COMMERCE ANNOUNCES 2008 TOURISM WINNER’S CIRCLE RECIPIENTS

RALEIGH – The state honored six distinguished North Carolinians this week for their significant contributions to the success of North Carolina’s tourism industry.  The late Frank Capra, Jr., Bob McCoy, Grady and Reba Moretz, Todd Morse and Bruton Smith received the 2008 Winner’s Circle awards from Commerce Secretary Jim Fain during the annual Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Winston-Salem.

“These visionary leaders had big dreams for our state and they worked tirelessly to realize those dreams for the benefit of us all,” said Fain. “In a very real sense, they have helped put North Carolina on the map for millions of visitors.”  The Commerce Department created the Winner’s Circle awards in 2004 to honor North Carolinians who have made significant and continuing contributions to the growth of the state’s tourism industry.

The 2008 winners are:

Frank Capra Jr., the late and noted film and television producer, helped make North Carolina into an important center for film, television and commercial production. He helped to found EUE/Screen Gems Studios in Wilmington, which is now the largest full-service motion picture facility in the U.S., east of California. Under his guidance, EUE/Screen Gems Studios has been home to more than 300 film, television and commercial productions. The son of the noted Hollywood director Frank Capra, Frank Capra Jr. succumbed to prostate cancer in December.

Bob McCoy is president of Visit Winston-Salem. He is a member of Destination Marketing Association International, past president of Meeting Professionals International Carolinas Chapter and past president of the N.C. Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus. His many awards include Meeting Professionals International “Rising Star in the Meeting Professional Industry,” and Director of Sales of the Year for Sheraton Corporation’s North America Division.  Previously, Bob held a variety of marketing positions with Hyatt and Sheraton Hotel Corporations.

Grady and Reba Moretz are largely responsible for the booming North Carolina ski industry. They have owned Appalachian Ski Mountain since 1968, when they bought and developed the first ski resort in the High Country. In addition to their work with Appalachian Ski Mountain, Grady and Reba also joined Spencer and Harry Robbins and Hugh Morton in founding High Country Host and laying the foundation for future success.  Grady has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Ski Area Association. In 2000, Grady and Reba were among 40 North Carolinians selected as North Carolina Tourism Leaders of the 20th Century.

Todd Morse managed Chimney Rock Park for more than 20 years before retiring as president of Chimney Rock Management and Chimney Rock Park at the end of 2007.  The Morse family members have been careful stewards of the land from the time Dr. Lucius B. Morse, Todd’s great, great-uncle, purchased Chimney Rock Park in 1902.  Todd has been a true leader for the tourism industry, serving as president of the Blue Ridge Parkway Association and Southern Highlands Attractions Association. Todd oversaw Chimney Rock’s transition into an iconic state park and has worked to put in place the public/private partnership that will promote and preserve Chimney Rock for the people of North Carolina.

Bruton Smith anchored the $5 billion-a-year motorsports industry in North Carolina when he built Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord nearly 50 years ago. Lowe’s Speedway attracts nearly 250,000 people annually and draws more than 7.5 million television viewers around the world. In addition to the 1.5 mile superspeedway and .4 mile dirt track at Lowe’s Speedway, Bruton is building a state-of-the-art drag racing facility to enhance our state’s motorsports industry. Today, following his efforts, most NASCAR teams are headquartered in the state, the NASCAR Hall of Fame will open in Charlotte in 2010 and related vehicle research and technology businesses have opened in North Carolina.

Previous recipients include H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler, president and general manager of Lowe’s Motor Speedway; Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson; Grandfather Mountain owner Hugh Morton; Grove Park Inn President and CEO J. Craig Madison; Steve Miller, executive vice president of the Biltmore Company; Jack Goldstein, an influential member of numerous tourism-related boards and organizations; Phil Kirk, the former president and CEO of the N.C. Citizens for Business and Industry (now the N.C. Chamber); Bernie Mann, owner and publisher of Our State: Down Home in North Carolina; Douglas L. Stafford, former president of the Charlotte and Asheville CVBs; pro golfer and author Peggy Kirk Bell; David Heinl, president and CEO of the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau; and Judith A. Grizzel, recently retired as president/CEO of the New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority.

The travel and tourism industry plays a major and vital role in North Carolina’s economy. The industry provides jobs to more than 190,000 workers across the state, and last year, visitors to North Carolina spent $16.5 billion. 

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