Business - "Hometown Heroes" honored

The event honored those who have worked to bring conventions and meetings to Saratoga Springs when they could have traveled elsewhere. They have accounted for millions of dollars in direct spending through lodging, eating in local restaurants, shopping and taking advantage of Saratoga’s arts and entertainment scene. This past year, more than 5,000 people came to the area for conventions and meetings.

“Locals who believe in Saratoga enough to recommend our city as a site for regional and national meetings are at the very core of what makes Saratoga successful as a meeting and event destination,” Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau President David Zunker said. “We’re always interested in expanding this program, and it would be incredible to have everyone connected to Saratoga thinking about how they could bring a meeting or convention home.”

According to the bureau, hosting a convention or meeting locally not only helps to stimulate the local economy, it reduces travel cost for local members, strengthens attendance in local group chapters and provides prestige and publicity for the local group chapter.

“Having a convention or meeting in Saratoga Springs has a direct impact on the community by direct spending, sales and it helps to create jobs,” senior sales manager Marie Moynihan said.

Hotels and other venues can nominate individuals who have worked to bring a convention or meeting to the area. All of those who where nominated were directly involved in the planning process to bring their organization to Saratoga Springs in 2008.

Since the Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau began the Hometown Heroes Thanksgiving Reception in 1997 there have been 137 locals honored. This year’s honorees included: Mike Arthur, Tom Behan and Linda Harvey-Opiteck of the NYS Department of Transportation, District Attorney James Murphy, James Morrow of the NYS Professional Firefighters Association, Carol Holley of the NYS Association of County Real Property Tax Services, Honorable Jerry Scarano of the NYS County Judges Association, Dr. Al Morier and Phil Jessen of the Glens Falls Association of the Blind, Marty Thompson and George Gasser of the USS Thomas A. Edison SSBN/SSN 610, Jerry Parmenter North Eastern NY Nursery/Landscape Association, Reverand Ronald Grant of the Empire Baptist Missionary Convention, Mark Klos of the GTO Association of America, Raymond O’Conor of the Independent Bankers Association of NYS, Larry Bulman of the NYS Democratic Committee and Cherrise Traver of Frontiers in Education.