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2023
Rob Cohen
Chairman & CEO, IMA Financial Group & Founder of the Denver Sports Commission
As Chairman and CEO of the IMA Financial Group, Inc., an integrated financial services company, Robert Cohen is responsible for the company’s core strategic plan, including organic growth, M&A and building an industry-leading employee culture. In 2001, he was the Founder of the Denver Sports Commission, whose purpose was to help bring high-profile sporting events to Denver. The group was also designed to serve as a welcoming host to athletes, families, and fans from around the world. Denver Sports proactively identifies, pursues and attracts new sporting opportunities and helps Denver to compete regionally, nationally and internationally to host amateur and professional athletic competitions and events.
Rob strongly believes in personally giving back to the community and has served on more than 20 non-profit boards throughout his career in a variety of leadership capacities. Currently Rob serves on Colorado I Have a Dream Foundation (Co-Founder & Past Chair), Colorado Succeeds, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce (Past Chair), Denver Sports (Founder & Past Chair), Downtown Denver Partnership (Past Chair), Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. (Past Chair), and the United States Olympic Museum.
He is also a member of the Board of Directors for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Foundation that serves as the primary source of philanthropic support for Team USA. Founded in 2013, the USOPF generates critical financial resources that help Team USA athletes reach their full potential, both on and off the field of play. Additionally, Rob Cohen is the chair of the Games Hospitality Working Group and in this capacity he travels around the world attending Olympic and Paralympic Games and other related events in an effort to support the Olympic movement and advance its mission. Because of Rob’s commitment to the Olympics, he was recently named a member of the Congressional Commission on the State of the U.S. Olympics and Paralympics.
Jennifer Jasinski and Beth Gruitch
Owners Crafted Concepts Restaurant Group
Jen has perhaps brought more national attention to Denver fine dining than any other single chef. A James Beard Foundation award-winner for Best Chef Southwest in 2013, and appeared on Top Chef Masters on the Bravo network that same year. Jasinski and her business partner Beth Gruitch opened their first restaurant, Rioja, in Denver’s Historic Larimer Square to critical acclaim in 2004 with a huge media splash -- a 16-page special section in the Rocky Mountain News that chronicled all the work that goes into opening a restaurant. Rioja features a menu inspired by Mediterranean ingredients and influenced by local and seasonal products.
In 2005, Jasinski and business partner Beth Gruitch bought Bistro Vendôme, the kicky French boîte directly across the street. Their seafood spot, Stoic & Genuine was the first restaurant to open in the beautifully remodeled Denver Union Station in 2014 joined in 2017 by Ultreia showcasing the food of Spain and Portugal. Jen added a consulting chef gig at The Ponti at the Denver Art Museum opening in 2021. The pair have announced the move of Bistro Vendôme to the Park Hill neighborhood in early 2023. Chef Jen was named 2004 Colorado Chef of the Year and 2005 Western Regional Chef of the Year by the American Culinary Federation. Jen has been named Best New Chef, Rising Star, Best Chef and more in Denver Magazine, Restaurant Hospitality, Nation’s Restaurant News, The Denver Post, and 5280 Magazine. Jasinski’s impressive restaurant credits include stints at Wolfgang Puck restaurants including Postrio, San Francisco; Spago, Las Vegas, Malibu; Spago, Chicago; and corporate chef at Wolfgang Puck Food Company.
It’s difficult to imagine anyone in Denver’s highly competitive restaurant market that does more for the industry and the city than Beth Gruitch. Beth served as board chair and board member of the Colorado Restaurant Association, treasurer and board member of EatDenver and was a recent board member of the Downtown Denver Partnership’s Denver Civic Ventures board. She is responsible for human resources, crafting beverage programs, overseeing banquet sales, banking and guest service and monitoring accounting for four busy and successful restaurants.
She and Jen were honored as a semifinalists for the national Outstanding Restaurateur award by the James Beard Foundation in 2020 and Beth was named to the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame in 2022. Perhaps her business partner, Jasinski says it best. “Beth assures that all the best happens for the guests in all our restaurants. She makes sure we hire the best service staff, gives them complete and thorough training and coaches them to perform. She’s the reason people rave about our service.”
George Sparks
President & CEO, Denver Museum of Nature and Science
George Sparks is well known for his wonderful leadership at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, where he has turned it into the fourth largest museum in the United States and one of the most respected museums of its kind in the world. In addition to consistently being one of the top tourism attractions in Denver, the museum has gained much national press for the discovery of fossils in Steamboat – one of the largest fossil finds in history.
George has transformed the museum, taking it to new international recognition, and has also been responsible for bringing blockbuster shows to the region. From the museum’s on-site work at paleontological sites such as Steamboat to their work in space, George Sparks has kept the museum relevant and still on the cutting edge in the 21st Century. Prior to the museum, he spent nine years in the Air Force as a pilot and as an assistant professor of aeronautics at the United States Air Force Academy.
He is a distinguished graduate of the USAF Academy with bachelor’s in aeronautical engineering, and holds a master’s in aeronautics and astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His passion is public policy, particularly around science and education. He is a member of the Colorado Forum, Colorado Concern, and is on the boards of Colorado Education Initiative, Colorado Music Hall of Fame, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, and the Denver School of Science & Technology. He is the founder of the Institute for Science & Policy, a program of the Museum.
Hal O’Leary, Posthumous Award
Founder, National Sports Center for the Disabled
In 1970, George Engel, the owner of the Winter Park Ski School, asked his 65 employees for a volunteer. Some 23 amputees from the Children’s Hospital would be visiting and they needed a one-time ski lesson. Hal O’Leary raised his hand. He didn’t have any prior experience dealing with children or people with disabilities. When the kids arrived on an especially cold and windy day, he struggled. And he learned. O’Leary transformed that ski lesson into what would become the National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD), one of the largest therapeutic recreation and adaptive sports agencies in the world. His journey would revolutionize the skiing industry and bring a new world of movement and hope to people of all disabilities.
Hal’s book on adaptive skiing, Bold Tracks, has been translated into numerous languages and is still used to guide instructors on how to teach skiing to those with a myriad of disabilities. He also began to invent his own equipment to adapt to the different needs of his students, creating a cord between skis to help with lateral control, adding skis to walkers and creating sleds for paraplegics. Hal took his teachings around the world, setting up adaptive ski programs in more than 30 countries in Asia, Europe, and South America. He also coached the US Disabled Olympic Team. It is estimated that Hal worked personally with more than 20,000 disabled people before he passed away in June 2021 at the age of 94.
Today in Colorado, the NSCD at Winter Park Resort and in the Denver Metro area offers incredible adaptive outdoor experiences from skiing, hiking and horseback riding to rafting, archery, camping and more. And our Elite Athletes come from around the world to train here and ski competitively at the highest levels of their sport. Through a highly trained staff and hundreds of volunteers, NSCD served nearly 2,000 children and adults with disabilities in 8,000 adaptive outdoor experiences in 2022. For his contributions, Hal O’Leary has been inducted into the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame, the U.S. Ski Hall of Fame and the U.S. Disabled Ski Hall of Fame.
2022
Joe Blake
Former Chancellor Emeritus, CSU System; former CEO, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce
A Colorado native, Joe Blake was a vital part of Colorado’s business and education community for more than five decades. He was the President and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce for nearly a decade during a pivotal time in Denver’s history, helping to bring Major League Baseball to the city and helping to win the election to expand RTD’s transit system in Metro Denver, two events that greatly increased Denver’s appeal as a tourism destination. As Chancellor of the Colorado State University System, he oversaw its three distinct institutions: CSU, CSU-Pueblo and CSU-Global, and worked to help secure a more sustainable funding commitment for higher education in Colorado.
For nearly 20 years prior to his leadership of the Chamber, Blake was part of the senior management team that created the community of Highlands Ranch, home today for nearly 100,000 residents.
He was Legislative Assistant to U. S. Senator Gordon Allott (R-Colo.) in Washington. He was also a special agent of the FBI following graduation from law school.
Joe's commitment to Colorado was most apparent in 2005 when he served as co-chair of the statewide Yes on Referendum C and D campaign. Voters passed Referendum C to allow the State of Colorado to retain revenues for higher education, transportation and health care over a five-year period.
He has served on numerous boards and commissions, including the CSU Board of Governors, Colorado Baseball Commission, Chair of the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, Chair of the Colorado Transportation Commission, Colorado Concern and Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.
Recognition for his past civic and community service include induction into the 2017 Colorado Business Hall of Fame, the 2015 Denver Business Journal Legacy Award, the El Pomar Foundation Community Leadership Award, the Boy Scouts Distinguished Eagle Award and the Del Hock Lifetime Achievement Award from the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.
He was a Life-time Trustee of the Denver Area Boy Scouts. Joe was a graduate of East High School, Dartmouth College and the University of Colorado, School of Law. For his many contributions that have helped Denver grow as a tourism destination – from professional sports to a world class ground transportation system – Joe Blake is inducted into the Denver & Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame.
Sadly, Joe Blake passed away in February 2022, just weeks prior to his induction.
Kim Day
Former CEO, Denver International Airport (DEN)
Former DEN CEO Kim Day retired in July 2021, after presiding for 13 years over large-scale expansion projects and rapid passenger growth. For more than half of the airport’s history, Day was integral in elevating its international profile. She has also recognized how DEN contributes to Colorado tourism and the economic success of the region and made sure these were factors in decision making.
Day was appointed DEN manager by then-Mayor John Hickenlooper in early 2008. After Mayor Michael B. Hancock’s first election in 2011, he retained Day, calling her “the dynamic leader we needed at a pivotal time.”
She took over during the Great Recession, but soon she was able to foster the growth and increasing revenue to turn DEN into the nation’s fifth-busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic, prior to the pandemic. During the pandemic, DEN was one of the world’s first major airports to rebound and is currently the 3rd busiest in the world in terms of passenger count.
In addition to its high rankings and innumerable accolades, DEN is admired throughout the aviation industry. “Kim Day’s impact on Denver International Airport and subsequently on our regional economy, is indelible,” Mayor Michael B. Hancock said. “Kim has been the dynamic leader we needed at a pivotal time of growth and opportunity for our city and state. She is the epitome of selfless leadership, grit and perseverance, an exceptional leader who sets the highest standards for herself and her team, and delivers impactful results with precision, and expert attention to detail. Kim’s dedication to our shared vision of creating a world-class airport is a crowning achievement of her professional career and a lasting legacy for my administration.”
DEN reports that annual passenger traffic has increased from 51 million when Day took over to 69 million in 2019, and the number of international destinations served by DIA increased from 170 to 214. Annual airport revenue grew from $842 million to $1.2 billion. In a statement, Day attributed her decision to step down in part to surviving cancer in recent years. She had planned to retire in 2020, but stayed on to help guide DEN through the many challenges of the pandemic. She said she also felt confident about the stability of several expansion projects underway as part of a $3.5 billion capital program, including the gate expansion program and terminal rebuild.
“Kim Day’s impact on Denver International Airport, and subsequently on our regional economy, is indelible,” Hancock said. “Kim’s dedication to our shared vision of creating a world-class airport is a crowning achievement of her professional career and a lasting legacy for my administration.” For her many contributions to the success of Denver International Airport, Kim Day is inducted in the Denver & Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame.
Pasquale “Pocky” Marranzino & Kathy Hagan
CO-CEOs, Karsh Hagan
Both Hagan and Marranzino have provided strategic leadership, brand development and marketing experience in tourism marketing for Denver and Colorado for a combined eight-plus decades.
Marranzino has been involved in more Denver and Colorado tourism advertising than any other human being. For four decades, he has worked with a wide variety of clients, making him one of the most respected and well-known advertising professionals in the Rocky Mountain Region. Though he has worked on clients such as McDonald’s, INVESCO Funds, and Colorado National Bank, it is for tourism-related clients that he is perhaps best known, including the Colorado Lottery, Colorado Tourism Office, Aspen Snowmass, Best Western International, Deadwood Chamber of Commerce, Frontier Airlines, Loveland Ski Area, Regal Hotels, Steamboat Ski & Resort, and of course, VISIT DENVER. He currently has the distinction of working on both the award-winning Colorado Tourism Office and the VISIT DENVER accounts.
He was named “Professional of the Year” and honored with a Silver Medal for Outstanding Achievement by the Denver Advertising Federation. For more than 40 years, he has been an instrumental figure in creating Denver and Colorado’s tourism brand, and converting this brand into creative, visual and impactful advertising.
Encouraged to be an entrepreneur by her father, Karsh Hagan founder Tom Hagan, Kathy Hagan launched her first agency at the age of 26. Today, she is co-CEO of Karsh Hagan with Marranzino, running the agency and remaining actively involved in the advertising campaigns for VISIT DENVER, the Colorado Tourism Office and Denver International Airport (DEN).
