John Peco – General Manager

John Peco has a background in management, marketing, and operations.  He has worked as a senior executive in Canada and the United States, and as an entrepreneur working with a wide range of companies across multiple industries.  From 2007 through 2011 he taught a variety of undergraduate university courses in e-Marketing, Information Technology and Business Strategty at the Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University.  John has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University, a Master’s Degree in Information Science from the University of Toronto and has begun his PhD research also at the University of Toronto.

John maintains a small apple orchard and vineyard on his rural property and enjoys making apple cider and wine from his produce.  He has an appreciation for rural living and the needs of the Ontario agricultural community.

John enjoys working with the volunteer members of the Agricultural Society, our many fair patrons, those renting our facilities, and our community partners.  He also works closely with the Board of Directors on many projects and anticipates a bright and promising future.

Mick Erskine – Property Manager

Mick is the liaison with renters during move-in and move-outs. He is the main contact for renters during events.

Mick’s duties include dealing with tenants, building repair, ground improvement, cleaning, garden maintenance, general fabrications and snow removal, to be coordinated with the Directors’ wishes. Mick oversees the cleaning and maintenance staff and performs emergency on call duties. Mick is in charge of the overall maintenance of the Markham Fair’s 100 acre facility.

Alana Tufford - Administrative and Marketing Assistant

Alana is our 2012 Fair ambassador, a business marketing graduate in April and a lifetime volunteer; she is elated to be joining the staff at Markham Fair. Alana has gone from a child who religiously entered the art classes in our Prize Book to taking on the huge task of being our chief editor. She is our administrative and marketing assistant and is on the “front lines” of the Markham Fair office. Greeting visitors, answering phones, scheduling rentals, and dealing with correspondence, she is the person all members and guests first meet as they walk through the door of the Fair office.

Barb Morrison – Bookkeeper

Barb handles all of our day-to day bookkeeping responsibilities including accounts receivable, accounts payable, and payroll and further assists the Finance Chair with reporting and analysis.  Barb frequently responds to the needs of Committee Chairs regarding approvals for expenditures and invoices, and she also responds to request for information. Barb works part-time throughout the year and full-time just prior and just after the Fair.

In addition to her paid job at the Fair, Barb also Chairs the Special Needs Committee and works closely with the Office Support Committee.

She has a Science, Architectural and Engineering background working in Precast Concrete, Injection Molding Plastics and Education.

Markham Fair Staff - John Peco, Barb Morrison, Alana Tufford, Mick Erskine