Mo Freniere

Deputy Director of Sales, Eastern States Exposition: Age 36

Mo Freniere

Mo Freniere brought a lot with her to her 40 Under Forty photo shoot, all to help capture everything that’s important to her.

There’s a promotional banner for her family’s Prospect Valley Farm in Westfield; a plaque that depicts a leadership award she won; some ribbons from Eastern States Exposition (ESE) won by her family, which has shown cattle and produce for four generations; a picture of her family; materials depicting the Westfield Fair, which she has served in many capacities; and more.

The photo captures the essence of Freniere’s life and career, which, in many ways, has revolved around agriculture, milking shorthorns, fairs, and especially the Big E, which she currently serves as deputy director of Sales.

In that capacity, she oversees the sales and administrative process for all non-fair events and manages the brick-and-mortar food and beverages service, including alcohol partners, during the Big E.

She’s responsible for growing revenue, expanding ESE’s non-fair event portfolio, and attracting new trade shows and events, and she has been successful in rebuilding that side of the Big E’s business since the difficult COVID years.

“We’re looking pretty good … it’s been a few years until these events have gotten back up to scale, but we’re steadily improving,” said Freniere, who earned a degree in animal science with a focus on agricultural finance at Cornell and worked for the Holstein Assoc. USA and briefly at Hampshire College before joining Eastern States Exposition in 2019.

A list of all she has done within the Western Mass. community — and beyond — also helps tell her story. She is or has been a member of the International Assoc. of Fairs & Expositions, an American Milking Shorthorn Junior Society advisor, a Wyben 4-H Dairy Club leader, Westfield Fair Assoc. secretary and Vendor and Concessions coordinator, a member of the ESE Ag & Ed advisory committee, an ESE milking shorthorn breed representative, and an ESE judging competition superintendent.

And while she doesn’t show cattle at the Big E any longer, because of her position with the company, her family does, and that’s just one of many forums for exhibiting their milking shorthorns.

“We travel all over the country showing our cattle,” she said. “Locally we do really well, regionally we do OK, and nationally we hold our own, so we’ve got room to grow.”

—George O’Brien