profile
Lester Meier
T
t he original Agri-preneur
The sport of rodeo is a tradition that dates as far back as the early 1800’s and it continues to offer a window into its history for young and old alike. The sport began as a working ranch competition where cowboys gathered after long cattle drives to show off their skills and it has grown into one of the most popular American sports today. Lester Meier, founder and owner of the Lester Meier Rodeo Company Texas and the Open Pro Rodeo Association, has been in the business of providing cowboys and cowgirls, as well as rodeo spectators, with the highest quality stock, fast-paced rodeo action and family-friendly atmosphere for more than 40 years. Lester and Holly Meier’s vision and dedication to the rodeo tradition, has made their Open Pro Rodeo one of the top ten in the state. Lester Meier Rodeo events include bull riding, bare bronc riding, ladies barrel racing, ladies breakaway calf roping, team roping, tie down calf roping, and steer wrestling. Once a bull rider himself who competed for seven years, Lester can truly relate to the cowboy way of life. He encourages respect to others, as well as to themselves, a moral standard both inside and outside the arena. A native of Fredericksburg, Texas, Lester took a job as a herdsman for three years at the LBJ ranch in Stonewall and during this time he became involved in bull riding and started the Stonewall Rodeo Club. His bull riding career ended in 1973 when he was gored through the chin by a bull. People often ask him why he stopped bull riding and he says emphatically, “it was that last bull!” After he recovered, he purchased a couple of bucking bulls and, as they say, the rest is history. Lester is also a fulltime rancher on the very same ranch where he grew up showing steers and turkeys as a boy with the 4H and FFA; and he’s still very active in the community. He serves as the chairman of the Gillespie County Stock Show Sales Committee, founder and president of the Gillespie County Wild Game Dinner (where in the last seven years he’s donated more than $330,000 for youth and adult agricultural education), he is a long time Farm Bureau Director and he still finds time to be very involved in and supportive of the Emmaus Christian Community. His continuous benevolent efforts have made a tremendous impact on Gillespie and surrounding counties. We asked Lester why he spends so much of his time raising money for 4H and FFA projects; why he is so devoted to kids? He tells us, “I was raised very poor and there always was some organization that would help us out with our stock show projects. I want to be that for other kids who just need a little help.” The demand for corporate events with a Texas flare has presented an opportunity for the Lester Meier Rodeo Company to add the Texas Style Event Planners, Inc. to their résumé. Traveling all across the state, providing corporate companies with locations, food and beverages, entertainment and themed events, has allowed hundreds of thousands to experience a true and exciting western Rodeo. He very much enjoyed mentoring the Greater Boerne Chamber of
Commerce through their first few Wild Game Dinners. “Every event stands out in its own way, but Boerne started off with a bang! They have great leadership, strong local support as far as organizing and working the event, and then, there are all those great cook teams!” The 2014 Texas Hill Country Open Pro Rodeo Tour is packed full of Open Pro rodeo events, open bull ridings and Corporate Convention Rodeos throughout the year. With a combined annual attendance of over 100,000 people and counting, all events produced by the Lester Meier Rodeo Company carry the same high quality trademark – top stock, fast and efficient production and a personal dedication to delivering heart stopping excitement, old fashion family fun and an opportunity to honor the cowboy way. In his spare time, Lester Meier manages over 3,500 acres of ranchland, supporting a cow calf operation. He and his wife Holly work tirelessly together in every endeavor. He is the father of two daughters, Charity and Tiffani, a fatherly stepfather to E.A., and has two sons-in-law, Gabe Wilson and Price Phillips. Probably the great joys of his life are three grandchildren who call their proud grandpa “Snappy.” They have that right! So, what’s next for Lester? Rodeo is his heart and his family says, only half-joking, he will probably be taking the sport of rodeo to China.
2013 marked t he 40t h anniversary of t he Lest er Meier Rodeo Company.
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Wild game Dinner | 2014