farragutpress

Firms win national honor

July 22, 2026 by Tammy Cheek

Two Knoxville businesses collaborated on a recent national exhibit, Great American State Fair, in Washington, D.C., to showcase Tennessee and won Best of Show.

Designsensory of 1740 Commons Point Drive, and Graphic Creations, 213 E. 4th Ave., joined together to create an exhibit representing all three sections of the state for the free exposition taking place from June 25 to July 10 at the National Mall to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the country’s beginnings.

“All 50 states were represented plus six territories,” Graphic Creations president Jim Caughorn said, adding every state had a pavilion.

The Great American State Fair and a 2012 Medal of Honor Convention are “probably the two most proud projects for our company to be a part of,” Caughorn said. “… to put our footprint on that is quite remarkable.

“I don’t think there are too many projects that you could put a stamp on that would be bigger that that in terms of a moment of pride and excitement,” he added.

“The project simply wouldn’t have happened without incredible local partners,” said Brad Carpenter, Designsensory vice president of engagement marketing. “Graphic Creations was instrumental in fabricating the exhibit walls and

helping engineer the structure, TV placements and neon installation.

“Their expertise allowed us to move quickly without sacrificing quality,” he said.

“What this project really demonstrated is what Knoxville does best. When there’s a challenge, local businesses step up, collaborate and find creative solutions together,” Carpenter said. “This wasn’t the work of one company, it was the result of talented people across our community coming together with a shared goal.

“To see Tennessee recognized with ‘Best in Show’ was incredibly rewarding,” he said. “It’s a testament not only to the creativity and determination of our team at Designsensory, but also to the strength of Knoxville’s creative community.

“We proved that great ideas, strong partnerships and relentless execution could compete with anyone, regardless of budget or timeline.”

The project began for the two companies when “a coalition of teams from the Governor’s Office, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, and the Tennessee State Museum reached out to us directly about leading this project,” Carpenter said.

Caughhorn said Designsensory was commissioned to “design something that represented the culture and history of all three sections of our state visually.”

“Designsensory has partnered with the State of Tennessee on a variety of projects over the years … so, we have a reputation for taking on ambitious projects with incredibly tight timelines,” Carpenter added.

“We worked in the past with Designsensory on other projects,” Caughorn said.

“They had the concept, then it was getting the concept to print and to display,” he added. That’s where Graphic Creations came in, executing on the implementation: the printing, video displays and hardware.

“It was a very elaborate production,” Caughorn added.

“It was a fast-paced six weeks of planning, design, fabrication, logistics and installation before heading to Washington, D.C.,” Carpenter said.

“What makes this project so special isn’t just the final result,” he added. “It’s what it took to get there. I run events for a living, doing massive red carpet premieres in L.A. and NYC ... this event was hard!”

However, “this project is proof that creativity, collaboration and execution can outperform time and budget,” Carpenter said. “Designsensory had just six weeks to budget, design, strategize, produce, and install an experience that represented the entire state of Tennessee on a national stage.

“Most participating states had several months to prepare, and many had significantly larger budgets,” he said. “That made the challenge even more exciting.