Celebrating Success
Jennifer Valente (Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24) wins two gold medals in the 2024 U.S. Olympics.
Virginia Restaurant Lodging and Travel Association (VRLTA) 2024 Ordinary Award
WINNER: Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge Hospitality Hero Business/Organization Award
Perry F. Kendig Awards 2023
WINNER: Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge Honorary Arts and Cultural Organization Award
STAFF:
Administration
Landon C. Howard
President
Heidi R. Bowling
Director of Operations/Assistant to the President
Sales & Marketing
Debora Wright
Senior Vice President
David Aldridge
Vice President of Marketing
Kathryn Lucas
Director of Public Relations
John Oney
Vice President of Sports & Sales
Shannon Terry
Creative Design Senior Manager
Jennifer Hayward
Social Media & Content Manager
Sales & Marketing continued
Paige Thompson
Meeting Sales & Services Manager
Antonio Gonzalez
Sports Sales & Services Manager
Amanda Koury
Sports Sales & Services Coordinator
Grace Needham
Public Relations Coordinator
Holly Marden
Events Coordinator (part-time)
Community Relations / Visitor Services
Cheryl Morales
Director of Community Relations
Kristen Flack
Community Relations & Events Manager
Visitor Information Center (part-time)*
LEAD VISITOR SERVICES SPECIALIST:
Jane Smith
Weekend Visitor Services Lead: Ahondryea Brooks
VISITOR SERVICES SPECIALISTS:
Natalie Collins
Marlene Efkeman
Debra Finney
Linda Franklin
Ray Keys
Wayne Sanburn
Lisa Wagner
*Note: VBR Visitor Center is operated and staffed seven days a week
Key performance indicators (KPI)
TRAVEL EXPENDITURES IMPACT LOCAL ECONOMY:
Direct Impact + Indirect & Induced Impact = Total Impact
Source: Virginia Tourism Corporation
DIRECT SPENDING BY CATEGORY:
DIRECT SPENDING
INDIRECT & INDUCED
Definitions:
Direct Impacts: economic value created by visitors at the point of transaction in key travel sectors
Indirect Impacts: additional economic value created as goods and services are purchased as inputs in key travel sectors
Induced Impacts: additional value created from wage income (direct or indirect) from spending in key travel sectors
1,884,650 UNIQUE VISITORS (USERS)
5,163 UNIQUE VISITORS PER DAY
73%
VIEWED THE WEBSITE ON A MOBILE DEVICE
4%
VIEWED THE WEBSITE ON A TABLET
23%
VIEWED THE WEBSITE ON A DESKTOP COMPUTER
PLACE WEBSITE
255,665 FOLLOWERS YOU TUBE WATCH TIME: 10,403.6 HOURS = 624,216 MINUTES = 433.5 & 782,306 DAYS VIEWS
OVER 5.5 MILLION ENGAGEMENTS
Key performance indicators (KPI)
SPORTS SALES:
65 EVENTS BOOKED
72,000+ EVENT PARTICIPANTS
MEETING & CONVENTION SALES:
48,000+ TOTAL ROOM NIGHTS
50 MEETINGS BOOKED
16,000+ TOTAL ROOM NIGHTS
Key performance indicators
NUMBER OF MEDIA HOSTED/VISITED
MEDIA OUTREACH PITCHES 184
215
1,641 PARTNERS IN 2023
44 NEW PARTNERS
PARTNER/PROSPECT VISITS
Board of directors & VBR FOUNDATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
MEMBER ROSTER (7/2024 - 6/2025)
Mark S. Lucas
Mill Mountain Technologies
Chair
Richard L. Caywood, P.E. County of Roanoke Vice Chair
Ryan Bell
Roanoke Higher Education Center
Lynne Pearo Boone
ABoone Homes, LLC
John Carlin
WSLS-TV 10 (NBC)
Christopher Dorsey City of Salem
Jennifer Eddy
Appointed by the City of Roanoke
Whit Ellerman
Cardinal Bicycle
William Farrell
Berglund Automotive Group
Lisa D. Garst
Salem
Sunny Shah
Baymont Inn & Suites Salem Vice Chair
Douglas Blount County of Roanoke Treasurer
Kenneth Lanford Lanford Brothers Company, Inc.
Gary Larrowe County of Botetourt
Stephen Lemon
Martin, Hopkins & Lemon, P.C.
Annette Lewis
Former President & CEO of Total Action for Progress (TAP)
Peter Lewis
Apple Ridge Farm
Sam Lionberger
Lionberger Construction Company
Michael Maxey
Former President of Roanoke College
Kimberly Blair
Carilion Clinic Foundation
Secretary
W. Lee Wilhelm, III
McNeil Roofing, Inc. Past Chair
Jim McAden
Former President of Balzer and Associates, Inc.
Ann Blair Miller
Roanoke Regional Partnership
Allison Oakey
RBC Wealth Management
Appointed by the City of Roanoke
Kirtesh Patel
TRU by Hilton
Dr. Lydia Pettis Patton City of Roanoke
Malcolm Quigley
Appointed by the City of Roanoke
Ken Randolph Rockydale Quarries Corporation
VISIT VIRGINIA'S BLUE RIDGE FOUNDATION:
David Robertson
Robertson Marketing, Inc.
John Shaner
City of Salem Parks & Recreation
Susan E. Short, Ph.D.
Virginia Tech
Eric Sichau
Roanoke Regional Chamber
Lutheria Harrison Smith
Appointed by the City of Roanoke
Christopher L. Whitlow
County of Franklin
John B. Williamson, III RGC Resources, Inc.
Barton J. Wilner Entre Computer Center
Trustees
W. Lee Wilhelm, III
McNeil Roofing, Inc.
President
Richard L. Caywood, P.E.
County of Roanoke
Mark S. Lucas
Mill Mountain Technologies
Kimberly Blair
Carilion Clinic Foundation
Secretary
Douglas Blount
County of Roanoke
Treasurer
Barton J. Wilner
Entre Computer Center
Established November 15, 2016
Dr. Lydia Pettis Patton City of Roanoke
Christopher Dorsey
City of Salem
Gary Larrowe
County of Botetourt
Christopher L. Whitlow
County of Franklin
Sunny Shah
Baymont Inn & Suites Salem
Susan E. Short, Ph.D.
Virginia Tech
Administration
Landon C. Howard
Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge
Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge Foundation Board of Trustees allocated $50,000 to the Mill Mountain Trails Project managed by the Roanoke Recreation Foundation.
