Royan Engel (born 1943 or 1944)[1] is an American former singer and actress who became a business executive.
Early years
Engel is the daughter of actor Roy Engel.[1] She attended John Marshall High School[2] and graduated from California State College at Los Angeles.[3] After her college graduation, Engel worked for the Los Angeles City Parks Department.[3] In 1963, Engle was parade marshal for the San Fernando Valley Rodeo.[4]
Career
Engel's father's connections were assets during her time as an actress and a singer. She said that he "knew everyone in Los Angeles and everyone owed him at least one favor and I collected them all."[1] His connections and her lyric soprano voice helped her to sing lead for national performing companies, and she performed on film, in nightclubs, and on television.[5]
Her work as an entertainer took her into trade shows when she was selected to be featured at events[1] with titles that included Queen of the 4th International Sports, Vacation and Travel Show in 1963.[6] She also worked as a narrator and demonstrator at a trade show in San Francisco.[5] She talked to people behind the scenes at such events and began to notice that some of the ideas she suggested were being implemented.[1]
That realization led to her using a spare bedroom in her Glendale home to start her own business,[1] a one-woman operation whose work won several prizes for clients for having the best exhibits in their trade shows.[5] Her efforts received a boost when some men in New York provided "$2,000, an office and a phone and said 'See what you can do'".[1]
Engel founded Stratagem Enterprises Inc., a company that produces trade shows and industrial exhibits. As president of the company, in 1975, she headed a staff of 22 people.[1] With offices in New York and San Francisco, in the early 1970s the company was grossing more than $1 million a year. Its clients included ALCOA, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, and Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.[5] Stratagem's approach is to provide a complete package to represent a product at a trade show. After she sees a product, her company designs and builds the exhibit, scripts a demonstration, and operates a hospitality suite. It also produces films for the demonstrations if they are needed.[1]
Engel compares her trade-show work to show business, with the difference being that the former sells an act, while the latter sells a product.[1]
Personal life
Engel is an equestrienne and a dog trainer who has won blue ribbons with her springer spaniel.[4]