She has supported numerous community initiatives and led the Denver Advertising Federation as Chairperson and was also recognized as “Professional of the Year”. Other recognition includes Denver Business Journal and Colorado Business Top Women Owned Company, Colorado Homes and Lifestyles Stylemaker and Karsh Hagan was recognized as Colorado Biz Top Company in 2019. In addition, she currently serves on the Advisory Board for the University of Denver, The Denver Art Museum and is a trustee of the Women’s Foundation of Colorado. As with Marranzino, she has had a swath of clients – from corporations to tourism destinations - including Anschutz Medical Campus, Aspen Snowmass, Colorado Tourism Office, Denver International Airport (DEN), The Governor’s Office of Economic Development, Four Point Energy, University of Colorado, VISIT DENVER, and Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado.
For their significant contributions to developing Denver’s and Colorado’s tourism brands, Pocky and Kathy are inducted into the Denver & Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame.
2020
Scott Bemis
Director, Business and Community Partnerships, Plante Moran
Scott Bemis served as president and publisher of the Denver Business Journal (DBJ) from 1996 to 2014, retiring after 30 years with American City Business Journals, DBJ’s parent company. It was Bemis who hired popular DBJ editor Neil Westergaard, who passed away in July 2019. Westergaard said of Bemis, “Scott Bemis is the Denver Business Journal. His leadership and personal style led the DBJ through profound changes in the newspaper business. He created an environment in which everyone could do their best work and he truly cared about the people who worked for him."
Throughout his career, Bemis recognized the great economic potential tourism could have in Denver and was a strong supporter of the industry. As a community leader, he joined the VISIT DENVER Board of Directors and was made chairman in 2004, a pivotal year for Denver and VISIT DENVER. Bemis oversaw the opening of the first Colorado Convention Center expansion in 2005 and a new direction for VISIT DENVER with the hiring of Richard Scharf as president. He was instrumental in helping achieve the voter-approved 2005 Denver election for more tourism marketing dollars; and he helped win campaigns for the continued funding of SCFD and approving FasTracks, which led to the vital rail connection between downtown Denver and Denver International Airport. After serving as chairman, Bemis has remained active with VISIT DENVER, taking on numerous committee roles during his long tenure on the board. He currently serves as chairman of the Nominating Committee, identifying potential new board members. He also remained active in the 2015 Denver election, which approved funds to further expand the Colorado Convention Center with a new ballroom and other upgrades.
Additionally, Bemis has spent nearly a decade mentoring a group of 25 young business professionals, and he has served on the boards of the Downtown Denver Partnership, Junior Achievement and the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce. He received an honorary doctorate from Johnson & Wales University and was granted a District Director’s Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
In an effort to further serve the community, Bemis utilizes his professional network and connections to inspire inmates at Federal prisons. By bringing a variety of speakers to the prisons to work with and motivate inmates nearing release, Bemis hopes to contribute to the goals of reducing recidivism and reforming former offenders.
Denver Mayor B. Michael Hancock praised Bemis' ability to build relationships within the community. "There is no finer human being than Scott Bemis," Hancock said. "I consider him a friend and a confidant. He has set the pace for fair and high-quality journalism that is the model for modern-day reporting.”
Before coming to Denver, Bemis was publisher of business journals in Indianapolis and Rochester, N.Y., and the Cincinnati Business Courier. He and his wife, Pat, continue to live in the Denver area. Since retiring from publishing, Bemis has served as director of Business and Community Partnerships for Plante Moran, where he has continued his passion for the tourism industry by working with many of tourism’s top businesses.
Patricia Calhoun
Editor, Westword
Calhoun’s friend at the Denver Post, Bill Husted, wrote of her: “Patricia Calhoun is a Denver fixture as durable as the U.S. Mint.” She has been the editor of Westword since she and two friends founded the newspaper in 1977. Westword is a paper dedicated to Denver and to encouraging its citizens to explore the city, and it is consistently ranked as one of the most successful and award-winning alternative weekly newspapers in America.
As an editor, Calhoun is an ardent supporter of tourism, the arts, the live music scene, dining, breweries, galleries, shopping and every other aspect of Denver. She has appeared as a Denver ambassador on many national news shows, from the Today Show to NPR. Under her direction, Westword has also been a supporter of VISIT DENVER on numerous initiatives, from Denver Restaurant Week to Denver Beer Fest and more. The Westword weekly events calendar provides valuable information for tourists with the information it provides on concerts, art shows, exhibitions, and Denver events (large, small, and offbeat). Westword’s frequent special issues on summer activities and dining are great promotions for Denver, and the publication’s “Best Of” award is a trend-setting, coveted recognition that inspires all Denver businesses to do their best.
There is little doubt that Patricia Calhoun has had the longest-running news column in Denver history, with 2019 marking her 42nd year of running Westword and writing a column about the city she loves. Quirky, funny, and original, her columns could form an encyclopedia of Denver’s history over the last four decades, all of them done with a sense of humor and with malice toward none.
In addition to Calhoun’s dedication to spreading the word about Denver’s assets through Westword, her love of Colorado and tourism can be demonstrated by the fact that she and some partners recently bought the Genoa Tower – a historic roadside attraction that dates back to the 1920s, when early automobile tourists could climb the tower 100 miles east of Denver and get their first glimpse of the snowcapped Rocky Mountains. The group plans to restore the tower as a museum and 21st Century roadside attraction for future tourists.
Rich Grant
VISIT DENVER, Former Director of Communications
Rich Grant likes to compare his career in travel to that of Forrest Gump, the fictional movie character who continually found himself by accident at history-making events. “I may not have had much to do with creating Denver’s history, but I was always in the room,” Grant says. As the public relations director for VISIT DENVER since 1979, Grant found himself attending and promoting every major Denver opening, including the 16th Street Mall, the Denver Performing Arts Complex, the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, the Colorado Convention Center, Denver International Airport, the Pepsi Center (now Ball Arena), Coors Field, Empower Field at Mile High, the Hamilton Building at Denver Art Museum, RTD FasTracks, dozens of new hotels and restaurants and many more tourism businesses. He attended and helped publicize some of the city’s major events including the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Final Four in 1990, Pope John Paul II’s visit in 1993, the first pitch of the Colorado Rockies in 1993, the Summit of the Eight in 1997, and the Democratic National Convention in 2008.
Throughout his career, Grant gained a reputation for coining terms that elevated Denver’s brand and have now become beloved cornerstones of the city’s identity – including the famed “300 Days of Sunshine” and the “Napa Valley of Beer,” among many others. He was also integral in the creation of some of VISIT DENVER’s signature events, including Denver Restaurant Week, Denver Beer Week and Free Night at the Museum’s during Denver Arts Week.
Since retiring, Grant has become a full-time travel writer, his work appearing on many travel websites and print publications and receiving gold, silver and bronze awards from the Society of American Travel Writers, Western Chapter, and the North American Travel Journalists Association. He is the co-author with Irene Rawlings of the travel book, “100 Things to Do in Denver Before You Die,” which is currently in its second edition run.
Before joining VISIT DENVER, Grant had been a communications manager for Colorado State Parks & Recreation and a freelance writer with works appearing in more than 60 national publications, from National Forests Magazine and Sports Afield to Ranger Rick and Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
Kevin & Denise Taylor
Owner/Chef, Kevin Taylor Restaurant Group
In 1987, at the age of 25, self-taught chef and Denver native Kevin Taylor opened Zenith American Grill, serving his unique take on southwestern cuisine. Six months after opening, Zenith was among the three top-rated restaurants in Denver. Awards and recognition were garnered from national media, including Bon Appetit, Restaurant Hospitality and GQ. Zenith also earned a prized four-star rating, securing Taylor’s place on the culinary map.
Multiple successful concepts followed over the years, including the eponymous four-star, four-diamond Restaurant Kevin Taylor, Brasserie Z, Prima, Dandelion and many others. Throughout his career, Taylor has been named a “Rising Star” by multiple national media outlets and has been inducted to both the American Culinary Association’s Colorado Chef’s Association and Nation’s Restaurant News Fine Dining Halls of Fame. He’s been a frequent guest chef at the James Beard House, as well as a Cakebread Cellars American Harvest Workshop, Taste of the NFL and more.
In 1993, Kevin’s one-day wife and business partner, Denise, began at the company in an event sales and management role. She became a financial partner in the business with the opening of the beloved Palettes in the Denver Art Museum in 1997, and they were married several years later. Since then, much of KTRG’s 32 years in business has been spent nourishing the city’s arts patrons – for 20 years at Palettes, and 15 at Kevin Taylor’s at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.
Perhaps more than any other restauranteurs, the Taylors have welded tourism, the arts and food together. Tens of thousands of Denver visitors have included dining at one of the KTRG’s restaurants as part of their Denver cultural experiences, and with its recent expansion into the wider metro area, now even more diners will have the chance to enjoy the group’s food, with Hickory & Ash and Masa in Broomfield’s Arista Development. The Taylors’ love of food, presentation and culinary mastership has helped to give Denver the reputation it now enjoys as the cultural center of the Rocky Mountain West.
2019
The Third Generation of the Legendary Colorado Gart Family
John, Ken and Tom Gart of The Gart Companies
In 1928, Nathan Gart started a fishing and outdoor gear shop in Denver and over the years, with help from his brothers and then his sons, grew it into the Gart Bros. Sporting Goods Company. The firm grew from the original downtown ‘main store’ to a regional chain of over 150 stores. The Gart stores were a skiing and sports institution in the Rocky Mountain Region, with such identifying institutions as the world-famous Sportscastle store, which Jerry Gart opened in 1971 featuring over 100,000 square feet of sporting goods on seven levels.
Jerry Gart was a long time board member of VISIT DENVER, the 1978 chairman and a true supporter of tourism. He was among the first people inducted into the Denver & Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame in 1999.
The third Gart generation headed in a new direction, which has been no less important to the travel industry. Following the sale of the business in 1992, Ken, Tom and John Gart founded The Gart Companies. Initially, The Gart Companies had two divisions; Gart Properties, a commercial real estate firm; and Specialty Sports Ventures, a joint venture with Vail Resorts. By 2010, they had grown to more than 150 specialty ski, cycling, golf and fly fishing stores in Colorado, Utah and Northern California before the family sold their interest. At the same time, the company expanded its real estate portfolio, becoming what today is a leading commercial real estate firm with a primary emphasis on retail centers.
The Gart Companies today is comprised of two primary divisions. Gart Properties currently holds two properties that have been important to downtown Denver, Denver Pavilions and the California Mall, which brought the first urban footprint Target store to downtown. Gart Capital Partners, a private equity business focusing on specialty retail, currently holds investments in GolfTec, Swoozies and Powderhorn Ski Resort.
But it is their Individual achievements in Denver and Colorado tourism that has them joining their father in the Tourism Hall of Fame. John was a long time board member of VISIT DENVER and was chairman in the pivotal year of 2005, where he worked with then-Mayor John Hickenlooper and the board to place an initiative on the ballot that ultimately resulted in a one-percent increase in the lodger’s tax for tourism marketing. In the ensuing years, this initiative has resulted in tens of millions of dollars for tourism promotion.
As a family committed to outdoor sports in Colorado and Denver, the Garts have been involved in helping to bring back the new Colorado Classic, which has helped promote Colorado as a cycling destination around the world. The Garts were instrumental in securing the Outdoor Retailer convention in Denver, which constitutes the largest convention booking in the city’s history with a combined total of three meetings bringing 70,000 delegates and $100 million in spending a year for at least five years. Additionally, through Gart Properties, the family has been one of the leaders in the revitalization of downtown Denver as a retail and entertainment destination.
John Hickenlooper
Former Mayor of the City & County of Denver, former Governor of Colorado, co-founder of Colorado’s first brewpub, the Wynkoop Brewing Company
It is doubtful that any single individual has played as pivotal a role in Denver and Colorado’s tourism industry as John Hickenlooper. In 1988, he opened Colorado’s first brew pub, creating a new industry that has grown to more than 350 craft breweries in the state. John eventually owned eight breweries in Colorado and was instrumental in helping many others get started. As a brewery owner, he continually worked with the press helping to promote Denver as “the Napa Valley of Beer,” establishing the city as the premiere craft beer capital of the nation. If that was all that John Hickenlooper did, that alone would qualify him for the Hall of Fame.
But of course, he did more, including: serving on the VISIT DENVER board of directors for 12 years, winning two terms as Mayor of the City & County of Denver and two terms as Governor of Colorado. The hospitality industry has never had a stronger supporter in office.
As Mayor, he helped Denver secure the bid for the 2008 Democratic National Convention and was instrumental in raising the money to host what became the single largest and most important event in the city’s history. He supported VISIT DENVER’s bid for more funding by championing a successful ballot measure in 2005 to secure a 1% increase in the Lodger’s tax, which generated millions of dollars for tourism marketing. He met with dozens of meeting planners and hundreds of journalists to help promote the city, flying to New York City, Washington DC and around the world to help win bids, gain additional international direct flights and generate press coverage. He was also instrumental in Denver obtaining the Clyfford Still Museum, which has become a top city attraction.
