From Staff
The Jacksonville & the Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau has reached to San Diego to hire its newleader.
The CVB has hired John G. Reyes as its new president. He replaces Kitty Ratcliffe, who resigned after eight years to take a similar position in New Orleans.
Reyes joins the CVB from the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau, where he has served as the Vice President of Sales since 1997.
He will start February 3, placing him in the middle of the Super Bowl activities.
Reyes has 21 years of hospitality industry experience, 17 with the San Diego CVB.
As Vice President of Sales, he managed a team of 30 members, overseeing a $4 million annual sales budget.
CVB Chairwoman Margo Dundon, president of the Museum of Science and History, says the decision to hire Reyes was based as much as on his sincerity as his qualifications.
“It was very important that we find someone who reflects the values of this community, and this is a man who exudes thoughtfulness and decency,” she said. “Taking the time to obtain the right person for the job was imperative. This was not a bureau in crisis. We have a terrific staff on board and the bar for performance has been set very high. The groundwork is in place and John has given every indication that he will be able to step into this position and take the bureau to another level.”
“John brings a fresh outlook and a tremendous amount of enthusiasm to this position,” said Fred Pozin, owner of the Ramada Inn Mandarin and head of the search committee appointed by the CVB Board of Directors. “Having been part of San Diego’s dramatic transformation in the years since their first Super Bowl, he also recognizes the similarities between the two communities and brings with him the strength of that experience.”
Reyes said he has plans for the region and is eager to enlist the support of the entire city.
“My goal is to position Jacksonville as the first thought of every person considering Florida as a vacation, meeting or convention destination,” he said in a statement. “This vision shared by the government, the community and the bureau, of a great city with infinite possibility, will be the launching pad for great things to come.”