in the industry. This allows for a superior product, without burdening the client with the cost of unnecessary overheads.”
It works, too. Touring around the facility with Wharton and Director of Account Services Heather Jenkinson, the visitor will be impressed by large, custom-built structures, as well as the attention to ensuring GEM’s branding is included on everything that is sent out on the road.
“You would never suspect it, looking at what we can produce,” comments Jenkinson, “but at GEM we can do all of this for a fraction of the industry standard cost, without compromising on quality.”
Wharton agrees, adding, “we also offer hybrid custom rentals. This allows the client to get their ultimate design on a rental budget, while allowing GEM to use elements in other booths between shows. Sure, we take a small financial hit at the start, but that’s irrelevant because it leads to longer-term relationships and better results for our clients, so it all works out in the end. Again, why compromise when you can have perfection with some foresight and planning?”
That’s not all, either. As GEM continues to grow, it will expand its operations into neighboring sections of the extensive mill complex, as well as investigating other ways to support client endeavors. These initiatives will include installing additional pieces machinery, an expanded production shop and, ultimately, full-service marketing solutions in the digital sphere.
“It all comes from a sense of duty,” explains Wharton. “We do whatever we need to do to ensure client satisfaction. And that is why we named the company, GEM. While I never served, my grandfather, Leo P. Gemme, was in the U.S. Navy during the WWII, and and my uncle Gerald P. Gemme, served for two tours during the Vietnam conflict. GEM is taken from their surname, and we pledge that 1 percent of all hardware, graphic and rental sales will be donated in their names to Veterans, Inc. of Worcester, Mass., and the Webster Dudley Veterans Council of Webster, Mass.”
The name clearly means a lot of Wharton, who appears visibly moved by the sacrifices of his family and others who have served in the nation’s military. “Given what some have sacrificed for our country,” he says, “giving all that I have to ensure that our clients and future clients are represented in the best possible way really is the least I can do.”
And then, looking around at the young firm quickly growing before him, concludes, “We only began this in October 2017, and look how far we have come in such a short space of time. I am so proud of the team and everyone we work with.”
“You are witnessing the beginning of an empire. But it belongs to the industry, not just to me.”
This story originally appeared in the March/April issue of Exhibit City News, p. 66-67. For original layout, visit https://issuu.com/exhibitcitynews/docs/ecn_flipbook_marchapril2019?e=16962537/67925242
