Business View Magazine | August 2019

205 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE AUGUST 2019 INDI ANA STATE FA I RGROUNDS & EVENT CENTER been doing for four years with a high-school age group is called Teen Works. It’s a program funded through a foundation in Indianapolis to help young students understand the workforce. They work for eight weeks during the summer on the fairgrounds, and as part of this training they learn how to write a resume, to interview, and to show up on time.” Berkery: “We also have a pretty robust volunteer network that we rely on heavily during the fair. We work with many organizations and essentially make donations in exchange for their labor and support to staff gates, and parking, and other areas throughout the fair. We couldn’t do it without them.” BVM: Do you have any ongoing green initiatives? Berkery: “We recently launched our sustainability initiative called “Protect the Heartland”– a program that ensures our commitment to creating more sustainable events at the fairgrounds, and also recognizes the obligation we have to contribute to sustainability in the future generations. It seeks to use our platform during the fair to educate those 900,000 guests on their role and opportunities that exist for them to contribute to a more sustainable world. Sustainability is very synergistic with our agricultural roots; there are a lot of tie-ins we use to help craft that story. “Behind the scenes, we’re working to reduce our carbon footprint through reducing energy use, reducing waste streams, and diverting to the appropriate source, as well as focusing on our water usage. All our cleaning chemicals are soy- based rather than petroleum-based products. We would love to generate our own energy onsite, whether it’s solar, wind, or other renewable resources.” BVM: “What else would you like to share about the Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center? YEARS OF PASSIONANDDEDICATION SERVINGVALUEDCUSTOMERS