Stages Northwest Team
“The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile
are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense.”
― Thomas A. Edison
Alex DePiero – Logistics Manager
Email: alex.depiero@stagesnorthwest.com
Phone: 971-212-0284 Ext. 3
Alex DePiero, Logistics Manager, joined the firm in 2012. He grew along with Stages Northwest moving through the ranks to the position he holds today. Alex’s experience both as the Yard Manager and Stage Lead provides the strong background and expertise to manage complex projects such as Paradiso, Waterfront Blues Festival, and CART Races.
During the “slow” season, Alex enjoys the great outdoors and getting away from electronic communications.
Anthony Zavada – Chief Estimator
Email: anthony.zavada@stagesnorthwest.com
Phone: 971-212-0284 Ext. 2
Anthony has been around the staging industry his whole life. Started working at Stages Northwest as a high school summer job, went off to study engineering and business, and has been working full time since 2014.
Chris Ortolano – Client Services
Email: chris.ortolano@stagesnorthwest.com
Phone: 971-212-0284 Ext. 1
Chris Ortolano is the Client Relations Rep at Stages Northwest, working closely with producers and planners to solve problems, hit deadlines, and help keep event production on time and within budget.
Prior to his role at Stages Northwest, Chris worked as an accounting manager for a Portland fabrication company remodeling the Portland airport. Chris is also a dedicated pickleball player and coach, building community on and off the courts, in Oregon and Washington.
Melissa Smith – Office Administration
Email: Melissa.Smith@stagesnorthwest.com
Phone: 971-212-0284
After a career in special education, Melissa made the leap into a new professional chapter in 2024, to explore the world of project management. Her years as a teacher honed her skills in organization, scheduling, and managing complex tasks—strengths that now serves her well in her role as Office Administrator.
Described by Rob as the “Swiss army knife” of the office, she primarily assists Alex with scheduling and logistics while jumping in wherever she is needed to keep operations running smoothly.
Ray Blum – Equipment Yard Manager
Email: ray.blum@stagesnorthwest.com
Phone: 971-212-0284 Ext. 5
Ray brings a love of music and a familiarity with the ever-shifting priorities of event planning from the performance side to his role as Equipment Yard Manager. This, coupled with a strong history of creative problem solving and a remarkable consistent calm make him a valued member of the Stages Northwest Team.
Steve Gross – Fleet and Facilities Manager
Email: Steve.Gross@stagesnorthwest.com
Steve has been working in this industry for 40 years and it’s made him a vital part of our team. As the jack of all trades, you can find him managing special projects, coordinating vehicle maintenance, purchasing new equipment, or driving commercial trucks from our Clackamas equipment yard to the event site.
Outside of work, Steve can be found, Sailing when there is time, throwing darts, shooting pool, or camping at the beach.
Emilie Schwartz – Accounting
Email: Accounting@stagesnorthwest.com
Phone: 971-212-0284 Ext. 4
For questions regarding your SNW account or to pay an invoice over the phone, you can contact our newest addition, Emilie.
Matt Huskey – Equipment Yard Assistant Manager
Email: Matt.Huskey@stagesnorthwest.com
As a long term part of the Stages Northwest team, Matt is a natural leader for our equipment yard crew. Management of tight deadlines, complicated logistics, and attention to detail make Matt a great asset to our crew of equipment yard associates. He’s great at maintaining a calm presence in the face of challenging demands. Paired with his in-depth industry knowledge, he makes sure our field teams are set up for success.