WISH LIST
Christopher Duggan Photography
Our Values

Classical Tents’ values help us to focus on what’s important—supporting our clients and our employees in everything we do. We use the acronym Cheers to guide us… Community, Honesty, Excellence, Expertise, Relationships and Safety.

Community

Helping to build a strong community at work and throughout the Berkshires has been part of Classical Tents’ foundation from the beginning.

Honesty

We’re here to build trust with our clients and our employees, which means honesty is a key characteristic for supporting that effort.

Excellence

We strive for excellence in everything we do—from customer service to delivery and installation—our goal is to exceed our customer’s expectations.

Expertise

We have years of combined experience under our belt and continue to build on our skills and expertise in order to deliver a premium service.

Safety

Protecting our clients and our employees and keeping everyone safe is always top-of-mind.

Relationships

Connecting and building strong relationships with our clients, vendors, and our employees is critical to the core of who we are at Classical Tents.

Our Values

Classical Tents’ values help us to focus on what’s important—supporting our clients and our employees in everything we do. We use the acronym Cheers to guide us… Community, Honesty, Excellence, Expertise, Relationships and Safety.

Community

Helping to build a strong community at work and throughout the Berkshires has been part of Classical Tents’ foundation from the beginning.

Honesty

We’re here to build trust with our clients and our employees, which means honesty is a key characteristic for supporting that effort.

Excellence

We strive for excellence in everything we do—from customer service to delivery and installation—our goal is to exceed our customer’s expectations.

Expertise

We have years of combined experience under our belt and continue to build on our skills and expertise in order to deliver a premium service.

Safety

Protecting our clients and our employees and keeping everyone safe is always top-of-mind.

Relationships

Connecting and building strong relationships with our clients, vendors, and our employees is critical to the core of who we are at Classical Tents.

Our Story

Some called them crazy (and maybe that’s a little true) but when the opportunity presented itself back in 1995 to buy Classical Tents, Ben and Kat said… why not?!

 

Why not dive head first into an industry they knew nothing about? At the time, both were working in Yellowstone National Park and wanted to move their family to the Berkshires. These two took a chance and have never looked back! They would spend the next several years navigating the ups and downs of the event rental industry to become experts in all things tents and tabletop!

Ben’s engineering and mechanical knowledge gave Classical Tents a leg up on really complex tent installations and innovative ways to streamline the work—many say that Ben hasn’t met a site yet that he can’t successfully put a tent on! Kat’s ability to connect and build relationships proved beneficial in providing the highest level of customer service—helping couples, families, and event planners design their ultimate event. With the help of their incredible team, and Ben and Kat’s combined skills, Classical Tents & Party Goods has transformed into the Berkshires premier events rental company—working with many clients throughout the area for 30+ years! The company is made up of a diverse group of 30+ employees—some of them have been with Classical Tents since 2000. Our team has 150 years of combined event industry experience.
proud to be a member of:

team spotlights

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Brides, caterers, and corporate event planners have come to rely on Michele’s friendliness, professionalism, and exceptional organizational skills. A natural social planner, she enjoys considering the finer details and helping clients select items that will transform their ideas from a vision into a once-in-a-lifetime event. A native of Berkshire County and a resident of Pittsfield, Michele joined the Classical Tents team in 2001. With her husband, Trevor, whom she met at Classical Tents, she also founded Berkshire Shenanigans, an event initiative company that has helped plan and execute events, including cocktail parties, dance parties, and corporate fund-raisers, for up to 400 people. In her off hours, Michele loves photography, traveling, and scrapbooking.

Michele Hotchkin

Senior Rental Coordinator

team spotlights

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Markes has been the dish room supervisor since 2015 and his upbeat spirit is infectious. We often see Markes bopping to Hip Hop, pop, or rock music as he does his work. Markes grew up, as a teen, living in Brooklyn, NY and Puerto Rico. He misses Puerto Rico and rarely gets there these days as he has two beautiful daughters who keep him busy in the Berkshires. What he loved about living in Puerto Rico was the people’s , ‘Can do’ spirit despite adversity. He misses his family quite a bit too. Hobbies for Markes include fishing and Basketball. His favorite food is Italian.

Markes Rodriguez

Dish Room Supervisor

team spotlights

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Wayne has been a Crew Chief at Classical Tents since 2014. Wayne is quiet most of the time unless he has something important to say! We appreciate Wayne’s steadiness , promptness and hard work. Wayne grew up in Lee, Ma and lives there now with his family and two dogs ( but they are part of the family ). His dogs are American Bullies. The Viking way of thinking has always appealed to Wayne because they had to work for what they wanted and needed; there were no hand outs. Wayne loves pizza and his favorite pizza place is on Cape Cod. He is a tinkerer and loves to work on mechanical things like engines.

