SALEM (AP) — The manager of the Oregon State Fair has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into complaints about him during the recently concluded event.

Chris Havel, spokesman for the state Parks and Recreation Department, confirmed that an outside investigator has been hired to investigate Dave Koellermeier. He said the complaints were made by fair employees and others, but declined to provide specifics.

“Generally, for personnel matters, we are very careful about what we discuss,” Havel told the Capital Press newspaper, which reported the action on its Web site Thursday.

Koellermeier, 56, could not be reached for comment.

The Parks and Recreation Department hired Koellermeier in 2006 to replace the fair’s previous administrator, Katie Cannon.

“We knew we needed to take the fair in a new direction and that required new leadership,” Havel said.

Soon after he became manager, Koellermeier and the parks department ordered an audit that led to a police investigation of Debbie Gorski, the event and sales manager later convicted of embezzlement.

Koellermeier set about revamping the fairgrounds by improving its bookkeeping system, taking down old buildings to cut maintenance costs and launching new entertainment venues.

Attendance has increased about 14 percent on his watch. This year’s event, which concluded Sept. 1, attracted 361,000 visitors.

Koellermeier previously worked for private firms, including 15 years as an executive at Ralston Purina.

He runs a farm near Wilsonville, where he raises feeder cattle, sheep, cherries and Christmas trees. He  also is on the board of directors of the Agri-Business Council of Oregon, a non-profit organization that promotes agriculture and agribusiness in the state.