Fair board, Wade-Shows at odds over business practices
By Austen Smith, Editor
PUBLISHED: April 3, 2008
The Wayne County Fair once again will be without a carnival for this year's event.
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After a successful re-emergence of the fair in 2007, held annually at the Belleville-based fairgrounds on Quirk Road, differences between carnival company Wade-Shows Inc. and members of the Wayne County Fair Board has derailed plans to continue the carnival in 2008.
After languishing for several years because of mismanagement, the Wayne County Fair set an attendance record last year with the carnival provided by the longtime Livonia-based company which not only provides the midway but also security, advertising, marketing and restroom facilities.
Jeff Williams, marketing director for Wade Shows, said they felt that they could channel their money in a better direction this summer.
"We felt like we could go somewhere else and not have so many problems with the staff," Williams said. "We had problems with the board that didn't have to occur."
The Wayne County Fair Board was given a flat fee of $3,500. Williams said the rest of the profit went toward running the fair.
"We did OK. We didn't make a huge profit," Williams said. "We bought like eight billboards, we provided adequate (outdoors restroom facilities), security - all of that stuff costs a lot of money."
But it wasn't the money that caused rifts between Wade-Shows and board members, according to Williams.
"The cooperation level from the board was not good. We have no intention of going back there. They were a little upset that we made a profit. They thought they were getting cheated," Williams said.
Board President Frank Rochowiak said it was simply a business decision to not invite the company back. He said the financial arrangement was "not good business."
"The big thing is the money," Rochowiak said. "It's just not a good business practice to invest $10 to $12,000 to put on the fair and the money that we received was only $3,500. We had no other way of making any money.
"(Wade-Shows) wouldn't let us have money from one pop machine. One wouldn't be in business if he or she had to spend $7,000 to make $3,000 and that's what it boils down to."
While the deteriorating business relationship between Wade-Shows and the board caused a major division, Rochowiak said there were a number of other things that didn't sit well with the board such as the company using the campgrounds area for staging purposes that would normally be reserved for paying customers.
There also is the matter of an unresolved electricity bill. Rochowiak said the board was promised that Wade-Shows would take care of the cost for the extra power required to operate the midway and use of the merchants building, but when they tried to resolve the matter they were stonewalled.
"We called (Williams') boss and he told us that they didn't owe us anything more. When somebody tells us that, it's time to break off the relationship," Rochowiak said.
When asked about the electricity bill, Williams said they are working out an arrangement.
While Rochowiak said the company made it a habit to not fulfill its promises according to the lease agreement, Williams said they did everything they were supposed to and they had success. Williams said board members were "misguided," and that they passed on an opportunity to bring the Wayne County Fair back to success.
"(The board) became bitter because they were thinking that they got cheated. The members of the board are not from the business world, they couldn't comprehend how much everything cost to run the fair," Williams said. "They don't know how much a billboard costs, or how much it costs to provide adequate (outdoor restroom facilities), or security. They have no concept of the cost involved.
"They're doing the best they can. I believe they are really trying to do something special but they have a lack of knowledge, a lack of marketing experience and a lack of trust to let someone else do it for them."
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