DEREK GENTILE:
President and CEO, EEI Global, Inc., an experiential marketing firm in Rochester Hills. His impact on the organization and the industry was reflected in his management of the Chrysler account from 1990 to 2000, during which he increased revenue to $25 million from an initial $4 million. Gentile has also played a major role in developing his company’s technology capabilities, leading the development and implementation of proprietary exhibit and event management software. He created the graphics unit of EEI and established its mobile marketing component, a capability that has attracted an ever-increasing amount of business and acclaim. In addition to exhibits, graphics, and event-management software, the company provides such experiential marketing services as strategy, design, engineering, fabrication, and trouping. Gentile managed the purchase and logistics of the organization’s move to a newly built headquarters in Rochester Hills. The rebranding of the company as EEI Global was carried out in 2008 under his guidance. Gentile’s deep experience derives, in part, from his work around the globe, including eight different markets in Asia, as well as in Europe, Latin America, and North America. Gentile served as president of the influential Exhibit Designers and Producers Association in 2007, and has been recognized by Crain’s Detroit Business as one of its “40 Under 40” business leaders. Gentile attended Wayne State University and Henry Ford Community College.
