Head of Evraz Place to retire next March

The head of the organization that runs Evraz Place has announced he is retiring.

President and CEO of Regina Exhibition Association Limited (REAL) Mark Allan will finish his role in March 2018.

Allan has spent the last 15 years in the position, having been around for major sporting events, including the 2013 Grey Cup Festival, the 2010 World Junior Hockey Championship and the 2006 Tim Hortons Brier.

Allan was also a part of major concerts held at Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field such as the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, AC/DC and Bon Jovi.

He oversaw the demolition of 23 buildings on the grounds while watching the addition of the Queensbury Convention Centre, Co-operators Centre and the soon-to-be finished International Trade Centre.

“I really have enjoyed the energy of being resourceful and enterprising and building. When it gets to be just running it, I kind of lose interest,” he admitted with a laugh.

Allan said he believes he’s helped build a solid business for REAL. He joked that when he first started in 2003, he looked out the window and saw more employee vehicles than guest vehicles, and knew that something had to change.

And it did.

“I’m kind of feeling like I’ve got a check mark behind the things that were important to me,” he said.

Allan envisions the next CEO refining REAL’s operations.

Board chair Jeff MacPherson said that search has already begun and hopes to have someone in place by 2018.

“If we could script it perfectly, it would be early in January and that would allow probably a 60 to 90-day onboarding with Mark still here,” MacPherson said.

He added an ad-hoc committee of the board will be reaching out to the City of Regina, Saskatchewan Roughriders and Regina Pats for advice on the process, as each one of those organizations has recently hired new top brass.

Allan said he wants to work less and have more free time on his hands to focus on other personal things he’s interested in, including continuing to work on a cabin project.