Sho-Link, Inc.
Sho-Link is the sole national Installation and Dismantle labor cooperative for the U.S. tradeshow industry, delivering I&D services across 200+ cities with 2,600+ employees through 10 member exhibit-builder companies, founded in 1993.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersLake Forest, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Sho-Link, Inc. does
Sho-Link, Inc. is a privately held Installation and Dismantle (I&D) labor cooperative headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois, founded in 1993. The company provides skilled I&D crews for the U.S. tradeshow and exhibit industry through a unique cooperative model comprising 10 member companies, including Derse, Nimlok, Hamilton Exhibits, Orbus Visual Communications, Downing Displays, Dimensional World Wide, Ion Exhibits, EdeCorp, Exhibitree, and SWXG. Sho-Link's workforce of 2,600+ employees delivers services across 200+ U.S. cities, positioning it as the sole national I&D cooperative in the tradeshow segment.
Sho-Link's offering spans four core service lines: Tradeshow Booth Installation and Dismantle (covering traditional construction, stretch fabric framing, and diverse exhibit systems), Permanent Environment Installation (museums, educational spaces, visitor centers), Special Projects (temporary activations, retail installations, private events), and General Services Contracting for conferences and expos. The underlying technology stack is intentionally light: a Wix-hosted public website for marketing and a Microsoft Power Apps-based client portal (CSP Login) for member order management, with PayTrace handling payment processing. The company has no disclosed software platform, no API, and no AI/ML components — Sho-Link is fundamentally a labor services business rather than a technology business.
The revenue model is professional services, quote-based, with multi-year contracts. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; customers request estimates through the website and engage Sho-Link through the cooperative membership structure. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales targeting experiential designers, builders, and tradeshow exhibitors, with the cooperative itself functioning as the primary referral channel. The company reports 101-250 corporate employees in firmographic data, which likely reflects only headquarters and regional management staff rather than the 2,600+ field workforce. Sho-Link is led by President Colleen Johnson and VP of Operations Rob West, with regional/city managers overseeing major U.S. tradeshow markets.
Sho-Link, Inc. firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sho-Link, Inc.
- Legal name
- Sho-Link, Inc.
- Website
- https://sho-link.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Sho-Link is the sole national Installation and Dismantle labor cooperative for the U.S. tradeshow industry, delivering I&D services across 200+ cities with 2,600+ employees through 10 member exhibit-builder companies, founded in 1993.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sho-Link, Inc. industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Tradeshow Installation and Labor Services
- NAICS
- Temporary Help Services (56132)
- SIC
- Services-Help Supply Services (7363)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Event/Commercial Setup Labor (Trade Shows, Pop-Ups, Staging) (HSAKAMAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Interstate White-Glove Moving & Setup (Assembly/Installation) (HSAKABAM)
Keywords
Where Sho-Link, Inc. is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lake Forest
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Sho-Link, Inc. business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Installation and Dismantle Labor Services: Sho-Link provides skilled labor for tradeshow booth installation and dismantling. The company employs over 2600 workers across 200+ US cities to serve tradeshow and exhibit companies. Services are delivered through a cooperative membership model where member companies engage Sho-Link for their I&D needs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom labor services for tradeshow installation and dismantle |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Sho-Link, Inc. product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sho-Link provides skilled installation and dismantle (I&D) labor services for the U.S. tradeshow and exhibition industry, deploying 2,600+ workers across 200+ cities on behalf of 10 cooperative member companies. Services cover tradeshow booth I&D, permanent environment installation (museums, educational spaces, visitor centers), special projects (retail installations, temporary activations, private events), and general services contracting for conferences and expos.
Product overview
Sho-Link, Inc. is an I&D (installation and dismantle) cooperative providing national labor services for the tradeshow and exhibition industry. The company operates as a unified service offering — not a software platform — organized around four core service lines: Tradeshow Booth Installation and Dismantle Services (covering traditional construction, stretch fabric framing, and diverse exhibit systems), Permanent Environment Installation Services (for museum exhibits, educational spaces, and visitor centers), Special Projects (for temporary activations, retail installations, and private events), and General Services Contracting (comprehensive event support for conferences, expos, and tradeshows). All services share a single-point-of-contact model and are delivered by a geographically distributed workforce of 2,600+ employees across 200+ U.S. cities, with support from 10 CoOp member companies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Tradeshow Booth Installation and Dismantle (I&D) Services
Companies that use Sho-Link, Inc.
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Sho-Link, Inc. technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Sho-Link, Inc. partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Dimensional World Wide (DWW)coreOne of 10 member companies of the Sho-Link I&D cooperative. Dimensional World Wide is a provider of experiential design and build services. As a member, DWW contributes to and benefits from the cooperative's national labor network and collaborative service model.
- Downing DisplayscoreMember company of the Sho-Link cooperative, providing exhibit design and fabrication services. Downing Displays participates in the cooperative labor network for I&D services.