Wayne Palmer

Daily Production Supervisor

team spotlights

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Originally from Lenox, Win is a classically trained chef who worked herself out of the Berkshires by the time that she was 23. Seeking to learn as much as she could, she landed in Boston, where she spent over 30 years working for the best companies that she could find or develop, honing her skills as a chef, a senior manager and the co-owner of 2 award winning catering companies. Win moved back to the Berkshires several years ago, and split her time between Lenox and Boston until the spring of 2017, when she stopped her wanderings and joined the team of Classical Tents and Party Goods, coming full circle around on her quest for excellence!

Win Rutledge

Personnel Manager

team spotlights

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Our customers seem to love being greeted by Porter when arriving to our offices and one could argue that he is the most lovable team member we have here at Classical Tents! Porter is originally from the Berkshires and really appreciates all the area has to offer. He loves to go for long walks in the woods, visiting job sites with his dad Trevor and playing with new friends he meets along the way. He’s always sniffing out the best local spots to go for a run and has made it his personal mission to visit every historical home in the Berkshires.

Porter

Loveable Mascot
meet the team

Who We Are

Nickname: Kat

Expert At: Baking & Gardening

Needs Work: Setting up my new house!

Don't get me going about: Politics in the U.S.

Secret Vice: Really good chocolate chip cookies
Kat Lockridge
President
Nickname: Ben

Expert At: All things tents, Building fires, homemade soups

Needs Work: Organization, doing laundry

Don't get me going about: Single use packaging

Secret Vice: Maple syrup on Ice cream
Benjamin Naylor
Vice President
Nickname: Shell, Meeshka, Kells

Expert At: Researching cool spots when traveling

Needs Work: Cooking

Don't get me going about: Good Beer

Secret Vice: Andy Capp Cheddar Fries
Michele Hotchkin
Senior Rental Coordinator
Nickname: Liz

Expert At: Everything Disney, from movies to parks to fun facts!

Needs Work: Eating the produce I buy before it goes bad

Don't get me going about: The importance of self-care

Secret Vice: Listening to Christmas music in the Summer
Elizabeth Chapman
Rental Coordinator
Nickname: Roothaloo

Expert At: Thrifting and finding a good deal!

Needs Work: Finishing house projects I’ve started

Don't get me going about: Environmental crisis

Secret Vice: Circus Peanuts—I know, gross! Don’t tell anyone!
Ruthie McDonald
Sales & Marketing
Nickname: Win (never ever Winnie!)

Expert At: Jack of all trades, master of none

Needs Work: Finishing a lot of knitting projects!

Don't get me going about: Current labor issues

Secret Vice: Sitting in front of the fire in a snowstorm!
Win Rutledge
Personnel Manager
Nickname: Trev

Expert At: Problem Solving

Needs Work: Having more patience

Don't get me going about: Screen Time & Social Media

Secret Vice: Well if I told you that, it wouldn't be much of a secret now would it?
Trevor Hotchkin
Operations Manager
Nickname: B

Expert At: Pitching tents

Needs Work: Building a garage!

Don't get me going about: Foolish people

Secret Vice: Tinkering
Wayne Palmer
Daily Production Supervisor
Nickname: Joe

Expert At: Problem-solving

Needs Work: Delegating

Don't get me going about: Card games

Secret Vice: Musicals
Joe Rundin
Mid-Warehouse Manager
Nickname: Jokey

Expert At: Drawing

Needs Work: Communication with family & friends

Don't get me going about: The Education System

Secret Vice: Opera Music
Markes Rodriguez
Dish Room Supervisor
Nickname: Schmoopie, Port, Por-tee

Expert At: Sniffing out treats

Needs Work: Being on guard

Don't get me going about: Friends who rip up my toys

Secret Vice: Human Food (which i'm not supposed to have!)
Porter Hotchkin
Loveable Mascot

Join Our Team!

Yay!

We are a dynamic company focused on quality and teamwork. We are always looking for dedicated and energetic team members who can help us to provide excellent service to our clients. Contact us to learn more about opportunities available.

Join Our Team

We are a dynamic company focused on quality and teamwork. We are always looking for dedicated and energetic team members who can help us to provide excellent service to our clients. Contact us to learn more about opportunities available.

Every Elegant party starts with Classical Tents.

Based in the Berkshires, Massachusetts.

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Event Rentals  Done, Effortlessly

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