A former Saskatchewan broadcaster has been named general manager of Canadian Western Agribition.
Leon Brin, executive director of the Saskatchewan Bison Association, assumes the position Jan. 1.
Agribition president Gary Anderson said Brin’s background and agricultural knowledge would serve the organization well.
Brin has worked in radio and television. He was general manager at CKCK-TV in Regina from 1991 to 1998.
He has been at the SBA since 1999 where “he developed a strategic plan that has seen the Saskatchewan Bison Association become the fastest growing association in North America,” Anderson said.
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Brin owns some bison on a farm at Quill Lake, Sask.
“I’m not a farmer. I don’t pretend to be a farmer,” he said. “I’m a bison producer. I’m an investor. I’ve had a sampling of the industry.”
He said he has always called his SBA job the best in the world because the industry was new and developing, but he was attracted to the chance to work with more agricultural sectors through Agribition.
Brin said he intends to build on the business plan that has been put in place over the past few months by the board of directors.
“It’s been put in place to meet some of the challenges that Agribition has faced over the last little while and it’s solid,” he said.
“It also provides the opportunity to build and that’s one of the great attractions.”
Agribition lost $263,000 last year.
The board fired its previous general manager Wayne Gamble in March and in May announced the show would be cut from eight days to six.
Anderson said the plan calls for the show to make $100,000 this year.
He added he expects the number of international visitors attending the show will be down this year due to foot-and-mouth disease fears, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States and the conflict in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Mark Allan, who served as general manager from 1987 to 1992 and stepped in as interim manager in April, will stay on until the end of the year.
Brin remains in his SBA job until Dec. 31 as well. He said the search for his replacement would begin immediately.
