InTents April/May 2022 - 10

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In memoriam
Kevin McBride, former
TRD chairman and 2007
Wodetzki Award winner,
passed away in January.
Tent industry remembers Kevin McBride
McBride was the owner of PJ McBride
Inc. until its acquisition by Stamford Tents
& Events in 2011 and continued to serve
the industry in the ensuing decade.
Industry leaders remembered McBride
as a leader and innovator in the industry.
" I am extremely sad to learn of the loss
I
ndustry leader Kevin McBride, 68, passed
away Jan. 5, 2022, in Sun City West, Ariz.
McBride, the former owner of PJ McBride
Inc., West Babylon, N.Y., was a longtime
leader and member of the Industrial
Fabrics Association International and the
Tent Rental Division and was the TRD
chairman from 2004 to 2006.
He was also recognized with the Bruce
W. Wodetzki Award, the tent rental industry's
most prestigious honor, in 2007. The
award is named for the founding member
and irst Chairman of IFAI's Tent Rental Division
(TRD) and recognizes professionals
who continue his legacy of impacting the
growth, direction and success of the tent
rental industry.
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10 intents april-may 2022
of Kevin McBride and my heartfelt condolences
go out to his family including
his wife Janet and his father Pat. Also to
his numerous industry friends and the
many loyal employees that he had over
his terriic career, " said Jim Reyen, business
director at Eureka! Tents. " I cannot
think of anyone that dedicated more to
this division than Kevin including his time
serving as the chairman of the division
and ultimately him winning an incredibly
well-deserved Bruce Wodetzki Award in
2007. He loved the TRD and I will always
appreciate the time he took to mentor our
group, his countless contributions at TRD
Events, and speciically a special time we
had listening to the Jimmy Buffet Cover
Band, and enjoying a memorable TRD
Beach Tent Party in St. Pete. Kevin was a
terriic guy and a wonderful asset to this
division, and he will be greatly missed. "
" His love and respect for tenting led him
to serve on and eventually chair the IFAI's
Tent Rental Division Steering Committee, "
said Jerry O'Connell, the 2005 Wodetzki
award winner. " Kevin also spent years on
the original Education Committee that
wrote the industry's irst 'how to' manual
for the safe installation of tentage. But what
I most admired about Kevin was his devotion
to friendships. He really got to know
his friends, their families, their businesses,
and how they all intertwined. His web of
friendships allowed him to have his 'inger
on the pulse' of our tent rental world,
which helped the TRD and its members on
countless occasions. He was always there
when you needed him. "

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InTents April/May 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of InTents April/May 2022