A Maker’s Mindset
Jeff West builds on passions, joins MC as Displays & Exhibits Project Manager
Jeff Montgomery
Content Strategist
Posted on
When you talk with Jeff West, one thing becomes immediately clear: This is someone who builds. Whether he’s crafting theater sets, constructing solar arrays, developing custom scheduling applications, or helping bring a client’s dream exhibit to life, Jeff brings a maker’s mindset to every challenge. Now, as McCullough Creative’s new Displays & Exhibits Project Manager, he’s channeling that energy into helping clients navigate their projects from first conversation to final install.
Content Strategist Jeff Montgomery sat down with Jeff West to talk about his new role, his unconventional path, and what drives him as an artist and collaborator.
JEFF: Hey Jeff. First of all, I wanted to say welcome aboard!
JEFF: Thanks, Jeff.
JEFF: (Long, deep sigh) So can see there’s a bit of a problem here, right?
JEFF: How so?
JEFF: It’s getting pretty Jeff heavy here at MC. We’ve got Jeff Wilson. Then there’s me. Now you. A bit crowded in the Jeffspace … I have a proposal.
JEFF: Let’s hear it.
JEFF: How about you go by Geoff? It’s still Jeff, but with a soft G.
JEFF: A soft G? That’s a hard no.
JEFF: Well then … From one Jeff to another, I guess I have to respect that. We’ll try something else.
JEFF: Thank you.
MONTGOMERY, JEFF: Let’s get this thing back on the rails. First off, can you walk me through your official title and what you’ll be doing day to day?
WEST, JEFF: Of course! My title is Displays and Exhibits Project Manager. The role is about guiding clients through the full process, which includes everything from gathering discovery info to seeing the project through final install. The goal is to make sure they love everything they’ve experienced before we even hand them the key.
Where my background helps is that I’ve actually worked in the shop. I know what it takes to build these things, so I can give realistic timelines, help align expectations, and make sure clients understand the realities of the build process while keeping projects moving smoothly. It’s all about setting everyone up for success.
MONTGOMERY: You have a unique creative journey. What got you interested in this kind of work?
WEST: From an early age, I always loved taking things apart and fixing them. When I was 13, my neighbor flipped houses every summer and hired me to help. I got to learn roofing, flooring, and plumbing. I loved building things from the start.
MONTGOMERY: And it sounds like that stuck with you into adulthood …
WEST: It sure did. And I think it really reached another level when a friend approached me and said, “Come help with a theater show.” I loved it. I worked on countless shows after that—sets, lighting, all of it.
MONTGOMERY: Very cool. I understand your wife has really helped shape your professional path and your creativity. Tell me about that …
WEST: Totally. I actually hired her to help on theater shows. We ended up doing lighting for concerts, The Nutcracker ballet… all kinds of stuff. Eventually we were both approached by a theater in New York and we worked there for about a year.
When we moved back to the Midwest, we focused on photography. We’d already been doing weddings and commercial work, so we made that our main thing for about 12 years.
MONTGOMERY: There’s another thing we have in common, in addition to the whole Jeff thing. Both you and I are in the trenches parenting young kids. Tell me about your daughter!
WEST: She’s awesome. Total feral child—in the best way. She loves being outside, getting dirty, hanging with the dogs and chickens. We bought our house because it had a big flat yard where she could run around. We’ll be out there working on something, and she’ll grab the drill and help. She’s happiest outside until she’s too cold to keep going.
MONTGOMERY: You’ve taken a lot of steps in your creative journey—and it seems like each one gave you some new skills and perspective. What made McCullough feel like the right next step?
WEST: I think the lessons I learned from theater influenced how I looked at McCullough. Theater is special because you work with creative people who somehow do impossible things.
When I looked at McCullough, I saw the same energy: collaborative, hands on, deadline-driven, building something from nothing. Exhibits, trade shows, museum pieces—it’s theatrical in its own way. You see a project from start to finish.
My first day, [Master Display Fabricator] Jeremy Rudd just handed me a stack of parts and a picture and said, “Go.” No instructions. It was great. We’ve been bouncing ideas back and forth about how to simplify structures, improve builds, all of it. That collaboration is what I love.
MONTGOMERY: It’s a team game here, that’s for sure. Now that you’ve had a little time in the building and in the shop, what are you most excited about as you settle into this role?
WEST: Getting to guide a project from that very first conversation all the way to installation. That full arc—dreaming it up, figuring it out, building it, delivering it—that’s always been the fun part for me. And doing that with a team that truly enjoys the process? That’s hard to beat.