Spencer, IA (KICD)– The Clay County Fair has named its new Manager/CEO following a month long search to succeed Jeremy Parsons, who was hired earlier this year to lead the Iowa State Fair.

Taking the reins in Spencer will be fair industry veteran Jerome Hertel – who has 24 years of upper-level management experience in the fair industry, most recently as the CEO of the Alaska state Fair since 2014.

After graduating from the University of South Dakota with a degree in business management, Hertel started a career in the food and beverage industry with a large sports arena in Houston, Texas. He later became the food and beverage director for the Sioux Falls Arena and Convention Center in the 1990s before moving into the fair industry in 1999.

He and his wife Stephanie, a teacher, have two grown children and five grandchildren. His first day on the job will be April 17th.