Integrity, Excellence, Creativity, Reliability, Positivity, and Generosity, these are a few words to describe Captivate Exhibits (Captivate). Captivate is more than an exhibit partner, it’s a valued part of the industry and community.
Sussex, Wisconsin based Captivate has been in the industry designing and building tradeshow exhibits, branded environments, and corporate interiors for over three decades. Captivate prides itself on being a one-stop resource for seamless tradeshow coordination.
Exhibit City News (ECN) sat down with John Schlosser, vice president of sales marketing and certified dream manager at Captivate Exhibits, to talk about the company and what values mean to Captivate.
ECN: Hello John! Captivate is over 30 years old. That is a great start for a company in the tradeshow industry. How did the company get started and how has the company changed or grown over the years?
Schlosser: Captivate Exhibits was started by Dave Johnson and at the time, specialized in selling portable displays and backdrops to a variety of clients in the US. Johnson owned Exhibit Systems until 2007 when Dave Jentz and Richard Magliocco bought the company. During the pandemic in 2020, Jentz and Magliocco changed the name to Captivate Exhibits as they expanded capabilities beyond just portable systems. This change helped precipitate them as a more innovative exhibit house. Matt Tadisch bought into the company in 2022, and Jim McCombe, Brian Magliocco, and myself purchased the rest of the company in June 2024.
As of 2025 Captivate Exhibits has a team of 32 professionals specializing in the design and fabrication of custom and modular exhibits for clients across the US and internationally.
ECN: Generosity has been mentioned as a part of Captivate’s core values. What does Generosity mean to the company?
Schlosser: Captivate has earned the Milwaukee Journal’s Best Places to work in 2022, 2023 and 2024! As one of our core values, generosity is not only demonstrated within our company but also to the community. We are very blessed to be able to share our growth, knowledge and passion with everyone. In 2024, we donated items to the Bakhita House, served dinner at the Milwaukee Rescue Mission, served breakfast at the Hope Center in Waukesha, hosted a Blood Drive where our neighboring businesses were invited to take part of, and sponsored seven children (three families) through the Christmas Clearing Council. We also hosted a Toys for Tots Collection where we collected 244 toys with $2,100 in employee monetary donations and company match. We also held internal Culture Events for employees. September 2024 also launched our new Stewardship Matching Gift Program.
ECN: What is in store for Captivate in the future?
Schlosser: The company is experiencing rapid growth due to its strong core values and mission as a God-centric company. As we continue to grow our custom modular display business, we are also evolving into an experiential marketing organization. We have been expanding our ability to assist clients with their environment and interiors to emphasize their brand identity. As Captivate moves forward In 2025, we look forward to enhancing our client and partner relationships.
This story originally appeared in the Q2 2025 issue of Exhibit City News, p. 68. For original layout, visit https://issuu.com/exhibitcitynews/docs/exhibit_city_news_-_apr_may_jun_2025/68.
