Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/187632
•pg_3-12__BMT_pg3-58 9/25/13 1:26 AM Page 6 NEWSMAKERS REGGIE WOOLRIDGE STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT HOSPITALITY Reggie Woolridge is currently director of Operations for the Westin SF Airport Hotel. Woolridge is a 20-year hospitality veteran, working in previous destination locations such as Palm Springs CA and San Diego CA. The Westin is located five minutes from San Francisco International Airport and 20 minutes from downtown San Francisco. The Westin San Francisco Airport offers 397 soundproof guest rooms and suites with easy access to the city and Silicon Valley. Designed with your unique needs in mind, the hotel features more than 20,000 sq. ft. of meeting space and complimentary airport shuttle, indoor pool, and WestinWORKOUT® Fitness Studio. Woolridge recently was part of the opening team of the 253-room Aloft SF Airport Hotel, which opened September 2012. He was directly responsible for recently re-conceptualized its hotel restaurant and bar to the new Grill & Vine, which is the first internal concept of its kind for both Westin SF and Starwood Hotels and Resorts. Woolridge earned a Hotel and Restaurant Management Degree from ITT Technical Institute and is currently completing a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration/Finance from ITT Technical Institute. He is a dedicated family man, married to Nadia of 21 years and has three children and three grandchildren. Woolridge is passionate about the hospitality industry and an equally passionate leader. GREATER MIAMI CVB PRESIDENT/CEO WILLIAM TALBERT, III, CDME APPOINTED TO U.S. TRAVEL AND TOURISM ADVISORY BOARD U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank recently announced the appointment of six new members to its Travel and Tourism Advisory Board which serves the Secretary of Commerce on matters relating to the travel and tourism industry in the United States. Greater Miami Convention & Visitor Bureau (GMCVB) President and CEO William Talbert III, CDME, has been appointed to this prestigious board which embodies industry leaders from a crosssection of hotels and restaurants, transportation services, financial services, as well as a mix of small and large firms from across the country. Generating more than $168 billion in U.S. exports last year, Travel and Tourism impacts the country's economy immensely. In Miami, Travel and Tourism is the destination's #1 industry and plays a vital role in the community's economic wellbeing. Record-breaking tourism growth for the last three years generated consistent increases in industry jobs. Talbert and the GMCVB team have put countless destination-wide programs into place and work closely with organizations year-round to ensure business and leisure visitors to the destination continually have improved infrastructure, services and amenities needed to keep travel and tourism growing. "I'm honored and humbled to be appointed to this board and look forward to joining my esteemed colleagues and peers in working with the U.S. Secretary of Commerce on policies and issues that impact the Travel and Tourism Industry, " said Talbert. "As a major point of entry into the United States and a top global destination, I'm delighted to have the opportunity to contribute our Miami experience to the Travel and Tourism Advisory board's mission." "The travel and tourism industry is an important driver of our export success, and a strong source of U.S. jobs," said Deputy Secretary Blank. "Travel and tourism supported nearly 8 million U.S. jobs in 2012, and last week's jobs report showed continued growth in the leisure and hospitality industry. These new members of the Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, who come from different regions and industry sub-sectors, will play a valuable role as we work to help maintain the momentum that's currently underway." May marked the first anniversary of the National Travel and Tourism Strategy (Strategy), a blueprint for expanding travel to and within the United States. The Strategy establishes a goal of welcoming and supporting 100 million annual international visitors by 2021, while also encouraging Americans to see all that their country has to offer. The full list of Travel and Tourism Advisory Board members and other pertinent information is available at http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/TTAB/TTAB_Home.html. 6 B M & T ••• September/October 2013 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com