George Jage
President
SFG Group, LLC

George began in the trade show business in 1993 when he headed the operations for the launch of a successful apparel trade show, the Off-Price Specialist Show.  The show started with 20 companies exhibiting in hotel rooms.  By 1999, there were over 400 exhibitors occupying over 85,000 net sf of space.  In addition to the trade show, George also founded a tent structure company to house the event and at its peak, set up 185,000 sf structure, with 4 megawatts of generated power and over 2000 tons of HVAC for the 5 day event in the August heat of Las Vegas in 2001.   The Off-Price Show was sold to Tarsus Plc in 1999 and concluding George’s management contract in 2001, he headed west to Las Vegas.

Once in Vegas, George founded 3 businesses including SFG Group LLC, the parent company of the World Tea Expo. In 2003, SFG Group launched the Take Me 2 Tea Expo, the nation’s first tradeshow devoted solely to the tea industry. The result has been a fast-growing industry mirrored and fueled by this fast-growing trade show. In 2005, the Expo was re-branded as the World Tea Expo to more accurately reflect its growth, scope, and position in the international tea industry.   In 2004, he was named as one of Tradeshow Week’s “Next Generation of Leaders.”
In 2006, the World Tea Expo was recognized as one of Tradeshow Week’s Fastest 50 for its first three years of history.

George is a member of numerous business groups, including the Society of Independent Show Organizers, the International Association of Exhibit Managers, and the Entrepreneurs Organization. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the Specialty Tea Institute along with being its 2006 Symposium Chair.