Estee Walter loves the Iowa State Fair. She loves it so much that every day she commutes 80 miles to the Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Foundation office in Des Moines. Walter, who serves the foundation as sponsorship director, grew up in rural Prescott and currently lives there.

Walter left the small town to attend Iowa State University, where she received an undergraduate degree in animal science and agricultural education in 1998. She then moved to Colorado to attend Colorado State University, and received a master’s degree in agriculture from the institution in December 1999. Although she enjoyed Colorado, in the spring of 2000, she returned to Iowa.

“I love Iowa,” Walter said. “I think it’s a great state to live and work [in]. There’s a lot of great opportunity here, and it’s mostly untapped.”

Her first job upon returning was with a recruiting company. She’d been working there for seven months when she heard about the sponsorship director position with the Blue Ribbon Foundation.

“I always loved the fair,” she said. “I spent a lot of time there growing up.” Walter participated in 4-H and Future Farmers of America and exhibited several types of livestock. When the chance came to give back to the Iowa institution that contributed so much to her life, she seized it.

Four people work full time in the foundation’s office, located in the Earth House on the Iowa State Fairgrounds. Walter’s job entails finding corporate sponsors for the fair. Some businesses want signs on buildings, others want to sponsor events, and some prefer to exhibit their products or services.

“I’m in charge of tying companies with certain events, and coordinating the logistics of special days at the fair,” Walter said.

For example, this year she linked Bob Brown Chevrolet with the Kachunga and the Alligator show. She says it’s challenging to find sponsors to match some events, but that many sponsors don’t care what event they are connected to, as long as they can contribute to the fair.

“The fair means a lot to many Iowans, and it’s just a great opportunity to reach 1 million people,” she said.