Success Stories

Salome Valente
Executive Assistant & Manager, Corporate Administration
Growing up in East Vancouver, the Fair at the PNE was what you most looked forward to every summer. I had so much fun every year that at the age of 16, my friends and I applied for one of the many available jobs. Both my best friend and I ended up landing positions as Concession workers in Playland, and we couldn’t have been more excited. After that summer I was offered a transfer to the Pacific Coliseum to work year-round as a Food & Beverage Concession worker for the many events that took place in the Coliseum (ie. Vancouver Canucks games, concerts, trade shows, etc). I continued to do this for the next eight years while I finished high school and obtained my Bachelor of Arts Degree from Simon Fraser University. It was a job that offered me a flexible schedule, a good wage and great experience. In 1998 I was given the opportunity to work in the Food and Beverage office, helping with recruitment, scheduling and payroll, which in 2000 turned into a full-time position. I continued to do this for the next three years until the fall of 2003 when I applied for my current position, Manager, Corporate Administration and Executive Assistant to the President and CEO. I have now been in this position for over 3 years and I am really enjoying it. Everyday I am faced with new and rewarding challenges. This year will be my 18th Fair and I still look forward to it as though it were my first. There is nothing that compares to the sights, sounds, and smells of a Fair. I feel that I am pretty lucky and fortunate because the PNE to me is more than just a job, it is a passion.

Donald Lee
Director, Operations
I started working for the PNE in the Fair of 1986, in the Livestock Cafeteria. I grew-up near the PNE so the place to be during the late weeks in August was the Fair. Rides, food and fun with your friends, what more can you ask for? In the following years, working at the PNE part-time was a great way to pay for my university tuition. The hours were very flexible and it paid better than most other part-time jobs. After I graduated university, I was offered a management position in the Coliseum. The job was a great opportunity for me. Although it was a junior position, I was able to put my business degree to some good use. Another perk was that I was able to watch all the concerts and hockey games I wanted. Now, I have a new and challenging job as a Director of the Operations department. I have worked many part-time jobs in my life but I have always stayed with the PNE. The greatest gift the PNE has given to me is the chance of becoming friends with all the wonderful people that I had the pleasure to work with.

Allison Wong
Tech Services Office Assistant
When I was told I got the job as an attendant in the Playland Petting Farm I was ecstatic! I had always loved animals and had pets of my own, but growing-up in the city I hadn’t spent much time with farm animals. Working in the Farm gave me the chance to work with animals like donkeys, miniature horses, goats and llamas. I spent two summers as an attendant in the Petting Farm where I met many new people and had a lot of fun.

Eight years ago, I transferred to my current position into the Tech Services Department. When I applied for the position in the Petting Farm I never expected to be working for the PNE for as long as I have. The PNE has allowed me the flexibility to continue my schooling while providing me with an enjoyable job in a unique industry. Ten years later, I still look forward to the Fair with anticipation and love the excitement it provides for the public as well as for its employees.