InTents April/May 2021 - 24

Carol Lee Cundey,
CERP, marketing and customer
service manager
Eureka! Tent Division
Binghamton, N.Y.
www.eurekapartytents.com
Eureka! Tent Division is a full-line
tent manufacturer with design
capabilities that serve camping,
military and commercial canopy/
rental markets.
Employs: 150

Judy Garcia,
vice president
SoCal Tents & Events-a division of
Pro Em National Event Services
Los Angeles, Calif.
www.proem.org/socal-tentsand-events
SoCal Tents & Events specializes in
major event planning and execution.
Employs: 300+ nationwide (Pro Em)

24 intents

0421IT_16_33.indd 24

C

Q: What do you know now that you
wish you knew at the beginning of
your career in tenting?

J

Q: What would you like people to
understand about the tent and
event industry?

arol Lee Cundey began
working in the event
coordination side of
the industry doing large-scale
corporate events in New Jersey.
When life events took her to
Pennsylvania, she took a position
at the Big Tents Division of
Johnson Outdoors Inc., a global
innovator of outdoor recreation
equipment and technologies. After
more than 20 years with Eureka!
Tent Division, she continues to
tap into what she calls the tent
geek within her-something that
drives her to use her expertise to
contribute to innovations and the
safety of the industry.

udy Garcia broke into the
tent industry in 1993 as a
customer service rep taking
orders for tables and chairs. After
working in sales, operations
and management positions at
a variety of tent companies, in
2007, Garcia launched SoCal
Tents & Events with industry
mentor Richard Martin.
Though the titles she has
held throughout her career
have changed, sales has always
been an important part of each
of them-which she says is
the most important part of any
company's success.

A: I always assumed getting involved
with associations was for the industry
veterans. I thought they were the ones
that needed to be at the shows and were
responsible for driving the industry.
Now that I'm on the board of MATRA
(Manufacturers and Tent Renters
Association) and I do volunteer work for
IFAI and its TRD (Tent Rental Division),
I wish I would have done it sooner.
Being involved exposes you to
knowledge and networking, and it's
a way to drive the safety and success
of the industry. And when new people
join the industry, they bring a different
perspective that can help take us to a
higher level.

A: I actually believe the tent industry
is not as well known as it could be,
even within the event industry itself.
This is something that I would like
to help change because what we do
is so unique. We're the bones of an
event. Similar to the bones in a person,
nobody thinks much about them, but
boy, do you need them. It's the same
for us. We're the ﬁrst ones in and the
last ones out.
The tent industry is exciting, and the
amazing things people do under our
tents are beautiful. I would love for the
tent industry to be more well known.

april-may 2021

3/29/21 6:45 PM
http://www.eurekapartytents.com http://www.proem.org/socal-tents
InTents April/May 2021

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