Rochester visitors bureau chief is leaving
The long-time executive director of Rochester's visitors bureau is leaving for a similar job in Bellevue, Washington.
Brad Jones' tenure overlapped with the launch of the Destination Medical Center project, which aims to boost Rochester's reputation.
City council president Randy Staver and visitors bureau board member praised Jones for repositioning Rochester nationally as the city grows. After working in that job for 13 years, Staver said the move is good for Jones's career and family.
Staver said the board hasn't discussed Jones's replacement yet.
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But Staver said the findings from a consultant the city hired to assess the business relationship between the visitors bureau and the Civic Center will likely shape the hiring process.
"A lot of what we are going through now could serve as a foundation for the sorts of skills and attributes we might look for in a new director," Staver said.
The visitor's bureau books conferences for the Mayo Civic Center, which is now facing growing budget deficits after a major renovation. Typically, the civic center taps lodging tax dollars to make up the budget shortfall, but projections show budget holes getting larger and larger in coming years if revenue doesn't keep up with increased costs.
At the same time, some local officials have questioned whether the bureau, known as Experience Rochester, is transparent enough with how it spends the roughly $2.5 million it gets annually from the city's lodging tax.
"[Jones] has brought some great qualities and set the path in terms of what Experience Rochester could be," said Mayo Civic Center executive director Donna Drews. "If we look to build on that and enhance the opportunities for sales and marketing on behalf of Mayo Civic Center that would be our goal."
Jones's last day is August 15. In a statement, he said his team consistently increased annual sales.
"I am very proud of our sales, marketing and visitor experience programs. They are the backbone of what we have focused on for several years," Jones said. "Seeing so much progress in these areas has been very rewarding."