Star

2021 Most Admired CEOs: Mark Johnson leads STAR through pandemic pivot, with rebound ahead - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal

Join the Star team in celebrating our CEO, Mark Johnson on being selected as one of Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s Most Admired CEOs for 2021. We are so proud of Mark for his unwavering, dedication, passion, energy & leadership.

2021 Most Admired CEOs: Mark Johnson leads STAR through pandemic pivot, with rebound ahead - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal Mark Johnson was never supposed to be CEO of Star Exhibits & Environments Inc., but when his co-founder Tom Pechacek unexpectedly passed away from melanoma just three months into operations, Johnson found himself reluctantly stepping into the top role.

Small businesses that support performance venues still facing ruin due to pandemic

Small businesses that support performance venues still facing ruin due to pandemic Minnesota small businesses that support performances venues and live events say they are still facing struggles amidst the pandemic.

Thank you Rajiv Tandon for highlighting Star in the latest issue of Twin Cities Business. You have been an inspiration to us as we reimagined the opportunities this past year. When Life Gives Your Lemons Make Champagne!

It’s Time to “Fan Up”

Let’s make 2021 the year of big ideas focusing on the fan experience. If we “fan up,” 2021 will prove special on and off the field for sports fans across the country.
https://hubs.li/H0P6_n10

It’s Time to “Fan Up” Let’s make 2021 the year of big ideas focusing on the fan experience. If we “fan up,” 2021 will prove special on and off the field for sports fans across the country.

Looted and burned, Northside Cub returns with new grocery store model

Proud to be Cub's partner in supporting this initiative. True leadership from their CEO, Mike Stigers.

https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/land-of-10000-stories/looted-and-burned-northside-cub-returns-with-new-store-model/89-36d8d07f-5351-4b7e-942e-131d5fe6b58e

Looted and burned, Northside Cub returns with new grocery store model Neighborhood leaders praise Cub's CEO for a community-first approach

Join the STAR team in saluting our founder and leader on being named one the 2021 Ten Most Admired CEOs by the MSP Business Journal. Congrats, Mark Johnson. Mark is grateful for the honor and credits the recognition to his team at STAR! We also extend to the other Twin Cities CEOs being recognized!

https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2021/05/03/business-journal-announces-2021-most-admired-ceos.html

Powering the Future of Crisis Response. Our client Hunt Electric Corporation partnered with Star to developed a mobile, multi-functional, self-cleaning containerized solution. In just one month, the team brought the testing, triage, and outpatient care unit from innovative designs and ideas to completed proof-of-concept that is production ready.
https://hubs.ly/H0Ljqvv0

PIVOT! How One Trade Show Company Ended 2020 with More Cash Than They Started

Star & Mybackyardstudio CEO, Mark Johnson shares how STAR pivoted in 2020 keeping the entrepreneurial dream alive while safeguarding his clients during some of the most volatile times in recent US history.

PIVOT! How One Trade Show Company Ended 2020 with More Cash Than They Started The trade show industry was one of the hardest-hit in 2020 and while 30% of companies (in the overall market) managed to take full advantage of unstable markets, 30% scraped bottom or worse. Rising from the bottom third, Mark Johnson ended the year with more cash than he started.

Timeline photos

Welcome to Miami!

Star and Mybackyardstudio were thrilled to participate in the 2021 College Football Playoff Beachwalk. Hear all about it here! College Football Playoff ESPN Welcome to Miami! https://hubs.ly/H0Gt4YT0

Welcome to Miami! Welcome to Miami!

myBackyardStudio™ is excited to be partnering with ESPN, College Football Playoff and College Football Playoff Foundation to celebrate our nation’s educators to provide the ultimate backyard distant learning experience. Nominate a deserving teacher on the Instagram page to help them win a myBackyardStudio™. .

Wishing all of you a Happy Holiday season!

myGym™ Is your treadmill in the backdrop of your Zoom meeting, or are you tired of wearing a mask to the gym? myBackyardStudios™ is reinventing your workout. Workout how you want to – with no limits and no rules except those set by you.

TCF Bank has selected STAR as their partner for trade shows and events. The team at STAR is thrilled to partner with TCF Bank as they continue to strengthen individuals, businesses and the community.

STAR is a one-stop shop to meet school needs to safely open. As an organization founded on the principles of creating branded experiences, we have audited multiple school districts and have created a simple easy to manage program to meet all opening needs. Optimize your staff’s time and minimize the number of suppliers. STAR is your resource to reopen safely and create a experience that provides comfort to your students and staff.

