Business View Magazine | October 2019

216 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2019 “It’s really been a great partnership for the State Fair of Louisiana because the building was becoming so old that our organization was not able to make the improvements that were needed,” Giordano adds. “The building was built in 1954, and when Encompass Sports Management began leasing it, they also began investing into the building. To date, they’ve spent a little over $3 million making upgrades to the building, such as a new chiller and they also began changing all the lighting to LEDs. The building had old, wood stadium seats; those have now been replaced with nice, wider, cushioned seats.” While, generally, the State Fair doesn’t get any governmental support, it has, in the past, received some special capital funding for the Hirsch Coliseum, and currently, it is working on another funding project for the 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena. “In the mid ‘90s, we renovated the front doors and entrance to the Coliseum,” Giordano reports. “It was done with Fair money, city money, and some state money. We have a capital outlay PREFERRED VENDOR n Fare Foods Corporation www.farefoods.com project request in with the State of Louisiana, right now, that was submitted last year. The goal is to secure funding to the tune of just under $4 million, which will finish upgrading some spaces inside the building, and the HVAC system. Part of that funding is also to do some improvements to the parking lots. It’s not a quick process; sometimes it takes several years to get that capital outlay money in your hands.” Meanwhile, Giordano and his crew are getting ready for the State Fair’s 113th edition, preparing the largest carnival midway and largest livestock shows in Louisiana. “This is the official State Fair for the State of Louisiana,” he states, “and we’re still holding strong to our mission.”