As the Governor of Colorado, he increased funding for the Colorado Tourism Office and helped transform it into one of the nation’s best destination marketing organizations. He helped with countless convention bids, generated media stories, led the successful introduction of legalized marijuana that has become an international model for how it should be done, improved the state’s economy and oversaw one of the largest booms in Colorado’s history with more than 12 years of increased year-over-year tourism growth.
Just recently, he led the effort to secure the Outdoor Retailer convention for Denver, the largest convention booking in Colorado history, which has helped cement Colorado’s reputation as one of the world’s top centers for the manufacture, sales and use of outdoor sporting equipment.
The Denver and Colorado tourism industry is proud to honor one of our own, a giant in hospitality, craft beer, marketing, government and public service: John Hickenlooper.
Mary Motsenbocker
International Tourism Marketing (ITM)
Today’s thriving Colorado tourism industry – with its wildly successful international airport, prosperous statewide destinations and renowned international marketing program – is an enduring result not only of the state’s natural beauty and resources, but also of a small group of people who advocated for the state’s tourism industry and kept its tourism marketing efforts alive. Mary Mostenbocker was one of those people.
Mary got her start in the industry as a marketing and sales person for Purgatory Ski Resort, and Crested Butte Mountain Resort, where she helped develop the American Rockies campaign with United and United Express, resulting in more than 10,000 international visitors coming to Colorado. This success resulted in her working for four productive years in the international tourism department of the Colorado Tourism Board (CTB).
When Colorado voters ended the CTB in 1992, international promotions came to a halt. So Mary formed her own company the next year, International Tourism Marketing (ITB), which through co-op programs and private dollars was able to keep Colorado’s presence at international tradeshows and marketing events. She then helped create the Colorado International Marketing Organization (CIMO), which with support from Denver International Airport, was able to develop marketing programs with Lufthansa, British Airlines, Korean Airlines, United and others to keep Colorado’s image alive overseas.
ITM also created a tradeshow called Go West Summit, which brings together international travel trade representatives with Colorado products such as attractions, shopping and events, which has ultimately brought hundreds of thousands of tourists to Colorado from Asia, Europe, South America and Mexico, generating millions of dollars for the state.
For all that Mary Motsenbocker has done for decades to promote Colorado as an international destination, she is inducted into the Denver and Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame.
Enos Mills, Posthumous Award
Rocky Mountain National Park
Enos Mills was the “father” of Rocky Mountain National Park, the man most responsible for fighting for the preservation of the area and its establishment as a national park in 1915. As a homesteader and guide in the area, he climbed Longs Peak more than 340 times. His hotel and restaurant, the Longs Peak Inn in Estes Park, was called by famed travel writer Lowell Thomas, the best hotel in Colorado along with the Brown Palace and the Broadmoor.
Enos endlessly lobbied Congress, lectured around the country, wrote articles for Sunset, the Saturday Evening Post, Cosmopolitan and others, and with the help of John Muir, the Sierra Club and his friend F.O. Stanley (who built the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) he was able to convince Washington to preserve the area for future generations. Today, Rocky Mountain National Park is the most popular attraction in Colorado and the fifth most popular national park in the U.S., attracting nearly four million visitors a year. It is difficult to imagine how different the area might be today if Mills had not fought for and succeeded in preserving these 412 square miles of Rocky Mountain beauty.
As a young boy in Kansas, Enos was a sickly youth. He was not expected to live past 14. But he was determined, so he convinced his parents to let him walk to Colorado where the better air might help him. He got a job in Estes Park, improved significantly and made his first climb up Longs Peak. That changed his life and he devoted everything going forward to the outdoors. In 1885, he built a log cabin in the shadow of Longs Peak that still exists and is today a museum, run by his descendants.
By the time Enos was 35, he said he “had lit a campfire in every state in the Union” and hiked all over the world. In California, walking on a beach, he met a kindly old man with a beard and they developed a lifelong friendship. That man was John Muir, who took Enos under his wing and encouraged him to fight for conservation. Ironically, while John Muir is well known and honored today, Enos Mills has been almost forgotten. Mills Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the few landmarks named for him. But as Rocky Mountain National Park has celebrated more than 100 years of conservation, it is fitting to remember the man who did so much to preserve it.
2018
Stephen Bartolin, Jr.
Chairman, The Broadmoor
Stephen Bartolin, Jr. has had a legendary career at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, where he served as president and CEO for 24 years, making him the longest serving president in The Broadmoor’s history. Starting there in 1991, after stints at the Greenbrier and the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Bartolin became the driving force behind The Broadmoor’s success and acclaim. During his reign, Bartolin oversaw a $450 million expansion, upgrade and restoration project that allowed the property to keep the Five Star rating they were at risk of losing. Today, The Broadmoor is the longest running Five Star and Five Diamond rated property in North America and is one of the greatest icons in Colorado’s hospitality business.
In March 2015, he was named Chairman of The Broadmoor and its related businesses. He also serves as President of The Broadmoor-Sea Island Company. Bartolin was named 1997 Resort Executive of the Year, was recognized as the 2005 Colorado Hotelier of the Year, named Independent Hotelier of the Year by Hotels Magazine in 2010, and was named the 2013 CEO of the Year by Colorado Business Magazine.
The Broadmoor’s other tourism related businesses include The Manitou and Pikes Peak Railway, Seven Falls, Cloud Camp, The Ranch at Emerald Valley, The Broadmoor Fly Fishing Camp and The Broadmoor Soaring Adventure.
Charlie Brown
Denver Councilman
Known as the “cowboy councilman,” Charlie Brown was first elected to the Denver City Council in May 2001 until he was tenured out of office in July 2015. Decked out in his signature western shirts, hat and bolo tie, Charlie Brown brought a moderate, business-oriented, common sense perspective to the 13-member council. As a voice for fiscal moderation, Councilman Brown worked hard to ensure that Denver continued to be a great place to live, work and raise a family – and welcome tourists. Charlie represented the Council on the VISIT DENVER Board of Directors for 14 years.
He was a strong backer of the Colorado Convention Center, the expansion of the center and the 2015 ballot initiative 2C, which increased funding for tourism marketing. Throughout his tenure, he was the voice for tourism on the Denver City Council, with a near perfect attendance at all VISIT DENVER functions. Not one to mince words, he gave up on “political correctness” early in his career, favoring “political directness.” Representing Denver, he appeared on national news shows, including The O’Reilly Factor, ABC’s World News Sunday, NBC Nightly News, CBS Evening News and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and was quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Forbes and many international publications.
Charlie’s diverse background includes serving as president of an award-winning public relations firm, chief lobbyist for a statewide medical society, assistant public affairs director for an international trade union, a teacher at the secondary and college levels, and Realtor. A graduate of the University of Wyoming, he was named their 2014 Outstanding Alumnus in the college of Arts and Science.
Charlie has been married for 35 years to Suzanne Brown, former features editor at The Denver Post. They have two grown children living in Brooklyn and Denver. Together, Charlie and Suzanne are one of the most distinguished couples in Denver, championing hundreds of projects and events to help make Denver a world class tourism destination.
Gary Defrange
Winter Park Ski Resort
Gary DeFrange was only the third resort president at Winter Park since 1939, but in his 20 years of running it, he transformed Winter Park into one of Colorado’s major destination ski resorts. He was Chairman, President, and CEO of First Interstate Bank of Denver and Area President for a three-state region for First Interstate Bank when he was guiding blind skiers for the National Sports Center for the Disabled in Winter Park. But his banking career ended when the late Jerry Groswold (a member of the Denver & Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame) retired from running Winter Park Resort in 1997, and Gary took over.
At first, finding money for capital investment was very difficult, as was cash flow, but DeFrange and his team came up with Colorado’s first low-priced Season Pass, “The Friends and Family 4-Pack,” which they began selling before the season ended to help cash flow through the summer months. He also worked with a team of people appointed by Mayor Wellington Webb to renegotiate the operating contract between the City of Denver and the Winter Park Recreational Association to benefit all parties. This contractual change allowed DeFrange to work with representatives from the City of Denver and Intrawest, one of the largest ski resort developers in the world, to create a Lease and Operating Agreement that would provide a minimum of $2 million each year to the City of Denver, pump an initial $50 million of capital improvements into the ski area for on-mountain and skier services, and allow Intrawest to build a Village at the base of Winter Park Resort. New high-speed lifts were added, such as the six-passenger Super Gauge and the Panoramic Express, increasing uphill capacity to 38,000 skiers an hour, and the resort today has over 500 lodging units and over 47,000 square feet of retail shopping and restaurant space at the base of the mountain.
But perhaps his most well-known success was in building a coalition between several partners and political allies to bring back the train from Denver’s Union Station to Winter Park Resort. The original beloved train to Winter Park ended in 2009, but today the now named Winter Park Express is transporting over 500 skiers to Winter Park on weekends and some Fridays. This service now makes Winter Park the only resort in North America where it is possible to take a train from a world class international airport to downtown, and then take a train to a world class ski resort.
For his 20 years of service transforming Winter Park to one of the largest ski resorts in Colorado, for securing financial success from the resort for the City of Denver, and for reviving the Winter Park Express, Gary DeFrange is worthy of entering the Denver and Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame.
Barney Ford, Posthumous Award
Hotelier and Restauranteur
Barney Ford has one of the most remarkable stories of anyone who has ever been in Colorado’s hospitality industry. He was born a slave in Virginia in 1822. Although it was illegal at the time, his mother taught him how to read and write. When he was “loaned” out by his master to work on a steamboat as a cook and porter, he saw his opportunity. When the steamboat was docked in Illinois, a free state, he was able with the help of the Underground Railroad, to literally step off the boat and escape.
Then began a series of adventures that would fill several novels. He went to Nicaragua, crossed the West, and panned for gold in the California Gold Rush of 1849. But it was in the Colorado gold rush of 1859 that he achieved fame and fortune.
The laws of the day did not allow Black men to file mine claims. Barney found and worked a gold mine with white partners, but they cheated him and stole the mine. It was then he discovered the one area in the West at the time where he could work freely and where there was no color barrier -- the hospitality industry. Barney went back to his previous skills and opened a hotel and restaurant -- the Inter-Ocean Hotel at 16th and Blake in Denver. Within a short time, he was one of the richest people in the new mining town of Denver.
Barney always said that people “appreciate good quality food and accommodations, but they pay for service.” His philosophy paid off. He became one of the most famous restauranteurs in the West, opening restaurants in Cheyenne, Denver and other locations that were all known for their consistency and quality, but most of all for their service.
Unfortunately, none of the hotels or restaurants survive. Most of them burned down in fires or are long forgotten. However, Barney and his wife built a gorgeous home on Main Street in Breckenridge, and the house is open today as the Barney Ford Museum. The museum does an excellent job of telling the story of Barney Ford, and how, because there was no color barrier in the hospitality industry in the West, he was able to amass a fortune by providing something that was in short supply – quality food, outstanding accommodations and excellent service. Barney Ford died in 1902. There is a stained glass portrait of him in the Colorado State Capitol.
2017
Joe Ellis
President & CEO, Denver Broncos
It would be impossible to overestimate the economic and publicity value of the Denver Broncos to Denver’s tourism industry. The Broncos are the first thing mentioned in tourism word association tests about Denver and in 2014 were recognized by a Harris poll as “America’s Team”—the most popular football team in the U.S. More than 1.4 million fans watched the Broncos play in person in 2016, while hundreds of millions of people around the world watch them every season, exposing them to tourism images of Denver and Colorado. The publicity from the Super Bowl 50 victory alone was valued at $190 billion from the more than 108,000 stories told around the world. In 2016, Joe began his sixth season as president of the Denver Broncos and his third year as chief executive officer. Having worked with Owner Pat Bowlen for nearly three decades, Joe has been entrusted to operate the team with full authority while serving as the Broncos’ representation for all league matters. Joe owns extensive experience and expertise at both the club and league level through his 22 seasons with the Broncos and 29 seasons in the NFL. Joe’s leadership skills and business knowledge have helped the Broncos strengthen their reputation as one of the most successful and fan-friendly franchises in all of professional sports. He has earned significant recognition from his peers and throughout the Rocky Mountain Region for the Broncos’ emphasis on community involvement and civic responsibility. For his work in making the Denver Broncos a symbol of the city and a professional organization that gladly works with the tourism industry to promote the Mile High City, Joe Ellis is inducted into the Denver & Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame.
