Event Partners Inc. was founded in August of 2005 with the goal of establishing lasting partnerships with clients. EPI’s first partner was Littlejohn Coliseum at Clemson University, managing all paid parking for concerts. The partnership expanded just two months later to include crowd management for all events inside Littlejohn Coliseum.
From there, EPI continued to grow its client list with business relationships in Anderson, Charleston, Columbia, Conway, Darlington, Greenville, Greer, Myrtle Beach, Rock Hill and Spartanburg.
EPI Management
Drew Cawood, Owner
A graduate of the University of South Carolina, Mr. Cawood believes dedicated, informed and enthusiastic team members contribute to the success of every event. Mr. Cawood found his passion for the sports and entertainment industry at the Carolina Coliseum and served as a manager on the men’s basketball team under the direction of Coach Eddie Fogler. Upon graduation, Mr. Cawood was hired by SMG to manage all “front-of-house” staff (ushers and ticket takers) for the Richmond Coliseum (VA). Subsequently, he spent an additional year as the Operations Manager at the Siegel Center on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University before founding Event Partners Inc.
Over the last sixteen years, Mr. Cawood has lead EPI in assisting with the production of 1,000+ events each year in the state of South Carolina. Mr. Cawood currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina with his wife, Clarice, and two children, Sloane and Coleman, where he enjoys following college athletics and golf.
Joe Reinhardt, Vice President of Operations
Joe joins EPI with a wide array of experience working in the sports and entertainment industry. A Sport Management graduate from Liberty University, Joe began his career as a Field and Clubhouse Operations Intern with the Lynchburg Hillcats in Lynchburg, VA. Upon completion of his internship, Joe relocated to Charlotte, NC where he began working in numerous roles and positions in the sports and entertainment industry. Joe served as a Box Office Assistant for the Carolina Panthers, an Usher Supervisor for Charlotte Motor Speedway, Event Security Staff for several Live Nation Venues across the area and Security for the Charlotte Hornets. Joe joins EPI after a very successful seven and a half years with Hornets Sports and Entertainment where he served as Manager of Arena & Event Security. In this role, Joe managed all aspects of the public safety and security for the Charlotte Hornets and all events held inside Time Warner Cable Arena. Joe managed a security staff of over 200 part-time employees and managed the relationships with Charlotte Mecklenburg Police, Fire and Novant Health Teams. Joe also oversaw all emergency preparedness and life safety operations for HSE and TWCA, and was responsible for developing and updating all emergency operating policies, plans and procedures. Joe’s responsibilities also included the security and life safety training of all full and part-time employees working inside of the facility.
Joe is originally from Bradford, Pennsylvania and currently resides in Columbia, SC with his loving wife, Sara and their two cats, Sophie and Lilly. He enjoys golfing, fishing and working out in his down time.
Candice Cawood, Business Operations Manager
Candice graduated from Lander University, in Greenwood, SC, with a BA in Visual Arts and an emphasis in Photography and Painting. During her time at Lander, she managed a local Casual Fine Dining restaurant whereby customer service, staff management, and daily business operations were of the utmost importance. After graduation, Candice pursued a career in Banking for a span of 16 years that included roles in Customer Service, Operations, Electronic Banking Management, and was appointed Assistant Vice President by the bank’s Board of Directors. All roles sharpened her leadership, communication, financial and business operations skills. Prior to assuming the Business Operations Manager position in February 2020, she began working as a member of EPI’s Part-Time Event Staff in 2014 for various events in South Carolina.
Candice has always been a fan of sports and entertainment. As a child, she remembers watching Purdue basketball with her grandmother and grew to love college basketball almost as much as her grandmother did. Candice enjoys spending time with family and friends watching and attending college athletic events and seeing all the concerts possible.
She currently resides in Greenwood, South Carolina with her husband, Matt, and two furbabies – Oliver and Delilah.
Blake Meredith, Director of Training and Operations – Savannah/Statesboro, GA Region
With over a decade of industry experience, Blake brings his expertise in event and venue operations, training, and development to the EPI team. Throughout the course of his career, he has had the opportunity to develop, implement, and operate complex security and staffing solutions for some of the largest and most high-profile events in the industry including Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Stagecoach Country Music Festival, the Academy Awards, Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) Las Vegas, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade, The NAMM Show, and many more. Blake’s passion for safe, secure, and efficient crowd management measures has afforded him the opportunity to develop industry-standard training curriculum, modules, and programs with an emphasis on safety and guest services first and foremost. Previously, Blake was served as the Director of Training and Development for a National event services provider, where he was responsible for directing all field operations training programs for over 2000 staff across the US. A graduate of Baylor University, Blake brings this knowledge and expertise with him to the EPI team to ensure EPI team members provide unparalleled customer service to clients and guests.
Originally from Southern California, Blake has made his way to Savannah, GA. In his spare time, he cherishes spending time with his wife and four children. He also has a strong passion for classical literature, philosophy, theology, reading, and writing.
Jason Hicks, Director of Operations – Upstate, SC and Kennesaw, GA Region
As a 20 plus year veteran in the event industry, Jason joined EPI in 2016 as a Part-Time Manager over Spartanburg and Greenville areas in South Carolina. In October 2022, he took a step into the full time role of Director of Operations for the Upstate of South Carolina and Kennesaw, GA operations. Jason came to us after 30 years in manufacturing where he specialized in Training and Safety to include OSHA training certification. He brings a wealth of knowledge to our team as a leader, trainer and safety coordinator.
Jason is a lifelong resident in the Upstate of South Carolina. In his free time, he enjoys working out with high school friends and spending time with his wife of 30 years and his family.
Sean Williams, Manager of Operations – Charleston, SC Region
In January 2023, Sean joined EPI with an extensive 20 plus year background in Event Management and Security. He began his event management career in 1996 as Director of Security for the largest sports and entertainment facility in New York City. He transitioned into Law Enforcement and later pursued his degree in Criminal Justice. Sean has applied the knowledge from his degree and work experience over the last 20 years with various National Event Management and Security companies. In the meantime, he also received and continues to maintain multiple industry certifications to include Security Contract Compliance, Venue Safety and Security, and Crowd Management. Sean was also awarded 2005 Security Director of the Year in Access Control and Security Systems Magazine and recognized with a prior company in 2009 ESPN Magazine for his level of security executive service for athletes and venue management.
Sean and his family relocated to Charleston, SC from Arizona and is looking forward to enjoying all that Charleston has to offer.