ONE ON ONE | Dominic Baragona Promoter enjoys bringing fun to Mahoning Valley

What made you start in the promotions business?
I started with some events in 1979, 1980 as a way to pay some of the radio station's bills. Our first show was a bridal show at the old VIP, and then we did a home and garden show at the Eastwood Mall.
Back then, there was no such thing as a home and garden show. They were successes, and then a light went on and I said, hey, this is a great thing.
So it was really an outgrowth of the radio stations?
Yes, because we needed another way to bring money in. Then it sort of became a business of its own. When I sold the radio station, I was really ready to get out of radio. But through the radio stations, we had started the rib burn-offs and we used to sponsor a really successful country show called Jamboree in the Ridge.
When Clear Channel Communications bought the stations, Mid-America Events was carved out so it was not a part of the sale. And it's really grown. I would say we promote 75 percent of the shows in this area.
Is it still a thrill for you to promote these events?
Absolutely. I really love the rib burn-offs. I travel a lot, especially to places like Key West. And anywhere I go, if I smell ribs, especially if they are cooking outdoors, it brings me right back to home. I get a sense of the vendors and the pageantry and the fun. We try to make them fun in two main areas: fun to eat and fun to watch.
If someone told you that you had to get out of the promotions business, what would you do?
Probably nothing. I would spend all my time in the Florida Keys boating and fishing. I could never work in the corporate world again. I probably work more now than I did then, but it's my choice. I'm not tied down to a desk 40 hours a week. I love the freedom I have now.
And even when I am done, I won't really be done. My daughters are growing into the business and starting to work with me. When I finish, I will still be there to help them and be their adviser.
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I never really knew what I wanted to be. I was always a very aggressive kid, though. I was always selling something. You used to be able to send away for these candles and then sell them to your neighbors to make money, and I did that.
When I was senior class president, we were selling these books to raise money for our prom, and no one was able to sell them. I took it upon myself to get out there and sell them, and I sold a lot of them. And I still love competition; I eat it up.
Are you into sports?
I am really into sports, and I am a home teams boy. I root for the Cleveland Browns and Indians, Niles McKinley and Ohio State. Last year, with Ohio State, was a really big thrill for me. One of my daughters is a freshman there, and to have her going to school there when they had a championship year was a great thing.
With my schedule, though, I don't always get time to go to the games. Ideally, I would love to sit in the stadium in Cleveland and, win or lose, spend a great summer evening just sitting there watching the game. But it seems like I hardly ever have the time to actually do that.
What's the best advice you ever got and from whom?
Never burn a bridge. I don't remember who first taught me that, but I've lived my whole life with that thought in mind.
Another one is to think before you speak. You really have to think about what you are going to say and what the impact is going to be. The worst thing to do is to erase a relationship, I really believe that. And my daughters hear that from me all the time.
Who is your favorite superhero?
Superman. It was my favorite program growing up.
Did you ever wish you could fly?
I've often felt that I could. I daydream about that all the time, that I am hovering above, floating down a hall, above the people. I have that fantasy of buzzing around in the air.
Who is the one person you would like to have lunch with?
George W. Bush. I would like to know where he's going in the long run, and where he's taking us. I like a guy with convictions, who stands up for what he believes in and fights to do the right thing. I honestly believe in my soul that he is a man who is trying to put us on the right track.