In the mid 1980’s, Fred Van Soest, and sons joined in a venture to design and build exhibits using an aluminum exhibit system developed and in widespread use in Europe. This system had only recently begun to find a market in North America and Fred saw the potential of using this system for exhibit rentals. With no investment capital, and with only two clients, Soest & Associates was incorporated in 1987. A 1,500 square foot mini industrial unit was the launching pad for our company, which now occupies a 42,000 sq. foot facility in Torrance, CA. Fred’s innovative and imaginative use of the system, lives on in a legacy of hundreds of hand-drawn designs. These drawings serve on as an inspiration to our designers who today reproduce and modify Fred’s original designs on a state of the art computer aided design and rendering system. Fred’s unique and imaginative approach to exhibit design, as well as his uncompromising dedication to customer service; are carried on to this day by his family and the employees of Soest & Associates.