Holly Arnold Kinney
Owner of the Fort Restaurant and Founder of Tesoro Foundation
Holly Arnold Kinney literally grew up in one of metro Denver’s most famous tourism icons, The Fort restaurant. The Fort, a replica of Bent’s Old Fort on the Santa Fe Trail, was built by Holly’s father, Sam Arnold, as a private home in 1963, but turned it into a restaurant specializing in authentic foods of the mountain men era in the Southwest. Holly grew up in an apartment in the upstairs portion of the restaurant, with Sam Arnold’s bear, “Sissy,” as a pet. After a career in advertising and marketing, Holly formed a partnership with her father to manage the restaurant in 1999, and took over full ownership of The Fort restaurant in 2006, after her father passed away. Holly has not only kept the Western traditions of The Fort going, but she has expanded on them. In 1999, she started the Tesoro Culture Center, a non-profit committed to protecting and making available to the public the artistic treasures and history of the Southwest. They have group and school tours teaching Bent’s Fort history, historic lecture series, and many events such as the Indian Market Powwow that attracted the nation’s top Indian artists. In the fall, a Mountain Man Rendezvous that preserves Colorado history with artists, demonstrations, and music. New in 2017 Tesoro is opening The Fort from 11am-3pm during weekends for their new Living History Experience from June 1-Oct. 15 featuring artists, Indian dancing, demonstrations and music of the early West. For her lifetime of work in promoting the history, culture, traditions and cuisine of the Southwest through the Tesoro Center and The Fort restaurant, Holly Arnold Kinney is inducted into the Denver & Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame.
Roy Romer
Former Governor of Colorado
Roy Romer was the 39th Governor of Colorado and the last governor to serve three terms. The former owner of a ski area, he was governor during a pivotal time for Denver and played a key role in the decision to build Denver International Airport (DIA). Perhaps no single event has been more important to Denver’s tourism industry than the decision to build DIA, and it is impossible to imagine that happening without the support of Governor Romer, and the work he did in lobbying for statewide support for the project. He was a strong supporter of tourism and under his reign the Colorado Tourism Board (CTB) became a model for the entire country. When the CTB was eliminated due to the TABOR being passed, Governor Romer worked to get at least some funds to keep information centers open. He also lobbied the state legislature to supply $125 million to purchase the land for the Colorado Convention Center. Without that support, the center never could have been built in downtown Denver. Because of his support of the two biggest tourism projects of the 20th Century, the building of DIA and the construction of the Colorado Convention Center, former Colorado Governor Roy Romer is being inducted into the Denver & Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame.
William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody
Col. William F. Cody was the world’s first superstar and the man who made the American West one of the world’s great tourism destinations. The romantic images and stories of the West that he created have endured for more than a century and are still an important factor in why people visit Denver and Colorado. Today it is difficult to imagine Buffalo Bill’s popularity. From 1883 to 1913, he and his show, “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West,” toured the globe, bringing the thrill of the American West to a thousand cities in a dozen different nations. At its height, the show played before the crowned heads of Europe, crisscrossed America in a special train of 52 box cars, and employed more than 640 cowboys, Indians, vaqueros, rough riders, and support personnel. As a comparison, Beyonce’s world tour in 2016 employed less than 100 people. In 2017, it will be 100 years since Buffalo Bill died in Denver and was laid in-state in the Colorado State Capitol. At his request, he was buried on top of nearby Lookout Mountain, which offered views of the plains and the Rocky Mountains. More than 25,000 people attended his funeral – the largest in Colorado history with a progression of cars that stretched from downtown Denver, up the Lariat Loop Trail to his gravesite at the top of the mountain. His grave and a museum honoring him have been ranked as one of the top 10 paid attractions in Denver for more than 20 years. For all that he did in promoting the romance, adventure and beauty of the American West and for being the “star” of one of Denver’s most popular and long-lasting tourism attractions, Buffalo Bill is inducted into the Denver & Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame.
2016
Lannie Garrett
Lannie Garrett is a Denver institution with that rare combination of popular and critical appeal. In addition to being named Denver’s “Favorite Female Vocalist” repeatedly by her fans, she has garnered that same title with the readers of 5280 Magazine and Outfront. Lannie has headlined at Boettcher Concert Hall and Red Rocks Amphitheater with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, acted in a campy, “B” movie opposite movie star, Anthony Perkins and has worked with a diverse group of national entertainers, including BB King, Ray Charles and Roseanne. Her music is played on stations across the country. Her eclectic collection of shows run the gamut from classy and jazzy to naughty and bawdy. She can change her onstage feathers easily becoming the glamorous chanteuse fronting her 10 piece big band, “Any Swing Goes,” or becoming the self-deprecating clown in her hilarious country comedy spoof, “The Patsy DeCline Show.” She has been selling out shows for over 3 decades. In 2006, Lannie and actor, Jefferson Arca, teamed up to open a nightclub bearing her name. This gorgeous, intimate showroom, Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret, is located in the heart of downtown Denver, under the D&F Tower, and features her many shows, as well as national acts and the best in Colorado entertainment. For a decade, it has been a popular downtown venue for tourists and locals alike. For being a longtime fixture in Denver’s entertainment scene and for adding to Denver’s downtown nightlife for a decade, Lannie Garrett is inducted into the Tourism Hall of Fame.
Jerry Mcmorris
Few people in Colorado’s history have been so strongly associated with not one, but two huge tourism attractions, as was Jerry McMorris, who played pivotal roles with both the Colorado Rockies and the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo. McMorris graduated from the University of Colorado, School of Business in 1962 and while still attending college started his first transportation company, which grew over 40 years into the $400 million trucking giant, NationsWay Transport, serving all of North America. In 1993, McMorris and the Colorado Rockies ownership group brought Major League Baseball to the Rocky Mountain Region for the first time. For 12 years, he served as Chairman, President & CEO of the team as it broke every attendance record in Major League Baseball (MLB) history, drawing the all-time-record 4,483,350 fans to Sports Authority Field at Mile High (now Empower Field at Mile High) during their inaugural season. He sold his interest in the Colorado Rockies in 2006. While in MLB, he served as a member of the Executive Council, Finance and Compensation Committee and Chaired MLB’s Legislative Committee. From 1990 until his death in 2012, he was heavily involved with the National Western Stock Show, serving as a member of the executive committee, treasurer and vice chairman before becoming chair in 2006. In 2009, he was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. For his leadership in bringing the Colorado Rockies to Denver, his guidance over the team in its early years, and his many contributions to the National Western Stock Show, Jerry McMorris is remembered as a member of the Denver & Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame. Posthumous Award
Chuck Morris
Chuck has been a driving force in the Colorado music community for over 45 years. After moving to Boulder from New York City in 1965 to pursue a doctorate in Political Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Chuck built the legendary Tulagi nightclub in Boulder (1970-1973), which included first tours by artists such as the Doobie Brothers, Bonnie Raitt, the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, ZZ Top, and many others. Following Tulagi’s, he co-owned and managed the equally famous Ebbets Field nightclub in Denver (1974-1978) which also brought in early tours from such varied acts as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Steve Martin, Dan Fogelberg, Carole King, Richard Pryor and more. Ebbets Field was Billboard Magazine’s “Club of the Year” in 1975 and 1976. After Ebbets Field, Chuck worked with the late Denver music promoter Barry Fey (another Tourism Hall of Fame winner in 2013) as Sr. Vice President of Feyline Presents. After leaving Feyline Presents, Chuck started his own management company, Chuck Morris Entertainment, managing the careers of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Lyle Lovett, Highway 101 and Leo Kottke among others. Chuck later went on to form Bill Graham Presents/Chuck Morris Presents which subsequently continued to run as Live Nation. Chuck then moved on in 2006 to be President and CEO of AEG Live Rocky Mountains and the Northwest. During these many decades, Chuck was responsible for building the Fillmore Auditorium, developing the 1STBANK Center, putting together the Mile High Music Festival and the re-development and takeover of the Fiddlers Green Amphitheatre. He has also been involved in nearly 1500 shows at Red Rocks Amphitheatre during his long career. He is a board member of the American Transplant Foundation, and a trustee of the University of Colorado Foundation. In the past, he has also been involved in events for Brian Griese’s Judi’s House, Kempe Foundation, Jeremy Bloom's Wish of a Life Foundation, Children's Hospital, Denver Dumb Friends League, Denver Police Gala, Medal of Honor Convention, Outward Bound, concert for Hurricane Katrina, and the Catholic Foundations. Also, in May, 2013 Chuck was honored with a Doctorate of Sports/Entertainment/Event Management from Johnson and Wales University where he gave the commencement address. For his work in the entertainment and concert business and for building Denver’s national reputation as a center for live music, Chuck Morris is being inducted into the Tourism Hall of Fame.
Al White
Senator Al White is affectionately known in Colorado as the “Reverend of Tourism” because of his career-long promotion of Colorado tourism. While a State Representative and a State Senator, Al White championed tourism’s economic strength as a valuable component of Colorado’s economic well-being. As a member of the Joint Budget Committee, he worked diligently to protect the tourism office’s budget. From 2011 to 2015, he directed the Colorado Tourism Office, helping to achieve a new record-breaking tourism year every year he served as director. Al White put together a team of professionals that raised the Colorado Tourism Office to new levels, while overseeing award-winning marketing and advertising campaigns that helped establish Colorado’s tourism brand around the world. In 2014, 71.3 million visitors spent $18.6 billion in the state, an all-time high, supporting 155,000 jobs. These visitors contributed $1.1 billion in state and local taxes. Without tourism, the average household would have to pay $538 a year more in taxes. No figure in the 21st Century has been more associated with Colorado tourism than Al White, who retired from the Colorado Tourism Office in September 2015. For his work in supporting tourism funding in Colorado and promoting Colorado’s brand around the world, Al White is being inducted into the Tourism Hall of Fame.
2015
Bill Daniels, Posthumous Award
Bill Daniels was a born entrepreneur and is widely considered one of the great business visionaries of the twentieth century. His brilliance in business was matched by his sincere compassion for people and his desire to help those in need. Bill began his business career by opening an insurance agency in Casper, Wyoming. On a drive home after visiting family in New Mexico, Bill stopped for lunch in Denver. A boxing match flickered on a small black and white screen behind the bar. It was Bill’s first encounter with television, and he was captivated. He learned that many small towns — including Casper — did not have access to TV. As a result, Bill started building Casper’s first cable system in 1952. As one of the earliest pioneers in cable TV, Bill owned and operated hundreds of systems across the country. The firm he founded, Daniels & Associates, operated these properties and brokered many of the deals that shaped the industry. Bill’s leadership attracted many technology and communications companies to the area, making Denver the recognized “cable capital of the world.” An avid sports fan, Bill was one of the first in his industry to focus on generating sports programming, clearing the way for today’s regional sports networks. He sponsored a number of professional boxers, served as president of the American Basketball Association, was a founder of the United States Football League, and was an owner of professional sports teams, including the Utah Stars and the Los Angeles Lakers. He played a significant behind-the-scenes role in bringing teams and stadiums to Denver. During the course of his life, the respect Bill earned for his achievements in business was matched by the admiration generated by his philanthropy. With his plane, he set a new round-the-world speed record for business jets while raising $300,000 for education. He opened his home, Cableland, to fundraising events for nonprofits dozens of times per year, and donated the house to the City of Denver as the official mayoral residence. Bill provided significant support to innovative education efforts. He collaborated with the University of Denver to incorporate ethics, values, and personal integrity into the business school curriculum. In 1994, the school was renamed Daniels College of Business in Bill’s honor. The Daniels Fund continues Bill Daniels’ legacy of compassion and generosity by providing grants to outstanding nonprofit organizations, and scholarships to deserving students, in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.
Jeff Hermanson
For his long history of supporting historic preservation mixed with a re-energizing of Denver’s retail, restaurant and entertainment scene, Jeff Hermanson, chief executive officer of Larimer Associates is inducted into the Denver & Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame. Jeff founded Larimer Associates in 1987 and in 1993, Jeff purchased Larimer Square, the firm’s most high-profile property. The 220,000-square-foot office and retail property is a full city-block of downtown Denver and encompasses the largest assemblage of National Historic Registered buildings in Colorado. With Jeff’s leadership, the property has been re-positioned over the past 15 years to include one of the best collections of independently-owned fashion boutiques and chef-owned and operated restaurants in the state, perhaps the country, and consistently ranks as one of Denver’s top attractions for both visitors and Denver residents. Additionally, Jeff has partnered with a number of Denver’s notable chefs and restaurateurs to create some of the city’s most acclaimed restaurants, including Rioja, Bistro Vendôme, Corridor 44 and TAG. Recently, Jeff opened a number of award-winning neighborhood restaurants in Denver, including Billy’s Inn, LoHi SteakBar, Ernie’s Bar & Pizza, and the Lowry Beer Garden. And most recently, Jeff was a principal partner in the restoration of Denver Union Station. Larimer Square and Denver Union Station are Denver’s most iconic attractions. Jeff’s philanthropic and social responsibility efforts are principally focused on hunger awareness and land conservation. He was recently named to the Board of Directors for We Don’t Waste, and Jeff has been a board member and served as the President of the Crested Butte Land Trust in addition to serving on the board of the Downtown Denver Partnership. Hermanson is also the founder of the Crested Butte Wine and Food Festival which benefits the Crested Butte Center for the Arts.
