Transylvania County Tourism announces executive director, new organizational structure

The Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority Board recently appointed Clark Lovelace as the executive director of the organization, according to a press release.

The TCTDA has contracted with the Brevard/Transylvania Chamber of Commerce since the late 1990s to fulfill the operational and administrative needs of the organization. Recently, both organizations found that their growth required new approaches. Lovelace, who has been the executive director of the Chamber since 2013, now moves fully to the TCTDA, which now has its own team staffed through Transylvania County that is fully focused on tourism.

“I’m so lucky to be living and raising my kids right where I want to be, my hometown.” Lovelace said in the release. “And I get to do something that allows me to truly impact my community. I’m incredibly proud of the work I have done over the past eight years for the Chamber and the TCTDA, and I’m excited to be able to give full focus to continue and grow the great work of the TCTDA.”

Lovelace grew up in Brevard and spent his early career in the hospitality industry working for his family at The Greystone Inn in Lake Toxaway. After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Lovelace spent five years at The Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia. In 2003, Lovelace returned to The Greystone Inn to assume the role of General Manager.

A decade later, when the family sold the business, Lovelace accepted the role of executive director with the Chamber, which included fulfilling a service contract to cover the operational and administrative duties of the TCTDA. Lovelace and his wife Cherilyn have two daughters, 12-year-old Annabelle and 10-year-old Cate.

Lovelace reports directly to the TCTDA Board with a team that includes MJ Gordon as Marketing and Communications Specialist, and a currently unfilled Operations and Outreach Specialist position. Anyone interested in the open position is encouraged to reach out to Lovelace at clark@explorebrevard.com.

The tourism industry has changed considerably since the TCTDA was first created in 1986, with exponential growth over the last two decades. Basic promotion via print advertisements, a website, a brochure and a helpful Visitor Center was the norm at the turn of the century. Now, priorities have changed, and the tactics are different.

The TCTDA’s mission serves to manage the destination, not just market it, the release says. The current marketing plan focuses on driving visitation in the shoulder and slow seasons, ensuring sustainability in local public lands and encouraging appropriate visitor behavior.

The TCTDA has worked to create campaigns like Be Waterfall Wise, a waterfall safety initiative, and Leave It Better to encourage positive visitor behavior. The organization’s Transylvania Always initiative has contributed over $300,000 to projects focused on the sustainability of public lands in Transylvania County since its inception in 2017.

Earlier this year, the TCTDA Board indicated its intention to allocate $1 million to the City of Brevard for the development of the Transylvania County portion of the Ecusta Trail, providing the City's Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant application is approved.

“This has been the most exciting and productive year for the TCTDA throughout my 20-year involvement with the entity,” Layton Parker, Chair of the TCTDA Board of Directors, said in the press release. “We had the opportunity to strengthen the TCTDA by appointing Clark Lovelace as the new Executive Director of Tourism, establishing a new personnel plan with Transylvania County Government and redefining our relationship with the Chamber for the Visitor Center to make all three organizations more effective in enhancing tourism and protecting our beautiful resources here.”

The Chamber recently hired a new executive director, Melissa Driver, to oversee operations of their organization.

The TCTDA and Chamber still maintain a strong relationship that includes a lease of office space on the second floor of the downtown Brevard building owned by the Chamber at 175 East Main St., as well as TCTDA funding of the Chamber-operated Visitor Center in the same building, according to the release.

“While both entities process organizational changes, our commitment to serve the community with excellence remains the same," Angela Owen, Board President of the Chamber, said in the release. "The Chamber is grateful for the strength of partnership with the TCTDA and looks forward to continued collaboration moving forward."

The TCTDA’s mission is to “generate and enhance tourism opportunities in Transylvania County through strategic promotion coordinated with tourism-related businesses and local government and to contribute to a vibrant, sustainable economy,” according to the press release. Funding for the organization is provided by a 5% occupancy tax on overnight visitors to Transylvania County accommodations.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Transylvania County Tourism announces executive director