Staff Bio
McKenzie Portelance: Director of Business Development
McKenzie graduated from the University of Central Florida with a B.A. in Organizational Communication and began her professional career in 1999 with Hard Rock International as project manager of the corporate website, www.hardrock.com. In 2001 with a special interest in corporate event planning she elected to begin a new career with PGI, Inc. where she remained for over 7 years.
With a new found love for the Nashville area McKenzie decided to put down some roots and make a career change that would allow her to spend more time at home with her husband Steven. She began her career with Liberty Party Rental in March of 2008 as the Director of Business Development. Since that time McKenzie has taken on several different roles including Director of Sales and oversight of the warehouse operations staff.
Terri Tenut: Senior Account Manager
Terri joined Liberty Party Rental in 2008 bringing with her more than 30 years of experience in accounting and customer service. Her outgoing personality and exceptional communication skills have proven to be an immense asset to the team. She is also a Hendersonville native and an active member of the Hendersonville Chamber of Commerce.
Christina M. Suarez: Account Manager
Christina received her B.A. from Florida International University, where she majored in Political Science and was first exposed to the event planning industry by coordinating numerous political events. Upon graduation, Christina joined TBA Global and was rapidly promoted to the role of Operations Manager due to her outstanding organizational abilities and incomparable work ethic. She then went on to direct the event department while managing a fine dining restaurant located on Ocean Drive in South Beach, Florida. She recently relocated to Hendersonville to be closer to family and satisfy her desire for new challenges.
Chris Egan: Director of Operations
Chris has been a vital member of the Liberty Party Rental team since 2001. He has a BA in economics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and is responsible for managing all aspects of the day-to-day operations at Liberty Party Rental.
Julie Woodruff-Hurst, DMCP: Director of Marketing & Human Resources
Julie graduated from Belmont University in Nashville, TN with a B.B.A. in Hospitality, Travel and Tourism. With over eleven years of experience in the hospitality industry, Julie has extensive experience in the coordination of corporate event planning and coordination of PGA tournaments. With over three years of work experience from Gaylord Opryland Resort and six years of experience as Director of Operations for Destination Nashville, Julie brought various skills and extensive knowledge of event planning to Liberty Party Rental in 2007. Not only does Julie assist customers with planning their events and actively involved in several organizations, she handles the marketing and human resources for Liberty Party Rental.
Julie achieved her Destination Management Certified Professionals certification (DMCP) through the Association for Destination Management Executives in September 2003 which was renewed in November 2007. In 2004, Julie received the Certified Meeting Professional certification (CMP). She is actively involved in the Tennessee Chapter of Meeting Professionals International as the 2009/2010 Gala committee member and former Chair of Meeting Content in 2008/2009.