About CLE
For More Than a Decade,
CLE has made events more memorable. CLE has made events more memorable. It starts with listening to your needs and ideas and ends with an awe-inspiring event that leaves a lasting impression.
Our results are unforgettable, but our process is simple; It all begins with trust, respect, and confidence. We learn about your organization and your people. We work tobecome a trusted member of the team. We respect budgets and timelines. And, in the end, we help make your event the best it can be.
We are very good at what we do — delivering creative solutions with our total project approach to meet your event goals.
Why Red?
CLE started in 2002, in a single car garage with 8 lights, a pick-up truck, and a desire to bring world-class event production to central Iowa. From that very first event, CLE's hallmark has been, and always will be, a reputation for excellence.
Our founder, Arren Wetzel, grew up in the live event industry; he spent his childhood touring the country doing concerts, learning the technology, the business, and the art of event production from a great mentor-his dad. For Arren, CLE is a family business. The CLE family now includes a full staff of engineers, salespeople, and event producers. We've grown beyond the 8 lights and a pick-up truck to having a warehouse full of industry-leading equipment and a fleet of multiple trucks.
Even though we have grown, we still work by the same principles that inspired Arren all those years ago. We work hard, we're creative, we listen more than we talk, and we always do what's best for the show. Whether we're working on a local show in our hometown of Des Moines, Iowa or a large event in the United States, we always have one primary principle guiding us… be the best at what we do.
So when you see a CLE Red truck or a CLE Red roadcase backstage at an event, you know you're getting a professional, polished, creative and memorable event that will leave a lasting impression for you and your attendees.
Expertise + Collaboration
Planning and attention to detail is the key to a successful corporate meeting or special event.
Before the lights go down and the program starts, CLE has planned for every possibility. Our goal is to be invisible and to make you the hero to your audience.
It all begins with trust and confidence. We work hard to learn about your organization and your people. We work hard to become a trusted member of the team. We respect budgets and timelines. And we're very good at what we do - delivering creative solutions with our total project approach.
From our professional technicians and creative services staff to our detailed room layout CAD drawings, our warehouse stocked with high-tech equipment and our fleet of trucks, CLE has all the tools necessary to enable us to exceed your expectations. Wherever your meeting or event may be located, we will work with partners to make sure we have back-up crew and equipment on stand-by if need be. We leave nothing to chance at CLE.
No matter the venue, large or small, indoors or outdoors… CLE will make your event memorable with a lasting impression.
We partnered with CLE for our annual national conference this past year, and it was the best decision we made. CLE's professionalism, attention to detail, and industry-savvy staff made our conference a huge success! CLE was able to handle not only our mainstage with keynote speakers, but also all of our breakout sessions, and other A/V needs. CLE became a working extension of our team, they were responsive and efficient, yet flexible when necessary. We look forward to partnering with them again.Kim Welch Cambridge Investment Research, Inc.
We really appreciated having your crew work with us this year, they are true pros!Jolene Davis Iowa Communications Alliance
CLE Crew
Arren WetzelPresident
Arren Wetzel
Arren Wetzel founded CLE in 2002 and remains an active part of the company today. He has over 30 years of audio and lighting experience, having started at an early age with his father’s production company in Michigan. When Arren isn’t in the CLE warehouse; on a show site; or driving his big red semi, he enjoys being outdoors. Arren is an avid hunter and fisher, and enjoys doing projects around his home in rural Winterset, especially if they involve power tools. Arren and his wife, Rachel, have two sons and two basset hounds.
Cassie ChanceFinance Manager
Cassie Chance
Cassie has been CLE’s bookkeeper since 2014. Prior to joining the CLE team, she worked at Principal Financial Group in Des Moines. She is a native of Carlisle, Iowa but now lives in Des Moines with her two daughters, Aspyn and Finley. Cassie loves shopping and also enjoys decorating, cooking, and spending time with her family.
Katie PattonAccount Executive
Katie Patton
Katie joined the CLE team in September 2016 as Account Executive. Prior to working at CLE, Katie was the Tasting Room and Events Manager for Jasper Winery in Des Moines, Iowa. A native Iowan, Katie has lived in Des Moines since 2006 and spends her free time trying new recipes, studying to be a Certified Wine Specialist and biking around the metro with her husband, Ty.
Greg PattersonVideo Engineer
Greg Patterson
Greg came to CLE via AVI Systems in 2006. He has been working in the video production industry since the 1990’s. Greg grew up in Des Moines and enjoys traveling to his favorite vacation spots in the Bahamas and Caribbean. Greg is an avid angler; he notes that he has more money in angling gear than he spent on his first house. He lives in Des Moines with his wife.
Thaddeus LeeOperations
Thaddeus Lee
Thaddeus joined the CLE team as an Event A/V Tech in March of 2019 and assumed the role of Warehouse Manager in September 2021. Prior to working at CLE, he worked as musician and audio tech for a church in Rockford, IL. In his free time, he enjoys reading, creating and viewing art, and spending time with family. Ever the musician, he still plays guitar and drums at churches in the Des Moines area. A Navajo Native American from Arizona, he now lives in Des Moines with his wife Shanda.
Travis KellyDirector of Sales
Travis Kelly
Travis recently relocated from the Cleveland, Ohio region. He brings to the CLE team over 25 years in sales and technical sales to go along with an extensive production background in the events industry. Travis and his wife Christina enjoy spending time outdoors and hanging out with their three favorite people……. their chihuahua’s, Kiki, Koko, and Baby
Ean WetzelWarehouse Associate
Ean Wetzel
Following in his father’s footsteps, Ean in learning the event industry from the ground up. During breaks from school, he assists CLE with warehouse activities and the set-up and strike of shows. When not in school or at CLE, he enjoys fishing.
Sidney WenzlaffReceptionist
Sidney Wenzlaff
My name is Sidney Wenzlaff, I started at CLE June 2022. Before taking my current position as the front desk coordinator I was working at a salon in Altoona. I am from New Hampton IA. I had the privilege to move here at 18 and don't plan on leaving any time soon. I love getting to hangout in the east village with my friends. When I am not working, I am playing with my roommates dog, shopping, traveling and or eating sushi.
Allyssa TraverAccount Executive
Allyssa Traver
Allyssa joined the CLE team in July 2022 as Account Executive. Prior to working at CLE, she was the Corporate and Special Events Coordinator at Gatherings in Nevada, IA. Allyssa was born and raised in Northwest Iowa in the small town Hinton, IA. In her free time she enjoys being outdoors, spending time with her friends and family, traveling, and reading books.
Jim O’ConnorDirector of Operations
Jim O’Connor
A recent Cleveland, Ohio transplant, Jim O’Connor, brings 20 years of production experience to the table. He specializes in medium to large scale corporate events and symposiums. Jim has worked with top brands and associations such as The Cleveland Clinic, Anthology, Fox Sports, MLB, Nationwide Insurance, PNC Bank, and The LeBron James Foundation. In his spare time, Jim loves being outdoors and spending as much time on the open water as possible!
Thank you so much to you both and your crew! You've elevated our annual celebration to another level. Everything went so well and ran so smoothly! I'm so excited to partner for future events. Goizane Mullin, Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau