About Gabriel Taylor

Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia.

Gabriel Taylor is the Co-founder and CFO/COO of Black OPS Show Services, a Black-owned, family-operated national exhibitor appointed contractor based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Over the past decade in the convention and trade show industry, he’s worked to promote diversity and create opportunities for Black and Brown professionals in this multi-trillion-dollar sector.

Growing up, coffee was always part of Gabriel’s family gatherings. Whether at his grandparents’ house or his parents’ place, there was always a pot brewing. But his first love wasn’t coffee; it was technology. Video games captivated him early on, leading him to pursue computer science with dreams of becoming a game designer. He became the family’s unofficial “tech guru,” the one everyone called when something needed fixing or setting up. In high school, he also ran track and field, following in his parents’ footsteps.

At 19, Gabriel’s father, Dennis, introduced him to the trade show industry. Gabriel had taken a break from college after burning out and was looking for something beyond the usual options: retail sales, warehouse work, or food service. The trade show industry gave him a chance to learn new skills while earning a decent income. By 23, he was living in Georgia, sharing an apartment with his brother and two friends, one of whom would later become his business partner.

In the summer of 2017, his father proposed starting an I&D company within the trade show industry. They would be the first Black-owned I&D company in the country. The weight of that felt intimidating to Gabriel. Setting a precedent is no small thing. But he also saw it as a chance to do something meaningful. At the time, he was working multiple jobs: convention shows, sales, and ride-sharing, which had already given him a taste of entrepreneurship. He decided to take the leap, confident that even if things didn’t work out, he could always start over.

After more than a decade gaining deep expertise in the trade show world, and building Black OPS Show Services, Gabriel founded Mocha Meadow, where he now serves as CEO. The company reflects his rediscovered passion for coffee and his commitment to quality. Through Mocha Meadow, he’s recreating the warmth and connection of those family coffee moments, offering products that bring people together over exceptional coffee.