Kay Rogness
The Colorado Crossroads National Qualifier is America's third-largest indoor volleyball tournament with 1,285 girls’ volleyball teams playing annually over two weekends in late February or early March, a traditionally slow time for hotels and restaurants. The event has been coming to downtown Denver since 1996, bringing as many as 45,000 people each time, creating an economic impact as high as $25 million per tournament. Hotels are sold out, restaurants have to put on extra staff to deal with volumes higher than experienced during the Democratic National Convention, and shops from the 16th Street Mall to Cherry Creek are swamped with thousands of young shoppers. Since 1996, Kay Rogness has been the tournament executive director and driving force behind this event. Because the teams come from all over the country (30 different states were represented in 2014), this is the first time many of the players and accompanying coaches, family and friends have been to Denver. Over the years, hundreds of thousands of young girls playing in the tournament in Denver have developed a love for the city, returning over and over again as tourists and tournament participants. Considering the immediate economic benefit, the longevity of the event, and the residual tourism it has generated for decades, this is one of the largest and most economically significant conventions that Denver hosts. For these contributions, Kay Rogness is inducted into the Denver & Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame.
Navin Dimond
Navin Dimond is the founder of Stonebridge Companies, one of the nation’s leading hotel development and management companies, and serves as President and Chief Executive Officer, overseeing the company’s development, operations and investment functions. In June 2014, Navin and his wife Rita donated $1.5 million to Metropolitan State University of Denver, the largest contribution MSU has ever received. A significant portion of the gift will create the Dimond Fellowship Program, funding 10 student-fellows each year who are preparing for careers in the hospitality industry. In return for the gift, MSU named their hotel management program after the Dimonds. The Rita and Navin Dimond Hotel Management Program at MSU Denver's Hospitality Learning Center is the first of its kind in the Rocky Mountain West. It includes a 150-room SpringHill Suites by Marriott hotel; a 28,000-square-foot hospitality learning center and a 5,000-square-foot conference center. In addition to this wonderful gift, Navin Dimond has a long history of adding to Denver’s hotel inventory, capped by the opening in the summer of 2014 of the Renaissance Denver Downtown City Center, a 230-room hotel built in the lovingly preserved 1915 Colorado National Bank Building. The project not only saved the building, but also preserved 16 murals from the iconic western muralist Allen Tupper True. The hotel showcases historic elements from the building’s original construction in the early 20th century, juxtaposed with the accommodations, amenities and comforts of a modern luxury hotel. For these contributions, Navin Dimond is inducted into the Denver & Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame.
2014
Larry DiPasquale
In the mid 1980s, after working in the Denver area for several years, the young, driven Larry DiPasquale took a major risk by launching Epicurean Group, an endeavor that promised little besides long hours and hard work. But his vision for the future, his fearless desire to change the way catering had been done in the past, and his long list of goals, including creating a better product for clients and a better work environment for employees, resulted in a dynamic and multi-faceted organization. Epicurean Group now acts as the premium concessionaire at Sports Authority Field at Mile High (now Empower Field at Mile High), exclusive event coordinator/caterer for The Denver Center for the Performing Arts, restaurateur/coordinator/caterer for Palazzo Verdi/Mangia Bevi, and is the preferred caterer at venues across the Front Range including properties in outlying mountain towns. Epicurean has fed thousands at The 2008 Democratic National Convention, Pope John Paul II, Julia Child, Oprah Winfrey and every president since the original George Bush, a list few in the industry can claim. DiPasquale still considers the nod from the White House in 1988 to coordinate and cater the prestigious Summit of the Eight, as well as being selected to oversee the inaugural international event, as a major career highlight. Epicurean Group, today the largest off-premise catering operation in the state of Colorado, employs more than 300 food service professionals who embrace DiPasqaule’s goals and who understand the importance of exceeding client expectations. DiPasquale's keen business sense, and his desire to empower those who work under his leadership, has resulted in a team he trusts to carry forth the vision he has for Epicurean. He has been recognized with numerous awards and accolades, including Small Business of the Year, Business Owner/Operator of the Year, Colorado Meetings & Events Lifetime Hall of Fame, Colorado Italian American Hall of Fame and the first caterer to be inducted into the Colorado Restaurant Hall of Fame. Epicurean Group is Denver’s only caterer to be registered “Colorado Proud” by the State Department of Agriculture and they meet all of the EPA requirements for green events. In addition to his significant business pursuits, Larry and his wife, Jill, are devoted to giving back to the community. In 2005, the DiPasquales and their business partner, Sharon Magness Blake, formed Epicurean Compassion to oversee and promote the company's charitable endeavors leading with The LRD Foundation, an education trust created to provide financial support to hospitality and culinary students. DiPasquale is intimately involved with We Don’t Waste, providing more than 100,000 meals to homeless since 2011. And in addition to his 20-plus years of supporting Volunteers of America, DiPasquale now volunteers the Epicurean Food Truck twice a month to feed Denver’s hungry and homeless. Larry DiPasquale credits his success to his own entrepreneurial spirit, a tool which has helped him recognize that same drive in others. He is adamant about filling Epicurean’s venues, offices, and kitchens with passionate team members who continually embody and display Epicurean Group’s five core values: Amazing Food, Stellar Service, Nurturing Community & Relationships, Always Going Above & Beyond, and Passion for our Clients. For his more than 30 years of excellence in providing Colorado catering, serving as a role model, and giving back to his community, Larry DiPasquale is honored as an inductee into Visit Denver’s Tourism Hall of Fame and celebrates his co-honorees.
Grace Gillette
Grace Gillette has been in charge of staging the Denver March Powwow, one of the country's largest Native American cultural events, for 30 years, more than half of its existence. Powwow events range from dancing in Plains tribe styles and drumming to storytelling and a craft show, mixed with booths selling original Native American art and foods. The Powwow attracts 52,000 attendees over the weekend, 1,600 dancers and 73 drum groups from nearly 80 tribes, and has focused Denver as a center for Native American culture and activities. Ms. Gillette belongs to the Arikara tribe. Growing up on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota, she learned the native traditions that powwows try to perpetuate. Ms. Gillette's father, George, was chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara), and had the life-time position of Tail Feather Carrier for the Arikara Tribe. This position has been passed on to her brother Russell. As a result, she has actively participated in the planning of numerous ceremonies and celebrations/dances her entire life. Ms. Gillette was named in the Denver Business Journal's "Who's Who in Denver Business.” She was also named in Strathmore's Who's Who, and more recently she was selected as one of “Denver’s 150," a special honor recognizing ordinary citizens who are making extraordinary contributions to the Mile High City commemorating Denver’s 150th Birthday. In December 2012, the American Indian College Fund named her "Elder of the Year." Ms. Gillette is a graduate of Berea Foundation School, Berea, KY and Haskell Institute, Lawrence, KS. For keeping Denver’s deep Native American traditions alive and making them an integral part of the city’s tourism and visitor industry, Grace Gillette is to be inducted into the Denver & Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame.
Dick Monfort
In 2014, Dick Monfort will enter his 17th season with the Rockies franchise, continuing his role as Owner/Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for the Club. Dick and his brother Charlie grew up in Greeley, Colorado and in 2005, became the primary owners of the Colorado Rockies. Dick and Charlie have established the Rockies as a leading organization in the Rocky Mountain Region in both the sport and business of baseball. The Rockies led Major League Baseball in attendance the first seven seasons of the franchise and had a historic run in the 2007 season, winning 21 out of 22 games, leading to the franchise's first berth in the World Series. The Rockies continually place as one of the top tourist attractions in the Longwoods study, and they were the primary impetus behind the original development of LoDo and the current development of surrounding RiNo and Ballpark neighborhoods. With Dick’s leadership and vision the Rockies have made Coors Field one of the premiere sports stadiums in the world. New to Coors Field in 2014 will be The Rooftop, the largest outdoor sports terrace in America with a bar that is one mile high and fifty-two feet, 80 inches long. vFor his contribution to Denver at Coors Field and the spectacular contribution the Colorado Rockies have made to Denver’s tourism industry, Dick Monfort is to be inducted into the Tourism Hall of Fame.
Joe and Jeff Shoemaker
Joe Shoemaker and his son Jeff have been committed to the reclamation, enhancement and preservation of the South Platte River in Denver for 40 years. Joe founded The Greenway Foundation in 1974, and since 1982 Jeff has served as its Executive Director. Since it was founded, The Greenway Foundation has: Reclaimed the South Platte River and its tributaries from a virtual cesspool to a place of environmental and recreational pride Constructed more than 100 miles of hiking and biking trails Created more than 100 acres of parks and natural areas Designed and built numerous whitewater boat chutes Vastly improved the health of the South Platte River Watershed and its habitats Provided environmental education to more than 60,000 school children Employed more than 100 teenagers in youth employment programs Helped create more than $120 million of green improvements to the South Platte River and its tributaries, facilitating over $10 billion in residential and commercial development throughout the Denver Metro area Joe will receive the award posthumously for his great contribution in having the vision to see what the South Platte could become. When he founded The Greenway Foundation, the South Platte was an eyesore, polluted, lined with garbage and completely devoid of any recreational opportunities. Joe was a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and the University of Iowa Law School. He was Denver’s Manager of Public Works and Deputy Mayor under Mayor Dick Batteron, a Colorado State Senator from 1926-1976 and a practicing attorney for over 50 years. Jeff is a graduate of Denver Public Schools and the University of Colorado. He was a public school teacher from 1977-1982, served as a member of the Colorado Legislature from 1987-1992 and was appointed to two terms on the CSU Board of Trustees from 1999-2008. For their commitment to the revitalization of the South Platte River and enhancing the popular tourist neighborhoods of LoDo, LoHi, Riverfront, Ballpark and RiNo, The Greenway Foundation’s founder and director, Joe and Jeff Shoemaker, are being inducted into the Denver & Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame.
2013
Barry Fey
The legendary (nearly mythical, according to the Denver post) rock promoter Barry Fey, helped turn live music into a brand pillar for Denver and Colorado tourism by making Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre one of the most famous music venues in the world. Fey also played an important role in helping to save the Denver Symphony and to create the new Colorado Symphony Orchestra. In 1967, at just 27 years old, he began his extraordinary career as one of rock’s most important promoters by booking Big Brother & The Holding Company, featuring lead singer Janis Joplin into Denver’s Family Dog Concert Hall. His company, Feyline, transformed the "Summer of Stars" concert series at Red Rocks into a top "bucket list" event for music lovers all over the world. He has produced more top grossing tours for the Who and the Rolling Stones than anyone else in the world, and he was behind the U2 Under a Blood Red Sky concert video at Red Rocks, a music video that helped the amphitheatre and Denver gain international fame. He also played a role in saving the Paramount Theatre from destruction and helped bring the Colorado Rockies to Denver. Fey published his first acclaimed book, "Backstage Past" in November 2011, which features behind-the-scenes stories from his 40 year history in the music industry.
Lewis Sharp
Dr. Lewis Sharp came to the Denver Art Museum (DAM) in 1989, after serving as curator and administrator of the American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art from 1972 to 1989. Under his leadership, the DAM was totally transformed to become the most important art center in the Rocky Mountain West and one of the principal art museums in America. During his tenure, the DAM drew approximately 500,000 visitors each year and was touted by USA Today as one of the "10 Great Places to Introduce Children to Art." Dr. Sharp substantially increased the museum's collections and improved the educational activities. One of his continuing legacies has been the museum's increased focus on major touring exhibitions such as "Toulouse-Lautrec from the Metropolitan Museum of Art," "Impressionism: Paintings Collected by European Museums," and the blockbuster, "El Greco to Picasso from the The Phillips Collection." Sharp also had a tremendous influence on shaping the national and international image of Denver through his leadership on the Daniel Libeskind designed Frederic C. Hamilton Building, which elevated Denver's reputation as a cultural destination. The expansion was completed through a city bond initiative approved by Denver voters in 1999, while the museum raised another $28 million in private funds to cover additional expansion projects. Dr. Sharp was instrumental in both helping pass the initiative and in raising the private funds. He also helped lift the museum's stature through a landmark donation of funding, artwork and property from Kent and Vicki Logan, the largest planned gift in the Museum's history. Lewis Sharp retired at the end of 2009, but his legacy and contributions live on at the Denver Art Museum with recent blockbuster exhibits such as "Yves St. Laurent: The Retrospective" and "Becoming Van Gogh."
Sid Wilson
Sid Wilson has operated A Private Guide for 20 years, becoming one of the best known and most beloved guides and entrepreneurs in Denver's tourism industry. Besides serving more than 10 years on the VISIT DENVER Board of Directors, Wilson is a trustee for the Denver Zoo, recent past Commissioner for the Denver Public Library, founding member and past board chair of Beckwourth Outdoors (aka the James P. Beckwourth Mountain Club), the Black American West Museum, and the Plains Conservation Center. Wilson's contributions often take place behind the scenes, where he has worked for years to bring new people into the travel industry. He is a senior instructor at the International Guide Academy and has worked in numerous school projects with student groups, where he has long been a proponent of kids working in travel and tourism. He was both a board member and a chair of NAF / Academy of Hospitality and Tourism set up with Denver Public Schools to encourage high school students to pursue careers in tourism. For over ten years he has worked with Beckwourth Outdoors, preparing and exposing inner-city youth to their first skiing, hiking and a variety of mountain based recreation activities. Research had shown that many youth who get into trouble with authorities have never been to the mountains. Beckwourth Outdoors was created to right that situation, and Sid has literally changed the lives of hundreds of youths by introducing them to Colorado tourism and mountain experiences. As he has stated, Wilson has been able to take experiences and contacts from powerful boards like VISIT DENVER, the Denver Zoo and the Denver Public Library Commission, and use that knowledge to help other smaller boards like the Black American West Museum, Beckwourth Outdoors and the Plains Conservation Center.
