Lethbridge, Alta. – Lethbridge & District Exhibition (LDE) has received approval from the Government of Alberta to move forward with the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) approved by Lethbridge City Council on January 23, 2024.
The MOU has allowed for a change in governance structure to occur. The past LDE board has resigned from their positions and a new Board of Directors has been appointed. This includes senior administrators from both the City of Lethbridge and Lethbridge County.
The new board will be co-chaired by Lloyd Brierley (City of Lethbridge) and Cole Beck (Lethbridge County) with Carly Kleisinger (City of Lethbridge) and Jennifer Place (Lethbridge County) being named vice-chairs. For a full list of the LDE board members, visit www.agrifoodhub.ca/organization.
“I want to acknowledge the past board as well as those who have stepped up to help lead LDE through this next chapter of the organization’s history,” says co-chair Lloyd Brierley. “Now that these changes have been implemented, our focus for the next year will be on finding the best ways to reduce the gap between the operating budget required and revenues coming in so we can create a more sustainable future for Agri-food Hub & Trade Centre.”
In addition to the change in leadership, the City of Lethbridge will also become the sole voting shareholder of LDE. The shareholder redemption process has now been initiated and is expected to be complete by the end of the month. Anyone who is a current LDE shareholder will receive notification of this change and will be refunded the cost of their shares.
The Agri-food Hub & Trade Centre has a busy schedule of events happening over the next several months including one of its signature events, Ag Expo running February 27-29.
“One of our primary goals with this transition is to ensure the Agri-food Hub & Trade Centre maintains its business continuity,” says co-chair Cole Beck. “We want the community, the region, and the province to know that we are open for business, and the excitement of a sold-out Ag Expo, in just a couple of weeks, is a great way to demonstrate that.”
The January 23 Council decision to approve the MOU, outlined the City’s financial and operational support to LDE. This included the secondment of interim staff to provide operational leadership. To create greater stability, the LDE board appointed Kim Gallucci as Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of LDE.
“Kim has agreed to take a leave of absence from his role as General Manager of the ENMAX Centre to support operations of the Agri-food Hub & Trade Centre for the next year,” says Brierley. “He brings a wealth of industry knowledge and experience in event management that will serve LDE well. Kim is also a very fiscally responsible leader and is already working with the staff to make important changes that will help the Agri-food Hub & Trade Centre be more successful.”
The operations team at the Agri-food Hub & Trade Centre will be extremely busy over the next several months. The team is planning their internally-produced events, including Ag Expo; the Lethbridge Farmers’ Market, which returns June 8; and Whoop-Up Days with the Lethbridge & District Pro Rodeo. Other notable public events at the venue include the Wildlife Festival from March 8-10; the Southern Alberta Home, Garden and Leisure Show from March 14-16; and the Southern Alberta Outdoor Show from April 5-7.
For more information on what is happening at the Agri-Food Hub & Trade Centre visit https://www.agrifoodhub.ca/agri-food/whats-on