Meet the new executive director of the Wisconsin State Fair

Richard Frenette has joined the staff of the Wisconsin State Fair Park as its new executive director.
Frenette was selected after a six-month search process. He is a veteran of the fair and event business and began his career at the Chippewa Falls County Fair, where his father was part owner. From there, he decided to accept a position at the Minnesota State Fair and has stuck with the business ever since.
“The fair and event business is in my blood and has been since I was young. It’s been a dream of mine to work here in the Wisconsin State Fair organization, and I’m excited I get to finish my career at home,” Frenette said.
Prior to joining the staff at the Wisconsin State Fair, Frenette was with the Utah State Fair and also served as the executive director for the Ohio Expo Center and State Fair in Columbus Ohio.
“This is already a great organization, the staff is strong, the organization is strong and the fair is one of the top 25 fairs in the country in terms of attendance and revenue,” he said. “What I bring is a background of experience, and I hope to be able to help the organization become even better, but also lead the people of this organization to develop the same sort of passion for the business that I have.”
Frenette hopes to continue down the successful path the organization is already on, but through his connections and his background, he also hopes to bring some new events to the grounds and generate additional revenue for the park so they can begin investing back into the facilities and programs for future growth.
During his first week on the job, Frenette shared his visions for the State Fair and the Milwaukee Mile with BizTimes Milwaukee reporter Alysha Schertz. To view a webcast of that interview, click on the video