2012
John Denver
One of the world's best-known and most-loved performers, John Denver earned international acclaim as a songwriter, performer, actor, environmentalist and humanitarian. His love of Denver, Aspen and Colorado led to many nationally televised music specials from the Centennial state, and many of his most popular songs had Colorado themes. His 1996 seasonal special, “Rocky Mountain Christmas”, introduced more than 60 million viewers from around the world to the majesty of Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre, and was the highest-rated show for the ABC network at that time. John Denver’s music spanned three decades, outlasted countless musical trends, and garnered numerous music awards and honors, including a 1996 Induction into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, and in 1993, the prestigious Albert Schweitzer Music award. The son of a U.S Air Force officer, John’s artistic journey began as Henry John Deutschendorf Jr., but he was urged by friends to change his name if a recording career was to be in his future. He took his stage name from the beautiful Rocky Mountain capital city of Colorado, his home state. John climbed the pop charts with songs like “Rocky Mountain High,” “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” “Sunshine On My Shoulders,” “Annie’s Song,” “Back Home Again,” “Thank God I’m A Country Boy,” and “Calypso,” – solidifying his position as one of the top stars of the decade. Denver's concert tours reached millions globally. John Denver was named Poet Laureate of Colorado in 1974, and in 2007, the Colorado State Legislature paid him the highest honor, adopting his song “Rocky Mountain High” as one of two official Colorado state songs. Tragically, John Denver was killed in a plane crash in 1997. He was just 53 years old.
Nick LeMasters
Under Nick LeMasters tenure as General Manager of the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, the shopping mecca has consistently placed as the first or second most popular tourism destination in Denver, according to the annual Longwoods tourism study. This is the longest reign of any attraction in the city. LeMasters has helped Cherry Creek host many high profile tourism events including The Denver Summit of the Eight Media Event, The Mask Project, The Medal of Honor Portraits of Valor exhibit, and tributes to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. LeMasters has served on the Board of Directors for VISIT DENVER for the past fifteen years and is a past Board Chair. In this position, he was instrumental in establishing a five-year strategic plan for the Bureau. In 2000, Nick was appointed by Mayor Wellington Webb to the Colorado Convention Center Expansion Task Force. The task force was successful in launching the opening of the expanded convention center in 2004. On two separate occasions LeMasters has chaired the board for the Cherry Creek Arts Festival; the most honored arts festival in America drawing more than 300,000 visitors each year. LeMasters has also served on boards for the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, Cherry Creek Chamber of Commerce, Young Americans Education Foundation and American Red Cross Mile High Chapter. He is currently serving as a member of the Executive Committee for the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation where he regularly points to the economic impact and importance of tourism for Denver and Colorado. LeMasters, originally from Napa, CA, is a graduate of California State University, Sacramento. He resides in Centennial, CO with his wife Robyn. They have three children and three grand children living in the area.
Peter M. Meersman
Pete Meersman began working at the Colorado Restaurant Association (CRA) in 1982, and he has been the president and CEO of the 4,500-member organization since 1989, helping to grow and transform Colorado restaurants into one of the state’s major industries, while at the same time making restaurants a key player in Colorado’s tourism industry. Today, Colorado restaurants generate $8.5 billion in annual sales and employ more than 237,000 workers. Four out of every ten retail workers are employed at one of Colorado’s 10,400 restaurants. In 2012, consumers will spend $22 million a day in Colorado restaurants, generating $575 million in state and local sales taxes. As a leader and spokesperson for this industry, Meersman has been instrumental in helping Colorado’s restaurant growth outpace the nation, even in these challenging economic times. He helped start the CRA Education Foundation's award-winning ProStart program which supports high school students interested in hospitality careers. He spear-headed two “Dine Out to Help Out” fund-raisers, which brought Colorado restaurants together to raise money for victims in the aftermath of September 11th tragedy and Hurricane Katrina. In addition, Meersman led the charge to fight the Denver-only minimum wage and paid leave battles in 1993 and 2011. CRA has been on the frontlines of water and energy conservation for more than a decade. For almost 30 years, Meersman’s name has been linked to the restaurant industry in Colorado. He also has been one of the top figures in generating funding for marketing Colorado as a tourism destination. He lobbied to resurrect funding for the Colorado Tourism Office, helping to establish the organization in its early years, and then became the organization’s chairman. He has served as chair of the International Society of Restaurant Association Executives. He serves on the Visit Denver board. And he serves on the National Restaurant Association and NRA Educational Foundation boards of directors.
Charlie Papazian
Charlie Papazian is one of the most prominent and recognized names in the world of beer and brewing in Colorado and throughout the world. When he started the Brewers Association in Boulder for homebrewers, it was actually illegal to operate a brewpub in Colorado. How times have changed – in large part due to Charlie Papazian’s efforts. Today, Colorado produces more beer than any other state, the Denver metro area produces more beer than any other city, and Denver’s Great American Beer Festival (started by Charlie Papazian and run by the Brewers Association with his continued guidance) has grown to be the largest beer festival in the world with some 2,400 beers available for tasting in 2011. Charlie Papazian deserves much of the credit for creating the craft beer industry in America – and in Colorado, where it has become an important brand pillar of the tourism industry, exemplified by the fact that the readers of Travel + Leisure Magazine just ranked Denver as the No. 1 microbrew beer city in North America. Papazian’s published commentaries on beer have provided insights to the industry, advice to homebrewers, and beer reviews for consumers. He is the founding publisher and regular contributor of Zymurgy (the magazine for homebrewers), The New Brewer (the magazine for small, professional craft brewers) and National Beer Examiner for Denver based Examiner.com. In his worldwide travels, Papazian has been both lecturer and presenter at many prestigious events. He is author of five best-selling books (1,200,000+ copies) published by HarperCollins Books.
2011
Cleo Parker Robinson
Cleo Parker Robinson is founder, executive artistic director and choreographer of the 40-year-old artistic institution, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, based in Denver. She has taught and performed with her Ensemble in such diverse places as Iceland, Singapore, Hawaii, Nassau, Belize, Israel, Egypt, Turkey, throughout Europe, and on all four corners of the African continent. People of all ages and backgrounds have participated in her workshops and master classes. As the founder of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance she leads a professional dance Ensemble, Youth Ensemble, a School of Dance, an International Summer Dance Institute, a 300-seat theatre that bears her name, and a myriad of community outreach programs. Her philosophy of "One Spirit, Many Voices" is reflected in all that she does, and is the vision she brings to everyone she meets, everywhere she goes. In 1974, she received the Colorado's Governor's Award for Excellence, and in 1989, she was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame. President Clinton appointed her in 1998 to the National Council on the Arts, where she served until 2005. Throughout her amazing career, she has been an unwavering supporter of her native city, Denver. In addition to her own accomplishments, she has advanced the arts in Denver - and the worldwide perception of Denver as a city of rich and diverse culture. For her many contributions to Denver's artistic legacy, she is inducted into the Denver & Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame.
Governor Bill Ritter
Governor, State of Colorado (2007-2011)
Bill Ritter, Jr. was elected as Colorado's 41st governor in 2006 - the first Colorado-born governor in more than 35 years. In office, he implemented a 21st century strategy for leading Colorado forward, positioning the state for a strong future. Governor Ritter was always a strong supporter of tourism, working hard to maintain funding for the Colorado Tourism Office. Whether herding cattle in the National Western Stock Show Parade in Denver, or biking over mountain passes in the Triple Bypass, Governor Ritter was an avid promoter of Colorado's tourism industry, recreational opportunities and outdoor lifestyle. He was instrumental in working with Lance Armstrong to create the first Quiznos Pro Challenge, which will electrify pro cycling in Colorado in August 2011. Governor Ritter established Colorado as a national and international leader in the New Energy Economy; attracted thousands of new jobs in knowledge-based industries of the future, such as aerospace, biosciences and technology, and initiated sweeping education reforms. To keep tourism infrastructure strong, he introduced the FASTER transportation legislation to fix unsafe bridges and roads and create a framework for funding a modern, 21st century transportation system. For strongly defending tourism marketing and helping the travel industry in countless ways, Governor Ritter is inducted into the Denver & Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame.
Terry Sullivan
Terry Sullivan has been a leading force in Colorado tourism for twenty years, one of the longest spans of anyone in the state's history. He became the leader of Experience Colorado Springs, the Convention & Visitors Bureau, in 1990, first as executive director and later as president & CEO. The local member-based organization is charged with promoting Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region as a national and international tourism destination. Over his 20 year span, Terry helped tourism in Colorado Springs grow to a $1.2 billion industry that supports 14,000 jobs. Under his leadership, Experience Colorado Springs won many national awards, including ten years of winning the "Gold Service Award" from Meetings & Conventions Magazine. Terry was also a leader in developing the Colorado Association of Destination Marketing Associations (CADMO) and the Travel Industry Association of Colorado (TIAC). It was with his assistance that the Colorado tourism industry learned to "speak with one voice," eventually leading to the creation of the Colorado Tourism Office and increased tourism marketing dollars for the state. In 2005, Terry Sullivan was honored with the Governor's Tourism Award for Outstanding Individual Contribution to Colorado Tourism. For being a good partner to Denver and for his two decades of dedication to Colorado's travel industry, Terry Sullivan is being honored as a member of the Denver & Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame.
2010
Pat Bowlen
PAT BOWLEN is being inducted into the Tourism Hall of Fame for presiding over one of the NFL’s most successful franchises, bringing Denver national and international recognition, television exposure and millions of dollars of economic development. Pat Bowlen entered the 2009 season in his 26th year as President and CEO of the Denver Broncos, and is quarterplus century of ownership is indelibly stamped as one of the most successful periods for any team in National Football League history. Denver ranks second in the NFL in regular-season wins (251), second in Super Bowl appearances (5), tied for third in conference championship game appearances (7) and tied for fifth in playoff appearances (13) during Bowlen’s tenure. The Broncos have sold out every regular season and playoff game since 1970, and the team has draw over 18 million fans to their home games from 1984-2009, marking the highest total in the NFL. Bowlen’s status and reputation as an owner were recognized within the state on April 10, 2007, when he was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.
Curtis Fentress
CURTIS FENTRESS designed three of the most important landmarks in Denver, transforming the skyline and elevating the world’s opinion of this great city. Denver International Airport was voted “Best Airport in North America” the past four consecutive years. Fentress designed the Colorado Convention Center, winner of 18 design awards. Invesco Field at Mile High (now Empower Field at Mile High) has become the beloved new home of the Denver Broncos. Fentress was recently selected as the architect for the new Colorado Judicial Center adjacent to the State Capitol. Internationally recognized for his innovative portfolio, Fentress has created $22 billion of architectural projects worldwide, visited by over 300 million people annually. His designs have been featured in more than 1,200 national and international publications and honored with over 300 awards for excellence and innovation. Fentress designed Incheon International Airport in South Korea, consistently voted “World’s Best Airport,” and Arraya Tower in Kuwait, the world’s tenth tallest building built in 2009. Curtis Fentress will be honored by the American Institute of Architects in 2010 as the recipient of the highest award for public architecture, the prestigious Thomas Jefferson Award.
Walter Isenberg
WALTER ISENBERG has a long history of providing both outstanding service at his hotels, and exceptional community service to his city. Isenberg and his partner, Zack Neumeyer founded Sage Hospitality in 1984. Sage owns and operates 54 hotels in 23 states ranging from urban full-service hotels to select service suburban properties. Mr. Isenberg directs company operations including property management, development and finance. Sage is consistently recognized for its significant commitment to corporate citizenship. Sage was the first recipient of Marriott’s Spirit to Serve Award, given to franchise partners that live the vision to be an outstanding corporate citizen. Sage has lead the industry with its green operating practices and has developed both LEED Silver and Gold hotels. Walter Isenberg is a member of the American Hotel Lodging Association’s Government Affairs Committee and serves on the boards of The Downtown Denver Partnership; VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau (where he was a former chairman); Colorado Concern; The Children’s Hospital Foundation; Mountain States Employers Council; Starwood Hotels and Marriott International’s Owner Advisory Councils.
