Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau Honors
Eure, Ross, Hunter and Horizon Award Winners at Annual Luncheon

Raleigh, N.C. - The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau honored five
individuals with hospitality industry awards today at its 22nd Annual Luncheon.

The award winners are:

Thad Eure, Jr. Memorial Award
Wake Technical Community College (Accepting the award - Dr. Steve Scott)

The Thad Eure, Jr. Memorial Award is the Bureau's longest running and most prestigious
award recognizing an individual or organization that has made a major impact on the
Wake County hospitality industry. The award is named for the late restaurateur and
community leader Thad Eure Jr.

Wake Technical Community College was the 2009 recipient of this award. Since 2007
Wake Tech has partnered with the Bureau to develop and conduct Customer Service
Training classes for the front-line staff of our area's hospitality community. The class
curriculum was developed through the extensive experience of Wake Tech's faculty
along with partners from the area's restaurants, attractions and hotels. This unique
collaboration makes up the Community Hospitality Partnership. Wake Tech has been
instrumental in assisting the CVB achieve a major strategic initiative by helping the local
hospitality community in becoming a benchmark for other destinations in terms of
customer service.

John B. Ross, Jr. Leadership Award
Harvey Schmitt, President and CEO of the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce

The John B. Ross Leadership Award was established in 1996 to recognize an outstanding
executive management-level individual who displays exceptional leadership skills to
positively impact the Wake County hospitality industry and community. The award is
given in honor of John Ross, who was the GRCVB Chairman of the Board of Directors in
1995-96. The award exemplifies the courage, leadership, dedication and inspiration that
Ross portrayed in the hospitality industry for more than 20 years.

Schmitt is the recipient of the John B. Ross Award due to his continued support of Wake
County's tourism industry. He is a dedicated member of the Conference Table was
instrumental in lobbying the American Chamber of Commerce Executives to hold their
2009 Annual Convention at the Raleigh Convention Center. The 2009 conference was
awarded to Raleigh and was held in July with 1,100 attendees and more than $900,000
in economic impact.

Horizon Award
Steve Popson, Marketing Coordinator, NC Museum of Natural Sciences

The Horizon Award recognizes exemplary attitude and professionalism of a midmanagement
level employee who demonstrates the skills to be a future leader in the
hospitality industry.

Isaac Hunter Excellence in Service Awards

The Isaac Hunter Excellence in Service Awards honor front-line employees in the local
hospitality industry who go above and beyond normal expectations to provide
outstanding service to visitors and residents. The 2009 winners were selected in the
following categories:

Accommodations
Latonya Williams, Lofton's Server, Hilton North Raleigh

Dining
Quentin Blaise, Lead Server, Saint Jacques French Cuisine

The GRCVB's annual luncheon was held September 10, 2009 at the Raleigh Convention
Center.