- DersecoreMember of the Sho-Link cooperative, Derse provides face-to-face marketing environments and relies on Sho-Link's I&D labor services.
- NimlokcoreSho-Link cooperative member providing portable and custom exhibit solutions. Nimlok participates in the national I&D labor network.
- Orbus Visual Communications GroupcoreMember company of the Sho-Link cooperative offering visual communication products and exhibits. Uses Sho-Link's labor services for installation and dismantle.
- Ion ExhibitscoreSho-Link cooperative member providing exhibit design and installation services. Ion Exhibits benefits from the cooperative's nationwide labor network.
- Hamilton ExhibitscoreMember of the Sho-Link I&D cooperative, providing tradeshow exhibits and event services. Hamilton Exhibits participates in the cooperative labor model.
- EdeCorpcoreMember company of the Sho-Link cooperative. EdeCorp participates in the collaborative I&D labor network serving the tradeshow industry.
- ExhibitreecoreSho-Link cooperative member providing exhibit solutions. Exhibitree relies on Sho-Link's national labor network for installation and dismantle services.
- SWXGcoreMember company of the Sho-Link I&D cooperative. SWXG participates in the cooperative's national labor services network.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Sho-Link, Inc. competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- 2020 Exhibits: Provider of custom exhibits, tradeshow programs, and on-site I&D installation services. Competes for the same experiential-builder and end-exhibitor contracts across major U.S. tradeshow venues.
- Freeman: The largest global provider of tradeshow and event services, including I&D labor and exhibit logistics. Competes directly with Sho-Link for exhibit-builder labor contracts and tradeshow install/dismantle engagements across major U.S. venues.
- GES (Exhibits by GES): Long-standing global experiential services provider offering tradeshow exhibit design, fabrication, and on-site I&D labor. Overlaps directly with Sho-Link's core service line for exhibit-builder partners and corporate exhibitors.
- Hargrove: U.S. event, tradeshow, and experiential marketing services company with national installation and dismantle capabilities. Directly comparable in offering end-to-end tradeshow and corporate event execution to enterprise exhibitors.
- Czarnowski Collection: Exhibit, event, and museum installation services firm with custom fabrication and on-site I&D capability. Competes with Sho-Link across trade-show I&D and permanent environment (museum/visitor center) installation.
- Sparks: Experiential marketing agency within Publicis that designs and produces brand experiences, including tradeshow, retail, and event activations. Overlaps with Sho-Link's Special Projects retail/event installation service lines.
- Fern Expo: Mid-sized exhibit and event services company providing tradeshow I&D, custom exhibit fabrication, and event management across the U.S. — directly comparable to Sho-Link's full-service install/dismantle model.
- Skyline Exhibits: Designer and producer of custom and portable exhibits with a national installer network providing tradeshow I&D services. Comparable to Sho-Link in serving corporate exhibitors and exhibit-house partners.
Broad incumbents
- Cort: Largest U.S. provider of rental furniture and event furnishings for tradeshows and corporate events. Adjacent but comparable service for experiential builders and tradeshow exhibitors needing turnkey show-floor setup support.
- Production Resource Group (PRG): Global provider of event and entertainment production services including rigging, staging, and labor for large-scale events. Overlaps with Sho-Link's General Services Contracting line for conferences and expos at broader scale and with broader production capabilities.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Sho-Link, Inc. social profiles
Digital presenceSho-Link, Inc. financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sho-Link, Inc. leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Sho-Link, Inc. funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sho-Link, Inc. M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sho-Link, Inc.
What does Sho-Link, Inc. do?
Sho-Link provides skilled installation and dismantle (I&D) labor services for the U.S. tradeshow and exhibition industry, deploying 2,600+ workers across 200+ cities on behalf of 10 cooperative member companies. Services cover tradeshow booth I&D, permanent environment installation (museums, educational spaces, visitor centers), special projects (retail installations, temporary activations, private events), and general services contracting for conferences and expos.
Is Sho-Link, Inc. a public or private company?
Sho-Link, Inc. is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Sho-Link, Inc. founded?
Sho-Link, Inc. was founded in 1993. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Sho-Link, Inc. based?
Sho-Link, Inc. is headquartered in Lake Forest, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sho-Link, Inc. make money?
One revenue line is on record: installation and Dismantle Labor Services.
Who are Sho-Link, Inc.'s main competitors?
Direct peers on record are 2020 Exhibits, Freeman, GES (Exhibits by GES), Hargrove, Czarnowski Collection, Sparks, Fern Expo and Skyline Exhibits. Broad incumbents are Cort and Production Resource Group (PRG).
Does Sho-Link, Inc. have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sho-Link, Inc..
What industry is Sho-Link, Inc. in?
Sho-Link, Inc.'s product category is Tradeshow Installation and Labor Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAKAMAJ, Event/Commercial Setup Labor (Trade Shows, Pop-Ups, Staging), with a secondary code of HSAKABAM, Interstate White-Glove Moving & Setup (Assembly/Installation). Its NAICS code is 56132 and its SIC code is 7363.