Today we’d like to introduce you to Chantal Yan and Vincent Ng.
Chantal and Vincent, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was first introduced to the trade show industry back in 1999 while I was still working for Tatung Company of America. I was hired straight after college from Cal State University Long Beach. I took care of the entire trade show for Tatung – from booking hotel rooms, planning sales meeting, designing the booth, taking care of marketing materials. I’ve learned a lot about the trade show industry while working for Tatung, I got along very well with all of the vendors. I got a call from the owner of Custom Exhibit Systems, one of the vendors that I hired one day offering me a position at his company. I liked the industry so much, I took his offer and went into the manufacturing of trade show booth side of the business. I worked for Custom Exhibit Systems for about 4.5 years as their Project Manager until the company filed chapter 11. It was too difficult for the company to keep up with their debt. I had 2 options. The first option was to go look for another job. The second option was to start my own company. I knew there were a lot of risks involved, but with my husband, Vince Ng supporting me, I’ve decided to take the risk and went with option 2 because I was able to learn enough from the 4.5 years I was with Custom Exhibit Systems.
January 16, 2004, was when Exhibit Link, Inc. got incorporated. I was 28 years old at the time and my husband was 30 years old. We started out leasing a 2,000-sq. ft. facility in Paramount, CA. During our first few months, Vince was juggling between 2 jobs. We were picking up business at a very fast rate.
He soon had to quit his job as a Microbiologist at Merle Norman. He’s decided to run the business with me full time. Within 6 months, we were able to get a small business loan and purchased our first warehouse approx. 7,000 sq. ft. in Santa Fe Springs, CA. We worked in Santa Fe Springs for about 7.5 years, we grew out of that facility and purchased our 2nd warehouse in Monterey Park, CA in 2012. Our current address is 707 Monterey Pass Rd., Monterey Park, CA 91754.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We were lucky enough to have a smooth sailing with our company. Our biggest success was to learn from the mistakes that Custom Exhibit Systems did.
I learned to keep the expenses low.
Exhibit Link – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
In a trade show environment, it’s all about gaining attention, focusing it on your product and influencing the purchase decision. The design of your display booth is directly linked to show success, and can make the difference between modest results and extraordinary goal achievement.
Your display should be a three-dimensional extension of your company’s image, marketing messages, and sales efforts. The design must enhance your corporate identity and differentiate your company from competitors.
At Exhibit Link, Inc., we are a one-stop shop for the trade show needs. We have a quick turnaround for design, pricing and fabrications. Our company is small but it is efficient. Our staff consists of 7 bright and very hard-working individuals. We take care of design, fabrication, sign making, logistics along with installation and dismantle. We travel nationwide to take care of trade shows for our clients.
Our cost is lower than most companies out there because we are able to keep expenses low but not inhibit the quality that we produce. We’ve won 2 best design awards.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
We’ve been in business for almost 14 years. We’ve fabricated over five hundred trade show exhibits. We are proudest of our team of 7. Even though our team is small, we are able to produce at a capacity of about 30 people because of how efficient our system and team works. Everyone is skilled, loyal, intelligent and extremely competent.
Contact Info:
- Address: 707 Monterey Pass Rd.
Monterey Park, CA 91754 - Website: www.exhibitlink.biz
- Phone: 3233182440
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/exhibitlink/
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