Leadership Team

Vann Parrott serves as Chief Executive Officer of Big Top Manufacturing, leading the company’s continued growth and commitment to delivering high-performance fabric structure solutions across a diverse range of markets. He joined Big Top in 2019 as Chief Operating Officer and was named Chief Executive Officer in 2024.

Prior to joining Big Top, Vann practiced law for 20 years, focusing primarily on corporate matters, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, and local government. His professional and civic leadership experience also includes serving as a Juvenile Court Judge in Brooks County, Georgia, representing Georgia’s 8th Congressional District on the State Board of Education, and serving as chairman and president of Leadership Georgia.

Ian Gilpatrick serves as Chief Commercial Officer at Big Top Manufacturing, where he leads the company’s commercial strategy and oversees sales, marketing, legal, and business development. With more than two decades of senior leadership experience, he brings expertise in commercial strategy, sales operations, capital planning, and investor relations to support Big Top’s continued growth and market expansion.

Prior to joining Big Top, Ian held executive leadership roles with Avail Infrastructure Solutions and AZZ Inc., including Vice President of Marketing, Vice President of Business Strategy, and Vice President of Sales.

Ian holds a bachelor’s degree in advertising and marketing from Stephen F. Austin State University, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Kansas, a Master of Jurisprudence from Texas A&M University, and an interdisciplinary doctoral degree from Creighton University.

Joe Thompson serves as Chief Financial Officer of Big Top Manufacturing, where he leads the company’s Finance, Procurement, and Information Technology teams and plays an integral role in strategic growth initiatives. With more than 20 years of financial and executive leadership experience across the manufacturing and consumer products industries, his expertise spans financial planning and strategy, capital management, investor relations, supply chain and procurement, technology, and enterprise systems.

At Big Top, Joe led the implementation of a new company-wide ERP system, modernizing the company’s core business systems and strengthening financial and operational visibility across the organization. Prior to joining Big Top, Joe served as Chief Financial Officer of World Precision Instruments and held senior finance leadership roles at Harmar Mobility, Tervis Tumbler, and Coca-Cola Refreshments.

Joe holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of South Florida and a Master of Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University.

Joe Jansen serves as Chief Operations Officer at Big Top Manufacturing, where he leads the company’s Operations Group. Since joining Big Top as Director of Strategic Initiatives, Joe has played an integral role in strengthening the company’s operational capabilities, including project management, installation processes, quality and safety functions, and Sales, Inventory, and Operations Planning (SIOP).

Joe brings a diverse leadership background spanning management consulting and military service. Prior to joining Big Top, he was a Manager at Bain & Company and served as a Captain and Infantry Officer in the United States Marine Corps.

Joe holds a Bachelor of Arts in history with a minor in leadership studies from Virginia Tech and a Master of Business Administration from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Douglas Shuda serves as Vice President of Marketing at Big Top Manufacturing, where he leads the company’s marketing strategy, brand positioning, and customer engagement initiatives. With more than 25 years of marketing and leadership experience, he brings a strategic approach to strengthening Big Top’s market presence, supporting business growth, and connecting customers with solutions that meet their operational needs.

Throughout his career, Douglas has led marketing strategies and growth initiatives across the technology, industrial, power, and infrastructure markets. Prior to joining Big Top, he held marketing leadership roles with Intel Corporation, Hypertherm Inc., ESAB, PIC Group Inc., a Marubeni company, and AZZ Inc.

Douglas holds a bachelor’s degree in business and marketing from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and a Master of Business Administration from Boston University.