GETTING TO KNOW OUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS……………………….……...... Charles C. Pesano Chuck Pesano was voted to the
Florida Federation of Fairs board of Directors at the annual convention in May. Having chaired both the Giles Ellis Memorial Golf Tournament and the Grievances Committee, Chuck
has also served on the Legislative Committee and the Spon- sorship Committee. Having grown up in Tampa and having spent most of his business career years in the surrounding Tampa Bay area. While attending H. B. Plant High School he was very active in athletics and lettered three years on the varsity baseball team and two years on the varsity basketball team. In his senior year he was awarded the American Legion Award and graduated first in the Plant High Class of 1971. He attended the University of South Florida and received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 1974. He majored in Accounting and again graduated first in his gradu- ating class. His professional career started with the national accounting
firm of Coopers and Lybrand (now Price Waterhouse Coopers) where he earned his CPA certification. Throughout his busi- ness career Chuck has held key financial positions with a very prominent list of companies including Tampa Electric Com- pany, Chris Craft Boat Manufacturing, and Nutmeg Industries. In addition, he was the Chief Financial Officer for both Com-
mercial Refrigerator Door Company (in Sarasota) and the Wis- consin Center District (in Milwaukee). In October 2004 Chuck was hired by Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles Bronson as the Executive Director of the Florida State Fair Authority where he continues to lead that organization to its current and future successes. During his six plus years at the helm of the Fair Authority
Chuck has instilled a new sense of business accountability, professional ethics, and operational profitability. During this time period the Authority has achieved record total net income and has seen a renewed commitment for providing out- standing customer service to all of its customers and patrons. The Fair Authority commits approximately $1.5 million of its annual budget towards programming that supports our com- munity through both education and agriculture initiatives. While in Milwaukee with the Wisconsin Center District, he led
the organization in its $200 million development and construc- tion programs for the new Midwest Airlines Convention Center, the Milwaukee Theatre and the U.S. Cellular Arena. Chuck has been married to his high school sweetheart,
Phala, since 1973. They have a wonderful daughter, Jessica, who is 29 years old, and is a partner and designer in her own local swimwear company called JesAla Couture Swimwear. Over the years Chuck has volunteered many hours of his
time to his church and to youth and adult humanitarian mission projects in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Appalachian regions of North Carolina, and the disadvantaged areas of Puerto Rico. In his leisure time you can find him either golfing, completing projects around the house, or helping his wife and daughter manage JesAla.
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