One of the display companies businesses are relying on is Creative Displays, a local exhibit house here in Camarillo. The company enjoys a large niche in the apparel and lingerie markets, but has also been very successful in other sectors such as tech and machinery. The display maker travels the national tradeshow circuit, setting up and “tearing down” displays in major cities such as Las Vegas, New York, and Miami. The work is grueling, and many workdays go well into the morning, but the end result is very rewarding. “Once our displays are all set up, we just sit back and admire- to think that what we are looking at was shipped in a crate, it’s almost unbelievable,” says Abe Geary, the owner of Creative Displays.

Geary bought the business in 2003, and has since taken the company to higher levels. What was once essentially a one-ma operation, is today a booming business complete with sales reps, office assistants, carpenters, designers, and accountants. The remarkable growth has been attributed to the adherence of their sales plan, and their tremendous focus on customer service and client management. Another factor has been the company’s youth. Most of the employees aren’t over the age of 30, and they are all very talented and enthusiastic. Geary feels that this is a huge competitive advantage because the industry is filled with “veterans” that aren’t open to experimentation or any new ideas.

This competitive advantage was witnessed last year, when Creative Displays won the coveted “Best Image” award at the Magic fashion show in Las Vegas. Hundreds of displays were evaluated, but Creative Displays eventually came out on top with their “Orange County Choppers” exhibit. The company viewed this win as a major milestone, especially because they were dealing with such a high profile client, and everything went just as planned. Winning the award truly put Creative Displays on the map, and since then jobs have just been rolling in. Things got so busy, that the company had to actually relocate to a bigger warehouse in order to handle the increased workload.

In addition to designing, building, and renting custom exhibits, Creative Displays also assists their clients with show regulations and requirements that are typically outside a normal display houses’ responsibilities. “We do things like order their carpet and their electricity…we know that’s not our job, but we do it anyways because we’re trying to make their whole experience with us easy.” With so much going on, and so much preparation required to attend a show, the company feels that going the extra mile for a client is just the right thing to do.