Starting April 29, Quyon resident Sara McCann Richardson will oversee all operations of PAS, including the planning and preparations of the Shawville Fair.

“I am excited to get to work with the directors and volunteers that make the Fair a success every year,” said Richardson in a press release. “I know how much hard work it takes to put on the Fair, and I am excited to be part of the team.”

With loads of experience in customer service working with a variety of community organizations, including the Family Centre in Quyon, the Quyon Waterfront Revitalization Committee and the governing board at Pontiac High School (PHS) Richardson knows all about the ins and outs of volunteer work and event organizing in the community and she’s always eager to keep learning.

“Every organization has different needs, expectations and responsibilities,” said Richardson in an e-mail. “By performing different tasks and learning in the process, I understand the importance of community organizations.”

After learning about her new opportunity from an ad in THE EQUITY, Richardson applied for the job.

When she found out that she got the position, she was overjoyed. However, making the transition from one job to another was never an easy decision.

As a former client advisor at the RBC in Shawville, Richardson had already formed close relationships with her co-workers. But the chance to be at the helm of all operations of PAS was an opportunity she couldn’t refuse.

“I was already working for a great business in the community and enjoyed my relationship with my co-workers,” she said. “

With her new job, Richardson looks forward to learning more about PAS, its partners and its mission, as well as meeting new people in the community.

Born and raised in Quyon, Richardson enjoys spending her days off crafting and doing various DIY projects around the house with her husband and two kids.

“Pontiac is my home and I take pride in everything it has to offer,” said Richardson.

PAS conducted an open hiring process to find its new GM, involving several steps to prevent conflicts of interest from affecting the filling of the position, PAS President Tyler McCann said in a press release.

With all her experience working for non-profit organizations, volunteering and running small businesses in the community, the hiring committee felt like Richardson was a shoe-in for the position.

“Volunteers are really at the heart of the Fair and we’re looking for somebody that can do that,” said McCann. “Someone who could communicate and interact with all our visitors, customers and Fair partners. And she was the right combination of all those skills.”

In that process, the goal was for the committee to be as transparent and as credible as possible while reaching the widest scope of candidates.

With several executive committee members and directors serving on the committee, PAS also hired two independent consultants to assist with the process.

“What it was really about was ensuring that we had a really credible and transparent process,” said McCann. “Everyone knew that, at the end of the day, the right person was getting hired for the job.”

According to McCann, the PAS’s reason behind hiring its first GM is related to the constant growth of the event in the last few years.

“I think the Fair is always changing,” said McCann. “We’ve got a really strong foundation. But, the Fair has evolved. And as the Fair grows to be a bigger business, we thought it was the time to make the change to a full-time position.”

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