FAIRMONT — Stephanie Busiahn did not plan a career in tourism promotion, but once she got started she threw her energy into it.

Busiahn has led the Fairmont Convention & Visitors Bureau — known as “Visit Fairmont” — for 12-plus years. Her evolving knowledge and expertise led her into the Southern Minnesota Tourism Association, where she currently serves as president. This stint, in turn, has led even higher.

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton recently appointed Busiahn to the Explore Minnesota Tourism Council, representing the southern Minnesota regional group.

“It’s a great opportunity to really dive in a little bit deeper in state tourism and what our state agency is doing to promote tourism throughout the state and country,” Busiahn says.

She applied for the position, which will last until Jan. 1, 2020. Busiahn plans to apply again when her term expires.

She said the council is comprised of a wide swath of representatives, from retail, campgrounds, hotels, resorts, media, and elected officials from the local and state levels. They all work to help make Minnesota a destination for visitors. They also share information, something Busiahn hopes to utilize as she returns to the regional level to better market southern Minnesota.

Coincidentally, she will be taking on another responsibility in 2019, as chairperson of the Minnesota Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus.

For Busiahn, it all began with some uncertainty.

She originally obtained an associate’s degree in human services, considering a career in counseling, but then shifted her focus. She returned to college, to Mankato State University, to study recreation, parks and leisure services. She had her eye on doing event planning for a professional sports team, such as the Vikings or Twins. It turned out, though, that she did not like the idea of living in the metro area, which created an obvious conflict.

So, as she was looking for work, she applied for the Convention & Visitors Bureau job in Fairmont, did some “digging” about what the work would entail, and thought it might be a good fit for her. It turned out she was right.

But not at first.

There was a learning curve that she overcame with help from colleagues and lots of study. But once she was over the hump, she knew her business.

Busiahn has since put roots down in Fairmont, where she and her husband, Trent, are raising their family: Lucas, 7, and a set of 4-year-old twin boys, Jack and Jace.

“Fairmont has been great to me and my family,” Busiahn says.

Visit Fairmont, headquartered in the same building as the Chamber of Commerce along Blue Earth Avenue, is funded by a 3 percent sales tax on lodging at local hotels. The fee is standard across the state. In Fairmont, it raises from $130,000 to $150,000 annually. The funds pay Busiahn’s salary, her office costs and for marketing Fairmont in the places that Busiahn and her seven-member board of directors deem best. She is assisted by Ben Landsteiner, through a contract with the Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce.

Visit Fairmont buys print, digital, outdoor and radio ads in various markets, including the Twin Cities and northern Iowa. It also targets Chicago and Wisconsin markets, because Fairmont is a midway point between these areas and the Black Hills. Every traveler who pulls off Interstate 90 to eat, gas up, rest or otherwise visit brings tourism dollars into Fairmont.

Busiahn says that people sometimes tell her they do not see any promotion for Fairmont locally. This is because her focus is really outward, in other places.

She also notes that while locals may believe Fairmont’s lakes are the main draw, this is only partially true. Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes, so Fairmont’s lakes have to compete with all the others. Busiahn markets the lakes, but also puts a focus on local arts and culture, such as the Opera House; on the many parks (green spaces); on other amenities, including a unique disc golf setup at Cedar Creek Park that features three 18-hole courses in one location; on local convention options; and on winter activities, such as a pond hockey tournament and ice-fishing events.

For those interested, there is a visitfairmontmn.com website that offers a wide variety of information about the Fairmont area, upcoming events and local tourism resources. The site includes ways to contact Busiahn.