Dalton Lee Jenkins
President/CEO Omnigroup Inc.
July 31, 1957 – June 8, 2023
Dalton Lee Jenkins, “Skip” to his friends, passed away in Mexico on June 8th. He was 65.
Born on July 31, 1957 in Cleveland, OH, Jenkins graduated Willoughby South High School in 1975 and went on to Kent State University. After graduating with a BA in Political Science and Spanish Literature, he went on to Ohio University where he got an MFA in Spanish Literature. His love of Spanish was obvious, while he traveled the world, he often took trips to Mexico and South America.
He briefly worked in archeology before entering the tradeshow world. As President and CEO of Omnigroup Inc., Jenkins spent 20 years producing exhibits, corporate events, dealer meetings, product launches and corporate visitor centers. In 2001 he served as President of the Experiential Designers and Producers Association. He would also spend time at Derse and enVu before working the last 3 years of his life as a self-employed executive producer.
Jenkins was well known for his sense of adventure and sociable nature. From the Ohio News-Herald: “Skip would meet someone new and in no time, they would be off on an adventure together. He once met a man in a movie theater and then wound up on an archeological dig in Chiapas, Mexico. He stood on the Great Wall of China, rode an elephant in Thailand, visited the pyramids of Egypt, hiked to Machu Picchu, and visited the Mayan ruins in Guatemala, Belize, and the Yucatan Peninsula. He played golf at St. Andrews in Scotland, waterskied in the bayou of Louisiana, and drove toward the volcanic eruption of El Chichon to capture photos while everyone else fled saving a family when he, too, ultimately had to flee. He traveled throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia, and every country in Central and South America.”
Larry Kulchawik, Past President of EDPA, says, “Dalton served as EDPA president and was very involved in pushing international involvement and helping to start EDPA membership to IFES with Ingrid Boyd and I (both past presidents). Dalton then helped to organize and attended the first EDPA participation at Euroshop with IFES.” Kulchawik ends with a lovely tribute to Jenkins, “His wit, charm, and friendly nature will be missed by all that he touched in our industry.”
