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Mick Parrott Receives Hazel Hays Award

Mick Parrott received the exhibit industry’s highest honor, the Hazel Hays Award, during the President’s Gala at EDPA ACCESS 2016 in Orlando. The recognition celebrated decades of innovation and leadership that helped reshape the modern exhibit industry.

The impact of Mick’s contributions reaches across nearly every corner of modular exhibit design. In 1986, while serving as CEO of ICON Exhibits, he introduced ExZact, a revolutionary modular panel system that quickly gained recognition for its speed, flexibility, and interchangeability.

Ten years later, in 1996, Mick introduced ExpoDeck, along with the QuicDecx connector and FlexRail railing system. Combined with ExZact, these innovations became the U.S. exhibit industry’s first fully integrated multi-level modular system and helped redefine what exhibitors could achieve with modular environments.

Two years later, Mick, who originally founded ICON Exhibits in the late 1970s, launched a new company, Highmark Technologies (now Highmark TechSystems), to design, manufacture, and market these extruded aluminum modular systems.

At a foundational level, he helped introduce the concept of aluminum extrusion-based exhibit systems to the U.S. market through American-made products. Similar systems had already proven successful internationally for decades due to their recyclability, flexibility, and ability to adapt to multiple configurations.

Before that shift, most exhibit environments in the United States relied heavily on traditional box-frame construction with limited modularity. These structures often required extensive warehouse storage and frequently ended up in landfills after use.

Mick’s approach changed the direction of the industry.

His design innovations helped pave the way for the widespread adoption of modular aluminum systems across the exhibit world. Today, aluminum extrusion systems remain a top choice for exhibit designers because they offer greater flexibility, sustainability, and long-term value.

ExpoDeck, in particular, continues to stand out as a preferred decking system among designers and installation and dismantle (I&D) companies due to its cost-effective engineering and visually impressive results.

A Pivotal Moment for Highmark TechSystems

The Hazel Hays Award arrived at a pivotal moment for both Mick and Highmark TechSystems.

Just days before receiving the honor, and two decades after encouraging the industry to “go up, not out” with ExpoDeck and an expanded line of modular wall systems, Mick announced the sale of Highmark TechSystems to his daughter, Debbie Parrott, officially making the company woman-owned.

From the beginning, the mission of Highmark TechSystems has centered on partnership rather than competition, working alongside exhibit designers and producers to create, build, and market specialized modular systems for the industry as a whole.

Being recognized by the core membership of EDPA served as both a celebration of Mick’s accomplishments and a reflection of the lasting impact Highmark continues to have on the exhibit and events industry.

A Leader in Custom, Prefabricated, and Temporary Event Structures

Highmark Techsystems continues to lead the industry with temporary and semi-permanent event structures that are sustainable, versatile, and cost-effective.

Our best-in-class solutions are designed to support and elevate the aesthetic representation of branded environments, while also saving clients money on design, production, shipping, installation, and dismantling.

Whether you need a mobile event structure for a trade show, a custom, double-deck event structure for an experiential marketing campaign, or a modular structure for a large-scale activation, Highmark is your go-to, innovative partner.

The Highmark Process: Design-Led, Engineered for Results

Highmark’s success is built on a collaborative, design-forward process that brings together engineering precision, creative vision, and operational efficiency.

1. Design Submission

Send us your design, from a full rendering to a simple sketch. We’ll meet you where you are.

2. Design Review

We evaluate scope and timing, then brief our design engineers to determine how Highmark’s modular systems support your vision.

3. Digital Engineering

Our engineers create detailed plan and isometric drawings showing how your structure would be built using Highmark products.

4. Cost Estimate

After drawing approval, you receive a clear cost estimate, engineering documentation, and weight and shipping details.

5. In-Shop Build

With approvals in place, fabrication begins in-house. Quality control is maintained from production through packing, ensuring proper fit, finish, and accuracy. Progress photos or shop visits are available.

6. Packing + Shipping

Structures are dismantled and packed into efficient shipping segments, with delivery to your shop or directly to the show site.

7. Installation

Designed for modularity and ease, Highmark structures install quickly with minimal tools. We can recommend trained I&D partners or provide on-site support as needed.

Partner with Highmark

Looking to create smarter, more flexible branded environments? Highmark TechSystems offers scalable and efficient modular structures that meet the needs of today’s fast-paced events industry. Let’s help you stand out together.

Talk to our expert team today to learn how Highmark can help you produce better events and improve your bottom line.