Gov. Jerry Brown has appointed two business owners to fill vacancies on the 24th District Agricultural Association, Tulare County Fair Board of Directors.
The appointees are Gary Castro, president of KRC Safety Co., Inc., of Visalia, and Henry Patel, who owns four Subway franchises in Tulare.
Castro, a member of the Rotary Club of Visalia, says he “literally grew up at the Tulare County Fair” and recalls “running all over the fairgrounds in a golf cart” thanks to family members who were involved in managing the fair.
“I know the fair needs help and Assembly Member Connie Conway asked, so I said OK,” Castro added.
Patel is “looking forward to the challenge” of turning the fair around and making it profitable. He knows from experience how that can be done, and he says it begins at the grassroots level.
“I was able to turn around my businesses and make them profitable and I know it may take awhile, but we will turn the fair around,” Patel said. “I’ve been hearing about the financial difficulties and I’m pretty vocal, so after I voiced my concern, people told me to join and try to help. I’d like to see more people from all over the county participate in the fair and to do what we can to keep the fair affordable to families.”
In addition to being a franchise owner, Patel serves on the board of the Subway Marketing Trust Fund, managing a $2 million fund, and he serves on the Coca-Cola Customer Service Advisory Board.
The Tulare County Fair runs Sept. 10-14. For information, visit tcfair.org or call 686-4707.