06/03/2026
A message from Ralph Whitman and the RW GroomX team:
This is a wrap up of an absolutely historic weekend, I want to take a quick moment to thank the incredible village of people who made RWGroomX 2026 possible.
A show of this size takes a full year of non-stop planning, and we could not do it alone.
First and foremost, a massive thank you to our sponsors and our 19 fantastic vendors. Without your financial backing, generosity, and overall partnership, we simply wouldn't have a trade show floor or an event of this caliber. You are the absolute backbone of this weekend, and we appreciate your immense support.
To our competitors: We blew past records this year with over 100 competitors entering the arena. The sheer talent, beauty, and artistry we have witnessed on this stage has been beyond amazing. Thank you for your dedication, and thank you for traveling from far and wide to support our growing show that is growing by leaps and bounds.
We would like to extend a huge thank you to our incredible judges: Hayley Keyes, our main judge for the event, bringing her world-class expertise to our main stage. Natalia Buscovich with Natalia's Model Dog and Accessories, who did a phenomenal job judging our Blind Groomer competition.
There are also a few key people who worked tirelessly behind the scenes that deserve our deepest gratitude:
Anjie Coates, who was absolutely instrumental in building and managing the back end of our registration and website.
Ben Almester and Big Cat Media, whose social media guidance and support completely shaped our digital footprint. We wouldn’t be where we are today without you, Ben.
Shannon Tupes, and GroomTeam USA, for bringing world-class coordination skills to our grooming competition and for supporting RWGroomX throughout our entire three-year building process here in Owensboro.
Sarah Armstrong for manhandling the registration booth.
Jeff, Ryan, and Alex, the ultimate muscle behind the show, who did the heavy lifting, loading, and unloading of tables for setup and teardown.
Jet and Alexander Perreault, for their endless “do-whatever-it-takes” support, from setting up and tearing down the tubs to making sure our Saturday night hoedown raffle at The Brew Bridge was a massive success.
Lexi Lundy, Mason, the Owensboro Convention Center, for acting as our phenomenal event liaison coordinator between RWGroomX and the convention center.
The Visit Owensboro staff for their flawless, on-demand support. This is a beautiful facility, and we hope to call Owensboro our home for many years to come.
Cayla Sherman Williams and Knightmare Aesthetic for the incredible RWGroomX 2026 artwork.
And finally, to my lovely bride Chris Whitman. It takes over a year of stress and hard work to pull off a weekend like this, and she puts up with me through all of it while managing the chaos. I love you, and thank you.
To every single volunteer, attendee, and supporter and whom I may have missed—thank you from the bottom of my heart for making this weekend a historic success.
We are officially looking forward to the future, and we will be back in 2027—returning to our original dates! Safe travels home, everyone, and thank you for being a part of the RWGroomX family!
