When he was in college, Mark Wolfe didn't think sales would be for him, so he went into the agriculture business.
Now in his sixth year as the director of the Missouri State Fair, he said he acquired the necessary people skills through life, being self-employed in the construction business for nearly two decades.
Wolfe joined the fair offices in Sedalia in 2004 as the facilities manager.
"I wanted to see if I could make it better," he said.
Twelve years later, Wolfe can look back on several improvements that have been made to the century-old site.
"It's a pretty historic facility. To work on it can be pretty expensive," he said.
The fairgrounds covers 400 acres with about 100 buildings.
With a full-time construction staff, the fair office is able to take care of a lot of the projects in-house. That's what first brought Wolfe there.
When he arrived in 2004, they were in the midst of a major renovation of the Missouri Beef House restaurant and the Youth Building dormitory.
Currently, they're improving horse barns and show space with the help of sponsor MFA.
Wolfe said he's been asked many times what he does during the other 50 weeks of the year beyond the 11 days of the fair.
The site is self-sufficient, not receiving any state general revenue, while maintaining a $4.5 million operating budget.
To do that, the rest of the year draws revenue from facility rentals - weddings, RV rallies, horse and cattle shows. In total, the site averages 450 off-season events.
But the fair office only promotes its event.
The idea behind the fair is to promote agriculture, Missouri's top industry, Wolfe said.
For being in a rural setting, the Missouri State Fair is well attended, he said. About 30,000 entries to 4-H, FFA and youth events shows it's still a strong attraction.
"We're doing better than some other states," he said.
One of the biggest influences on a successful fair year is the weather, Wolfe said, adding, "It doesn't matter how much we spend on shows and nice facilities."
Wolfe grew up raising cattle in Texas County but has lived the last 35 years in the Marshall area after graduating from Missouri Valley College. He continues to operate a small hobby farm near Marshall.
"I've always been interested the livestock side," he said, recalling many fun years at the fair as a youngster.
Today, Wolfe said he enjoys the challenge of the job, and he's proud of where it is right now.
"The fair has struggled at times; but it's better, finally," he said.
With upcoming major renovations to the coliseum, built in 1906; the Women's Building, built in 1910; and the spacious campground, Wolfe said he believes the fair has a bright future.