Pillars Fort Worth, Texas

Rishi Patel

Named one of the top Wedding and Event Designers in the world by Harper’s Bazaar, VOGUE, Brides and Martha Stewart Weddings, along with being recognized as Top 40 under 40, Rishi remains one of the most highly coveted event designers among discerning clientele and notable figures alike. An advocate for fully transformative design, he specializes in celebrations of all kinds – all while adhering to the firm belief that service and guest experience are the cornerstone to great events and the definition of true luxury. From galas, to weddings, to milestone celebrations, any event is in his wheelhouse.

An educational background in Finance and an MBA from Indiana University has afforded him the ability to lead the HMR team from a fiscal perspective – though it’s his artistic passion that allows him to design the fantastical events he is known for. As much of a creative visionary as an astute business leader, Rishi’s insistence on unconventionality has continuously transformed the landscape of event design while granting him the honor of designing events for some of the most notable figures, families and organizations in the world.

Nadine Jervis

The brilliant arc of Nadine’s journey took her from processing flowers to receptionist, to ultimately the Director of Preston Bailey Designs. As an event producer with over twenty years of experience, Nadine fancies herself an “old school fixer.” Her natural stamina under pressure and exposure to unique experts across the industry has informed Nadine’s approach to transforming fantasy into reality despite constraints of venue, time, and budget.

Seventeen years in, she remains a Preston Bailey employee at large, and the owner of Living Turkoise LLC, where she continues to apply and develop her unique skill set of being able to fit a square peg into a round hole. Her Board of Directors consists of Steve Paster, Marcy Blum, Frank Alexander…from them she continues to learn many invaluable lessons. She has worked globally with Norma Cohen, Elan Artists, and Jeff Leatham, among others, and is proud of the fact that she has prevailed against the NYC blackout, Hurricanes, NYC Hotel Unions, many a broken elevator, missing Chuppa legs, centimeters vs. inches and continues to charm international customs guys and work crews around the world in all languages – never losing sight that she is only as good as the last installation.

Todd Fiscus

Todd Fiscus is the fearless leader and creative director behind all Todd brand companies – Todd Events, Party! Dallas, and Avant Garden. His 30+ years of experience in the industry include full scale event production, floral design, hospitality sales and management, culinary art, interior design and consulting, restaurant design and ownership, event space and logistical consulting, and more. At the heart of each of his endeavors is the desire to make others feel the joy and zest for life that he does – through beautiful experiences that thoughtfully bring people together. No one has the ability like Todd to pair “personal” with “pretty” in a way that makes everyone feel special, seen, and celebrated!

Christina Matteucci

Christina Matteucci (aka TeucciMama) has galvanized audiences of thousands with her compelling and utterly candid performance style. By reframing how to define & attain professional success, she’s earned the moniker Professional Provocatrice. As Executive Director of David Beahm Experiences NYC, Christina has spent over two decades traveling the world, executing unfathomably complex soirées––adventures that have inspired the stories and lessons she shares. Christina credits her rigorous theater training at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with her ability to conceive and produce lavish event experiences; she asserts that same education has been instrumental in attaining her stature as a sought-after public speaker.

Lonnie McGowen Jr.

Lonnie is a trusted Human Resources Executive with an established track record of proven success which focused on serving as the People and Culture strategist for a multi-billion-dollar business unit and Fortune 200 Organization. He began his career with Sherwin Williams and his most recent position was Vice President of HR.

His accomplishments include reducing overall turnover in key management roles in a time when labor shortages are a concern, increasing the number of minorities and women in key leadership roles to drive D&I efforts, and participating in the integration of several mergers and acquisitions. His latest venture involves ownership of IMAGE Studios an exclusive studio suite concept that provides modern, high-end spaces to entrepreneurs.

Randi Ray

Randi Ray has been producing events around the world with Todd Events for over 15 years. She came to Todd Events armed with a Bachelor’s in Floral Design and a Master’s in Hospitality Management, and quickly developed the skills to oversee large scale event productions and specialize in destination event management. In addition to her role as an Event Producer, she led the Todd Events team as Todd’s #2, Executive Director overseeing event production, sales and development, hiring and training, and financial management.

John Hingeley

John started tenting in high school and balanced a seasonal passion for tents and skiing before founding Skyline Tent Company at age twenty-four with his twin brother, Miles. He was then joined by a third brother, Jay, and a core team from inception that still works together today. John has grown Skyline into a national brand, where he and the team travel constantly and working with top Planners, Event Designers, and corporate partners across the US and beyond. He is committed to elevating the newest tent trends, yet always maintains a relentless focus on technical details and overall execution. Staying true to these core principles has led to enduring partnerships, meaningful friendships, and deep understanding of the tent industry.

Laura Franks

Armed with an MBA and a background in retail management and consulting, with a side hustle assisting wedding planners, Laura joined Todd Fiscus over 25 years ago to help solidify and grow his first event production business. Since then, she has continued to develop and help manage multiple businesses with Todd, including retail, restaurants, hospitality & event consulting, luxury furniture rentals, and floral & event production. Laura’s focus is operational, financial, analytics, and team support, ensuring the structure is sound so that businesses and their people can create and flourish.

Tony Corley

Tony is the Managing Partner and COO of See-Hear Productions, a boutique special event design and production company that delivers premium event design, production, and fabrication services nationwide. Tony has 30+ years of management and leadership experience across many industries including Live Events, Engineering, Sales, and Retail and his educational background includes degrees in both Electrical Engineering and Business Administration. Tony has helped See-Hear Productions and other companies to develop and implement standard operating procedures horizontally across multiple business units and vertically through all levels of those units. Tony is passionate about engaging with people at their point of need and working to develop those around him into future leaders, inspiring them to reach their full potential in all of their endeavors.

Sabrina Dee

Vision and adaptivity are the tenants of Sabrina Dee’s leadership style. She is an entrepreneur, creative director, and advisor working with companies and individuals worldwide to help them realize their visions for themselves, their people and their organizations. Converging creativity with commerce, her career stretches across several industries from luxury fashion and hospitality to sports and entertainment. From small startups to global brands, she’s had the opportunity to work with a diverse group of dynamic creatives, high performance leaders, scientists and everyone in between.

Andrew Leavitt

Andrew Leavitt has over 20 years of experience in the live event industry, starting his early career producing and planning charity events, weddings, and mitzvahs, then moving into large-scale festivals and concert tours in partnership with AEG Presents / Goldenvoice and Live Nation. After years of producing live events, Andrew combined his passion for planning & event safety to launch Ironic, a Concierge Meteorology Service specializing in Event Meteorology, Event safety, and Risk Management.