One More COVID-Inspired Phrase

One More COVID-Inspired Phrase
As we begin to help our clients plan for the return of sports, our work will be forever nuanced. Fans will still be fans, but the experiences will be different. Yes, there will be die-hards immediately returning to venues they hold near and dear, watching games with classmates, family and friends. Some won’t come back at all due to health reasons or finances or priority shifts or, simply put, fear. Some may adopt a deeper passion for a team, as sports fills a much-needed void in our country while others may simply never regain their zeal.

One More COVID-Inspired Phrase Our job in Sports Marketing is one of the greatest around. We’re charged with creating memorable, engaging experiences for fans across the globe.

As we all come together through this global crisis, we must be ready to address the recovery of our communities, our nation and the world. It also requires us to pivot and look at how we can be part of the solution.

We at STAR are committed to be a resource to build readiness to support communities needing to expand temporary structures like patient care spaces, and emergency structures, to address our health care communities’ potential needs. We bring 27 years of experience designing, fabricating and installing structures that connect, engage and convert. Our experience provides structurally engineered, turn-key solutions for large scale events, retail environments and exhibits. We have invaluable knowledge of materials for hard wall exterior, interior, temporary spaces that require medically safe and clean space needs.

To help support your readiness, we are ready to have a conversation to share ideas should you find a need in expanding your patient care space or other temporary environments.

Reach us at [email protected] and engagestar.com.

Safe and Practical Marketing Solutions During the COVID-19 Outbreak

Inside an international health crisis, plans change. The COVID-19 outbreak is very real. The potential impact on marketing is real.

How do we keep people safe and healthy while keeping companies and their bottom line healthy as well?

What can you do while teams are working from home and you have lower budgets than normal?

Safe and Practical Marketing Solutions During the COVID-19 Outbreak During an outbreak, how do we keep our people safe and healthy while keeping companies and bottom lines healthy as well?

How Can Marketers Find Their Most Creative and Dynamic Selves?

Every day, marketers experience the pressure of the fast-paced digital space. So, how can they best find creativity that sparks productivity?

How Can Marketers Find Their Most Creative and Dynamic Selves? The life of a modern-day marketer is expected to be productive and creative at once. So, how can marketers find their most creative and dynamic selves?

Dynamic Moments from EuroShop 2020

EuroShop was jam-packed with five days of trends, inspiration and networking. We put together a photo gallery of some innovational moments at the fair below.

☝️☝️REMINDER: Our next “Look Who’s Talking” event, hosted April 16th, will highlight key trends and moments from the fair. Save the date and stay tuned for tickets!

Dynamic Moments from EuroShop 2020 Photo highlights from Euroshop 2020 in Dusseldorf Germany.

A Designer's Approach to the Creative Process

We sat down with our creative director to learn how collaborative ideation and design create effective experiences for brands and their customers. Read on the blog ⬇️⬇️

A Designer's Approach to the Creative Process We sat down with our Creative Director, Dane Giles, to chat with him about how he approaches the creative process for every kind of marketing campaign.

Emtek brought a mood board to life to help inspire your inner statement maker. @ KBIS Las Vegas

The kitchen and bath industry’s leading event for showcasing new and innovative products to shop for hearth and home. Another year in the books. ✅

There was a buzz on the show floor at official because of the in-booth experiential activity. It allowed guests to select options that were then assembled by craftsman within the booth. The items were then gift wrapped so attendees could take home a present from the show :) @ KBIS Las Vegas

Oh yeah, some players showed up too. competed in a Pro-Am against a member of the audience. You can ask him who ended up getting the W... 👀 @ Mall of America

The stage was set for 4 finalists that competed against gamers from across North America. The event streamed online via the Twitch channel, but we enjoyed helping IRL. 🎉 @ Mall of America

Did we mention bragging rights?? Meet: The Bulb. 💡 This will be the trophy for the winners tonight. The Bulb is a retired stage light that we repurposed to showcase the winning band’s stage cred. 🎸

Tonight’s the night! is on at with agencies all across Minnesota competing for bragging rights. All proceeds support the battle scholarship fund.

We want to thank everyone for joining us last week to hear from our friend and Minnesota Men's Basketball legend Willie Burton. Make sure you keep an eye out for more info on the next Look Who’s Talking coming soon! 👀

Willie shared all of his inspirational stories with us and he stressed how important it is to help others as much as you can, and that you should never stop learning. @ Star