Geoff Hinds is leaving after 6 years as the Director of the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center
Harley Coldiron
He thanked the Central Oregon community and told KTVZ News he is moving to Wyoming to join the leadership team for the Cheyenne Frontier Days – the world’s largest outdoor rodeo.
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) — After six years of leading the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center in Redmond, Director Geoff Hines is departing to join the leadership team for the Cheyenne Frontier Days, which is the largest outdoor rodeo in the world.
Geoff is leaving for Wyoming with fond memories and gratitude for the relationships he’s built over the years, “It has truly been an honor to lead this amazing facility and work alongside such talented staff, a dedicated Fair Board, strong County leadership, and the supportive Central Oregon community, ” he said to KTVZ News.
A post on the website GovernmentJobs.com shows his former position is posted for applicants.
During his time overseeing the center, the County Fair has seen consistent growth over the years, and the venue itself has to one of the most visited in the Pacific Northwest. It now hosts the Overland EXPO and the FairWell Festival. Both of which bring in tens of thousands of new visitors than before. The FairWell Festival alone hosts 20,000-30,000 people.
Like any venue, the Fair and Expo Center has seen issues at times. During the inaugural year of the FairWell Festival, concertgoers told KTVZ News it took them up to 3 hours to get home after the concert. The next two events did not see the same widespread issues after officials created parking passes, added campgrounds and exit routes, increased traffic staff, and created a park-and-ride service.
Geoff also led the Fair and Expo Center through its toughest time period ever – the COVID-19 pandemic. Local and state regulations aimed at deterring the spread of the virus made planning and operations prolonged and time-consuming, while attendance at events hit an all-time low. After a vaccine was produced, the center also became the hub for thousands to get their shots.
The 6-year Director says he was proud to build community partnerships and bring nearly 1 million visitors to the area each year, and looks forward to rooting on the center from a distance, “From Wyoming, I’ll be paying attention and cheering on Deschutes County Fair & Expo every step of the way.”
Hinds says leaving the Deschutes County Fairgrounds is a bittersweet experince, and says it’s one of the best jobs he’s ever had “… It’s truly a tremendous job.” He said, “We have the opportunity to to to to make life better for so many people in so many different ways because we do so many things, whether it’s those kids showing the animals as part of our youth livestock shows, it’s the many fundraisers we do where hundreds of thousands of dollars are generated, for important community events here, on the property or the over $100 million in economic impact, that we provide to the community annually. It’s really an honor to be a part of that.”
Besides the perks and prestige Hinds will have working at the Cheyenne Frontier Days, this move will bring him closer to his wife and family in Wyoming.