2009
Dana Crawford
In the 1960s, award-winning preservationist Dana Crawford was the first to look at the abandoned and neglected buildings of Denver’s original main street and lower downtown (LoDo) and see the possibilities of their transformation for the city. She initiated a new concept of urban renewal, one of the first of its kind in the United States, saving the beautiful historic buildings of Larimer Square and transforming them into a festive marketplace. Since then, she has redeveloped more than one million square feet of historic property in Denver, including The Oxford Hotel, Acme Lofts, the Edbrooke Lofts, Cooper Flats Condominiums and phase one of the Flour Mill Lofts project. In each case, Crawford preserved the historic architecture and character of Denver while bringing new life and excitement to the city center.
John Schafer
During his tenure with Hyatt Hotels, John Schafer has enjoyed one of the longest and most distinguished hotel careers in Denver’s history. He has been chair of the Bureau, served on the Colorado Tourism Board and has been a representative of the hospitality community on virtually every board and commission in the city for the past decade. Schafer was a leader in the separate campaigns to expand the Colorado Convention Center, to build a 1,100-room headquarters hotel and to secure more tourism marketing funds for the Bureau. In 1997, Schafer was named the national Hyatt hotel chain’s General Manager of the Year – an honor he received again in 2007, making him the only general manager in Hyatt’s history to ever win twice.
Mayor Robert W. Speer
Mayor, City & County of Denver (1904-1916)
Robert W. Speer was probably more responsible for transforming Denver into a City Beautiful and the state’s top tourist attraction than any other person. As mayor, he literally changed Denver from brown to green with the planting of 110,000 shade trees throughout the city on redesigned broad boulevards. He doubled the City park system, creating Washington Park, Sloan’s Lake and City Park and personally redesigned the sunken flow path for Cherry Creek that later allowed for the bike-path system. His vision of Civic Center Park brought in fountains, a Greek Amphitheatre and monuments. He created the mountain park system that led to Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Winter Park Ski Area and Buffalo Bill’s Grave, and also led the drive to build the Auditorium Theatre. During his administration, the National Western Stock Show was born; Denver hosted the first Democratic National Convention, and VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau was created – only the sixth convention bureau in the world. Mayor Speer died while serving the city he loved from influenza that he caught walking to work in the rain.
The Honorable Elbra Wedgeworth
Elbra Wedgeworth will forever be linked with the 2008 Democratic National Convention (DNC) that generated $266 million of economic impact and hundreds of millions of dollars in worldwide publicity. Wedgeworth provided the vision and leadership to bring the 2008 DNC to Denver. She served as the president/chair of the Board of the Host committee, which raised nearly $70 million and was responsible for overseeing every aspect of staging of what would become the largest event in the city’s history. Wedgeworth began her career with the City & County of Denver in 1989 and was elected to Denver City Council, District 8 in 1999, serving as a council representative on the Bureau’s Board of Directors. Recognizing the importance of tourism, she was a leader in the effort to secure more marketing dollars for the Bureau and in the campaigns to expand the Colorado Convention Center and build a headquarters hotel. She served as a member of the Denver Hotel Authority Board of Directors, which oversaw construction of the Hyatt Regency Hotel. In September 2008, she was elected chairperson of the Denver Union Station Authority Board of Directors.
2008
Noel Cunningham
An unwavering supporter of conventions, travel and tourism, Noel has used his success in the restaurant industry to work as one of the Mile High City’s greatest philanthropists and humanitarians. Born in Dublin, Ireland, he became the youngest-ever sous chef in London’s famous Savoy Hotel. In the mid-1970s he moved stateside and in 1986, he opened the popular Denver restaurant Strings. Some of the many projects Noel has started include Quarters for Kids, which began 14 years ago to teach children about local hunger and homeless issues and has raised more than $500,000. With his wife Tammy, Noel founded the Cunningham Foundation in 2003 and has made numerous trips to Africa to assist with self-help programs and community development in Ethiopia.
Pat Lee
A living legend in Denver’s tourism business, Pat Lee has amassed a record for promoting Denver and Colorado as leisure destinations unequaled by anyone else. From 1972 until 1989, she worked for Aspen Airways (later to be known as United Express), eventually rising to vice president of marketing. During this period, she helped the airline grow to become the third largest air carrier in Denver at that time. From 1989 to 1996, Pat served as director of destination marketing & regional sales manager for Continental Airlines. Today her company represents tourism sales for one of the city’s top tourist attractions, Cherry Creek Shopping Center, as well as numerous other tourism projects, including the Denver Performing Arts Complex and Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
Governor Bill Owen
Governor, State of Colorado (1999-2007)
Governor Owens has raised more money for Colorado tourism promotion than anyone else. As Colorado’s 40th governor, he served from January 1999 until term-limited in January 2007. Throughout his administration, he was recognized as a leader in obtaining funds for tourism marketing for the Colorado Tourism Office, especially in the years where no permanent funding existed. His efforts on behalf of the tourism industry culminated in 2006 with his leadership of House Bill 1201, which now provides $19 million for tourism marketing annually, creating the largest travel marketing budget in Colorado history. He was also a leader in Colorado’s transportation system, providing leadership for projects such as T-REX. In 2002, National Review Magazine called Bill Owens “the best governor in America.”
2007
Ilene Kamsler
A respected leader in Colorado's travel industry, Ilene Kamsler has been president of the Colorado Hotel & Lodging Association and director of the Metro Denver Hotel Association since 1986, representing 540 members and more than 40,000 guest rooms. Over the years, she has been a constant voice calling for state funding for tourism marketing. Working tirelessly at various legislative levels as well as trying to bring tourism factions together to speak with one voice, she finally saw these efforts rewarded in 2006 with the passage of House Bill 1201, which will guarantee permanent funding for the Colorado Tourism Office. She has also been the president of the Colorado Society of Association Executives, the Tourism Industry Coalition of Colorado and the International Society of Hotel Association Executives.
Jack Vickers
For more than 11 years, Jack Vickers tried to obtain the rolling, pine-covered hills near Castle Rock to create a world-class golf course hosting a major professional tournament. His persistence paid off in the late 1970s when he purchased a 5,000 acre tract of land, hired Jack Nicklaus to design the course and in 1981 opened Castle Pines Golf Club. In 1986, Castle Pines was given a spot on the PGA Tour hosting The INTERNATIONAL. Twenty-one years later, The INTERNATIONAL has become one of Denver’s major events, attracting more than 100,000 fans as well as national and international television coverage. The INTERNATIONAL has been a strong supporter of Denver tourism, providing air time for a Denver commercial to be seen around the world by millions of viewers, in addition to exposing the beauty of golf in this region.
Mayor Wellington Webb
Mayor, City & County of Denver (1991-2003)
Former Mayor Wellington Webb was intimately involved in every step of developing Denver into a tier-one convention and leisure destination, from building Denver International Airport, to approving the Colorado Convention Center expansion, opening two new sports stadiums, approving and building the new convention center hotel, expanding the Denver Art Museum, building the Ellie Caulkins Opera House and much more. Mayor Webb created more park space than any other Denver mayor and under his administration, downtown Denver was revitalized with new housing, restaurants and shopping. In 1993, Mayor Webb hosted nearly 350,000 people from around the world for World Youth Day with Pope John Paul II and in 1997, he welcomed President Clinton and eight world leaders at the Denver Summit of the Eight.
2006
Pat Grant
As president and CEO of the National Western Stock Show, Pat has helped make this event one of the world’s largest stock shows and rodeos and the largest single annual event in Denver with more than 400,000 paid admissions. The Stock Show attracts visitors and huge economic development in a month that would normally be a very down time for the city. Pat has continually worked to "re-invent" the Stock Show, bringing in new events and shows to keep it fresh. Under his guidance, the Stock Show has maintained its historical Western roots, while bringing in such popular new acts as the Wild West Show, Mexican Rodeo and Evening of Dancing Horses. In 2006, the Stock Show will be celebrating its 100th Anniversary with a series of special events that will set a new bar for this important Denver institution.
E. Stanley Kroenke
Stanley Kroenke has brought more sporting events – and more sports-related tourism – to Denver than any other single person. As the owner of the Pepsi Center (now Ball Arena), Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Mammoth and Colorado Crush, he is the premier sports figure in Denver. These teams and a new sports television network have helped position Denver as the No. 1 sports city in America. He helped bring three All-Star games and the Centrix Financial Grand Prix to Denver and has even entered into the arts, by bringing Cirque du Soleil to the Mile High City and by purchasing the Paramount Theatre. Kroenke’s enthusiasm and vision ensure that the venue will continue to be the top entertainment tourism destination in the Rocky Mountains for generations to come.
Daniel L. Ritchie
Daniel L. Ritchie was the 16th chancellor of the University of Denver and is one of the strongest leaders in creating a link between higher education and the tourism industry. Prominent in Denver's civic and cultural community, Ritchie has proved a strong advocate for the University of Denver, where he was chancellor from July 1989 - June 2005. His persuasion has been instrumental in bringing major gifts to DU and in establishing DU as a center for tourism research and studies. In 2005, under Ritchie’s leadership, DU opened the new Center for Travel & Tourism, which will serve as an academic research center. Ritchie has been instrumental in developing DU as both a meeting and cultural destination. He also helped play a role in securing the Frozen Four tournament for Denver in 2008, which will be one of the city’s major sporting events.
2005
Sam Arnold
"Food historian, chef de cuisine, journalist, world traveler, restauranteur, raconteur…Sam Arnold is a gold mine of information." - Time-Life Books. These words accurately describe Sam P. Arnold, co-owner of the renowned Fort Restaurant, a castle-like replica of the 1834 Bent’s Fort (Colorado’s first fur-trading post). Visitors looking for a unique culinary experience can find it at The Fort, enjoying unique fare such as buffalo, elk, rattlesnake, quail and venison. Sam has written several books on Colorado cuisine and has appeared on the Tonight Show, the Today Show, CNN, ABC, NBC News, Live with Regis and Kathie Lee and in hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles, all promoting Colorado cuisine. In 1997, he hosted President Clinton’s state dinner during the Summit of the Eight. Sam has served on the Colorado Tourism Board and on the board of the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau and is honored for his many contributions to Colorado’s tourism industry.
Phil Karsh
Phil Karsh has been a long-time advocate and marketer of Denver and Colorado tourism and one of the key figures in Colorado tourism advertising. As Chairman of Karsh & Hagan Communications for 13 years, he was at the forefront of every major Colorado tourism advertising campaign. His agency’s award-winning ad campaigns for the Colorado Tourism Board helped give Colorado the number one market share as a summer tourism destination. Phil has been on the board of the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau since 1993, and served as Bureau Chairman in 1997. Since 2002, he has served as the Chairman of the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau Foundation, which awards scholarships to students pursuing degrees in hospitality and tourism. A tireless promoter of the economic benefits of tourism and of the need to market Colorado tourism, Phil Karsh has been a principal leader in the effort to obtain additional tourism marketing dollars for Colorado.
Councilwoman Cathy Reynolds
Denver City Councilwoman (1975-2003)
Former Denver City Councilwoman Cathy Reynolds is an institution in Denver politics. In 1975, she was one of the first two women elected to Denver government and she was elected to be City Council President an impressive five times. As a member of the Special Projects Committee, she was instrumental in approving and building the original Colorado Convention Center. Cathy believed that the Center should be located in the heart of downtown and fought for its current location at 14th & California St. In 1997, she was one of the first to agree that the time was right to double the size of the center and she worked diligently to ensure that the expansion received voter approval in November 1999. She is still actively involved as a board member of the Convention Center Hotel Authority. Her other contributions on the Special Projects Committee include the development of the Denver Performing Arts Complex, Denver International Airport, Pepsi Center (now Ball Arena) and the development of the 16th Street Mall.
2004
Ray Baker
Ray Baker has been instrumental in changing the face of Denver’s sports scene. He served as the chair of both the Denver Metropolitan Major League Baseball Stadium District and the Denver Metropolitan Football District Stadium, helping to Mensure that both stadiums were completed on time and on budget. In 1986, he and former professional basketball player Bill Harnzlik started the Gold Crown Foundation. The nonprofit group began with about 150 kids at a basketball camp. Today, more than 20,000 kids participate in Gold Crown Foundation programs and it has become one of the largest junior high basketball leagues in the state. In 1998, Gold Crown opened the Coca-Cola All Star Park in Lakewood, an athletic field for kids that is a mini-replica of Coors Field. Ray Baker has left his mark on the Mile High City, both in helping children realize the values that come from athletic competition, and in changing the landscape of the city with two of the nation’s most beautiful sports facilities.
John Bandimere Jr.
For the past 33 years, John Bandimere, Jr. has been the driving force behind the successful and popular Bandimere Speedway. Voted one of the five best race tracks in the country by Drag Racing Magazine, Bandimere Speedway has been the site of many national racing events and the host of the NHRA/POWERade Mopar Mile High Nationals for the past 24 years. John Jr. took over as president and general manager from his father, the Speedway’s founder, in 1970 and has overseen many improvements, including a $4.5 million renovation in 1988. Today, the Speedway hosts both automotive and non-automotive events for adults and kids virtually seven days a week. In 1998, John Jr. continued the tradition by passing general manager duties to a third generation, John C. Bandimere III, allowing John Jr. more time to focus on vital community issues and further promotion of the facility. John Jr. currently is involved with the Guaranty Bank West Advisory Board, West Chamber Serving Jefferson County, National Hot Rod Association, Fellowship of Christian Athletes State Board, Cherry Hills Community Church and the Colorado Motorsports Hall of Fame Board.
