Ross Foundation gives $4 million to 'Fairs Forever' expo center

WELLINGTON — A $4 million donation from the Ross Foundation puts the Lorain County Fair a huge stride closer to covering the cost of its new exposition center and equestrian arena. The gift was announced Monday. In return, the foundation will get naming rights to the new facility, said fair board President Rick Ternes. "They stepped up," he said. "They came to us shortly after the (2022) fair and said, 'Hey, we want to be part of this project.' Through several meetings, they said the foundation could do this." Last year, the fair board announced it would pursue a $12 million "Fairs Forever" plan to transform its Wellington grounds over the next few years. The first step is to build an exposition center that can be used year-round, generating revenue by hosting shows, conferences and tournaments. The fair board set aside $1.5 million in seed money, which was matched by the Lorain County commissioners. With Ross' donation, along with several other big-dollar donors, the fair has raised nearly $8 million toward its goal, Ternes said. "We're fortunate to be in a position to help usher in a new era for the Lorain County fair," Bill Cromling III, co-chair of the Ross Foundation, said in a written statement. "This has always been a special place for our family and will continue to be for many years to come." Ross has not formally announced a name for the new exposition center, but Ternes said it will probably pay tribute to Cromling's mother, the late Maureen Cromling. Before her death in 2019, she worked for the family's companies — Ross Environmental, Ross Incineration and Ross Transportation — including a long stint as president and CEO from 1992 to 2007. According to Ternes, Maureen Cromling was a member of one of Lorain County's original 4-H clubs, riding horses at the fair. "The family has always been involved with the fair, all the way back through 4-H," he said, and because of that relationship the Cromlings were dedicated donors down through the years. To date, the $4 million donation is the largest amount the Ross Foundation has given to any single recipient, Ternes said. Fair board members have lined up several other meetings with potential donors in coming weeks, he said. If they go well, it is possible the full $12 million fundraising goal could be met by the time the 177th Lorain County Fair begins on Aug. 20, he said. Doing so would allow ground to be broken on the exposition center this fall, Ternes said. Engineers are working on site schematics, and the plan is to put the exposition center project out for bid within the next month. The bid would not include the equestrian arena portion of the project, nor a new 16,200-square-foot Junior Fair cattle barn that's part of Fairs Forever, he said. Jason Hawk can be reached at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com.