Will Mcfarlane
In 1979, Will McFarlane moved the corporate headquarters of AIRCOA to Denver. He had founded the company in 1968 to develop and operate motels, hotels, restaurants and numerous other real estate projects. Less than a decade after moving to Denver, AIRCOA had become the largest independent hotel and resort management company in the U.S., operating 167 hotels. AIRCOA was the largest franchisee of Sheraton Hotels and the second largest Hilton Hotel franchisee. AIRCOA created the Clarion chain and owned and operated such hotels as the Brown Palace. In 1990, Will sold AIRCOA to Regal Hotels of Hong Kong and with several partners he bought a 14,000-acre ranch in eastern Colorado to breed American buffalo. He established the 22,000 square foot Denver Buffalo Company Restaurant and Trading Post in Denver and started New West Foods, which is today the largest buffalo and game marketing company in the U.S. In addition to his many hotel and restaurant contributions to Denver, he served two terms as chairman of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, helping to lead them out of bankruptcy and into a stable financial condition. He served as a trustee to Denver University and as been a member of virtually every board in Denver from the Colorado Tourism Board and the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau to the Downtown Denver Partnership and Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. He is truly one of the great leaders and pioneers of Colorado’s hospitality industry.
2003
A. Barry Hirschfeld
It would be hard to think of anyone who has contributed more to Denver’s travel industry than A. Barry Hirschfeld. Barry first joined the Board of the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau in 1985, taking the seat of his deceased father Ed Hirschfeld, who is also a member of the Tourism Hall of Fame. Barry is one of the few people to have served two terms as chairman of the Bureau (1989-1990) and one of the first to be honored as a Lifetime Board member. Although Barry has been involved in literally dozens of projects for the Bureau, he provided the leadership for five crucial programs. While Barry was chairman, he twice led the movement to increase the Bureau’s portion of the lodger’s tax, resulting in a quarter percent increase in 1991 and another quarter percent increase the next year. He played a crucial role in the movement to build the Colorado Convention Center, but perhaps more important, he secured the marketing dollar grants that allowed the new center to be properly promoted in its early years. Barry also led the contingent that secured the first marketing dollar grants from the city for the highly successful Destination Denver program. This public/private marketing program has now grown to a $3 million annual budget. Finally, he led the Bureau’s relocation committee that not only helped save The Denver Dry Goods Building, but also secured very favorable office accommodations for the Bureau for the past decade. More than anyone else, Barry has been responsible for securing strong funding for Denver tourism promotion. Without this funding, Denver would not be enjoying the vital, healthy economy that it does today. Barry’s father, Ed Hirschfeld, was inducted into the Denver & Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame in 2000.
Karl W. Mehlmann
For more than 40 years, Karl W. Mehlmann has been an outstanding leader of Colorado’s hospitality industry and one of the nation’s strongest advocates for furthering education in the lodging industry. He began his 44-year career with The Brown Palace Hotel in 1940. After eleven years in executive positions, he was named vice president and general manager in 1963, president of The Brown Palace Hotel Company in 1966 and made chairman in 1983. With his dedication to the highest standards of traditional service, mixed with innovative management, he led The Brown Palace to become one of the premier hotels in the United States. An active civic and community leader, he served as chairman of the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau and was made a lifetime board member. He is a past president of the Greater Denver Hotel Association, a past president and lifetime director of the Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association and has twice received the CH&LA’s highest honor as “Hotelier of the Year.” Nationally, he served on many committees and was a director of the American Hotel and Motel Association for six years. The Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association named their scholarship program the Karl W. Mehlmann Scholarship as a tribute to his continuing leadership in the hotel industry and as recognition of his dedication to providing education for those entering the industry.
Allan and Gerald Phipps, Posthumous Award
Without the Phipps brothers, 1964 might have been one of the blackest years in Denver’s history. The rag-tag AFL Denver Broncos had lost 11 games and were about to be sold and moved to Atlanta. And then the Phipps brothers came to the rescue. “Denver couldn’t afford to lose pro football,” Gerald told the Denver Post. “Sports franchises are valuable to a well-rounded city.” So they bought the team. The next year they sold 22,000 season tickets. By 1970, they were selling 43,500 season tickets and starting a tradition of sellouts that continues today. Under the Phipps leadership, the 34,000-seat Bears Stadium was acquired by the City, re-named Sports Authority Field at Mile High (now Empower Field at Mile High) and increased to 76,000-seats. The Broncos ended their first decade as the worst of any of the original eight AFL teams. But under the Phipps, they had their first winning season in 1973, starting a trend that saw them fall below the .500 mark only three times in the next 20 seasons. When Gerald Phipps passed away in 1993, Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said, “If it wasn’t for Gerald Phipps, none of us now with the Broncos would have a job. He saved the Broncos and set the course for Denver as the sports city that it is today. He was a wonderful, wonderful man to whom the entire state owes a great debt.”
2002
Adolph Coors and the Coors Family
Adolph Coors arrived in Denver in 1872. At that time, Colorado was filled with young men searching the hills for gold, but Adolph went out in search of a different treasure – water. In the Clear Creek Valley just east of Golden, he found what he was looking for – a series of cool, natural springs that would be perfect for brewing beer. Today, Coors Brewery has annual sales exceeding 20 million barrels and the Coors brewery in Golden is the largest single brewing site on earth. Equally important, Coors has become the most identified Colorado company in the world. From the beginning, Coors advertised that it was produced with Rocky Mountain spring water. Images of Colorado’s mountains have been used in their advertising for more than 100 years, promoting the outstanding beauty of this region to people throughout the United States and around the globe.
Mayor Federico Peña
Mayor, City & County of Denver (1983-1991)
Federico Peña was Mayor of the City of Denver in the pivotal years of 1983 to 1991, a time when the city’s tourism industry experienced unparalleled growth. During Mayor Peña’s administration, Denver’s tourism industry saw the building and opening of the Colorado Convention Center, the approval and construction of Denver International Airport (DEN), the approval of Coors Field and the revitalization of downtown Denver. When it opened in 1990, the Colorado Convention Center tripled the size of Denver’s convention facilities. At the time, it was the tenth largest convention facility in America. Denver International Airport was the first major international airport constructed in the United States since Dallas-Fort Worth in 1974. DEN has become an unqualified success and was recently selected by the Wall Street Journal as one of the top five airports in America.
Edward A. Robinson
Edward A. Robinson is the longest serving active member on the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau Board of Directors. He was one of the first Denver businessmen to realize the strong connection between tourism and all industries in Colorado. “When tourism does well, we have more people in the hotels and our out-of-town guests drink milk and eat dairy products too,” he says. Realizing the importance of tourism to Denver’s overall economy, Ed Robinson has been a strong supporter of the industry throughout his career. He served as the chairman of the Bureau and has been a member and a chair of many tourism committees. Equaling his participation with the Bureau has been his devotion to one of Denver’s top tourist attractions, the Denver Zoo. He served on the Zoo’s Board of Trustees since 1987 and was their President in 1994, 1995 and 1996. In 1993, Ed Robinson was inducted into the Colorado Restaurant Association Food Service Hall of Fame and in 2000 into the Colorado Business Hall of Fame. He is one of the most beloved citizens of Denver and one of the most honored in the community.
2001
Jerry Groswold
Jerry Groswold is one of the fathers of Colorado’s tourism industry. The son of Colorado’s first manufacturer of alpine downhill ski equipment, he literally grew up on skis. He got his start in the industry as a water boy for volunteers cutting the first trails at Winter Park Resort, and skied there on opening day for the cost of one dollar. He obtained his law degree and joined the Winter Park Recreational Association in 1959, serving as chairman before being named as the resort’s first president and CEO in 1975, a position he held for twenty-two years. During this time, he oversaw one of the largest ski expansions in Colorado history with the building of Mary Jane, the development of the then largest snowmaking installation and the addition of summer resort programs. He was also instrumental in establishing the National Sports Center for the Disabled and the Winter Park Nordic Jumping School.
The Gurtler Family of Elitch Gardens
“Not to See Elitch’s Is Not to See Denver.” For more than 100 years, that was the slogan of what was often called “America’s Most Distinctive Amusement Park.” Mary and John Elitch originally opened the park in 1890 as a zoo and gardens. In 1910, ownership and management of the park was transferred to the Gurtler Family, who were to own and operate Elitch’s for the next nine decades. Three generations of the Gurtler family managed Elitch’s, transforming it into one of the top attractions of its kind in the world. Under the Gurtler’s, Elitch’s added the Tracadero, one of the nation’s most famous ballrooms. In its 50-year history, the Tracadero hosted every famous band in America including The Dorseys, Lawrence Welk, Gene Krupa, Harry James and Guy Lombardo. Live broadcasts were carried on KOA throughout the West, making Elitch’s synonymous with Denver. Another Gurtler innovation was to make the Elitch Summer Theatre the longest running summer theatre program in American history. Grace Kelly made her debut here, and nearly every big name from Hollywood and Broadway made an appearance at Elitch’s. From the creation of Twister, at one time rated the top wooden roller coaster in America, to the famous gardens and floral clock, three generations of the Gurtler’s put their stamp on Elitch’s and on Denver. Arnold and Marie Gurtler originally managed the park, and were followed by their two sons, Jack and Budd after World War II. Sandy Gurtler took over in 1985, overseeing Elitch’s last great transformation: the move to the Central Platte Valley. Elitch’s has long been a Mile High tradition and one of the top tourist attractions in Denver and Colorado.
Ed Hirschfeld, Posthumous Award
Ed Hirschfeld is one of the few people in the 90 year history of the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau to serve two terms as chairman, from 1968-1970. This was a pivotal time for the Bureau, and Hirschfeld rose to the challenge. Under his direction, the Bureau was essentially re-invented with new staff, new logos and new marketing programs. He cemented a strong relationship between the Mayor, City Council and the Bureau’s Board of Directors. Under his leadership, the Bureau worked with the hotels to petition the city to create a new lodger’s tax that would be used to fund the Bureau’s programs. Hirschfeld was the key person in getting this critical lodger’s tax instituted in Denver in 1971. Although he is best known as a giant in the printing industry and president of Hirschfeld Press, he played one of the most influential roles in developing the modern era of tourism promotion for Denver.
2000
Joy Burns
Joy Burns was the first woman chairman of the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau and the founder and developer of the Burnsley Hotel, which opened in 1985. A leader in both the local and national tourism industry, she was a founding member and former director of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World. She is also the founder, director and has served as a vice chair of the Colorado Business Bank; president of the Sportswomen of Colorado Foundation; and the first woman to chair the Board of Trustees of the University of Denver since its inception in 1864.
Jerry Gart, Posthumous Award
Jerry Gart was an avid sportsman and vigorous promoter of Denver and Colorado skiing and recreation. As chairman of the board of the Gart Bros. Sporting Goods Company, he was one of the leaders in forging a partnership between Colorado’s ski areas and Denver businesses, helping spread tourism dollars to all aspects of Colorado’s economy. A tireless promoter of Colorado’s beauty and recreation, he also served as chairman of the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau and was active in the National Sporting Goods Association, the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Denver Center for Performing Arts.
Donald R. Seawell
Donald Seawell is the founder and chairman of the Tony-award winning Denver Center for the Performing Arts. His lifelong fascination with the theatre has included work as an attorney representing Noel Coward, Alfred Lunt, Lynn Fontanne and Tallulah Bankhead; a producer of plays including A Thurber Carnival and Noel Coward’s Sail Away; and chairman of the American National Theatre and Academy. He sketched the original plan for what was to become the Denver Performing Arts Complex on the back of an envelope and was instrumental in every aspect of its creation, from funding to design. Today, it is the largest performing arts complex in the nation with a seating capacity second only to New York’s Lincoln Center. Denver Center Theatre Company productions have toured the world and won a Tony in 1998 for best regional theater. With a paid attendance of over one million in 1997, Denver’s performing arts complex is recognized as the most active center between Chicago and the West Coast.
Larry Varnell
As the president of Metro Stadium, Inc., Larry led the charge to expand Mile High Stadium (now Empower Field at Mile High), saving the Broncos for Denver. As chairman of the Denver for Sports Arena Committee, he led the movement to build McNichols Sports Arena. He was instrumental in bringing the NCAA Final Four to Denver as well as the Colorado Rockies. His association with sports goes all the way back to 1949 when he was selected as Basketball Coach of the Year by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. He is a member of four sports halls of fame including the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, where he has also been on the board for 26 years. A two-term chairman of the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, he also worked for more than 30 years as the public affairs director of Central Bank of Denver.