Tourism summit at W&J will focus on growing market for county’s historical heritage assets
Observer-Reporter
Washington County Historical Society Executive Director Clay Kilgore leads his group of rebel farmers with re-enactor Rob Windhorst as a prisoner during the 2014 Whiskey Rebellion Festival.
Hitchcock
Sullivan
A recently formed group related to Washington County’s historical heritage attractions is seeking collaborators and partners who want to grow the area’s so-called “heritage tourism” with a four-hour summit to discuss ways of turning history-related businesses and venues into must-see destinations.
The summit by the Washington County Heritage Alliance, will be held at Washington & Jefferson College’s Rossin Campus Center from 8 a. m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Registration can be made online or a form can be downloaded at www.washingtoncountyheritage.com.
According to Tripp Kline, co-chairman of the annual Whiskey Rebellion Festival and a founding member of WCHA, the goal of the summit is to work together to build the area’s heritage and cultural tourism, along with related businesses, through partnership and collaboration.
The summit will feature keynote speaker Tom Starinsky, associate director of the Historic Gateway Neighborhood Corp. and Historic Warehouse District Development Corp. of Cleveland; and Amanda Dunyak Gillen, director of learning and visitor experience for the Frick Museum, Pittsburgh.
Other presentations will focus on millennial marketing, creating experiences, media and public relations as well as engaging with educators and students. In addition to the presentations, attendees will also have the opportunity to take optional afternoon distillery, winery and historical tours.
The summit is being sponsored by the Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency, the Observer-Reporter and Washington & Jefferson College.
According to Kline, the group plans to explore funding from various foundations. If successful, one of its first projects will be to commission a study to determine the ways of advancing the heritage segment of the area’s tourist attractions.
The Washington County Heritage Alliance was formed two years ago with a steering committee that includes nine historic and heritage destinations: Washington County Historical Society; Bradford House Museum; Duncan & Miller Glass Museum; Meadowcroft Rockshelter & Historic Village; National Road Heritage Corridor; Pennsylvania Trolley Museum; National Pike Steam Gas & Horse Association; Whiskey Rebellion Festival; and the Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation.
Tourism is one of the largest industries in Washington County. In addition to the many attractions related to its historical heritage, the county also draws visitors to The Meadows Racetrack & Casino, Tanger Outlets and the annual PONY League World Series. According to the state Department of Community and Economic Development, the county’s attractions generate more than $760 million in direct visitor spending annually and support nearly 6,000 jobs.
Kline said the county’s heritage sites draw between 150,000 and 200,000 visitors each year.
According to a Michigan State University study, heritage tourism is growing. A 2009 national study by Mandala Research on cultural and heritage travelers showed that 78 percent of U.S. adults who traveled for leisure in 2009 (118.3 million travelers) were considered heritage travelers. A U.S. Travel Association study found that cultural heritage travelers take frequent trips, with 25 percent taking three or more trips a year.
“The heritage and cultural tourists tend to stay longer and spend more than other leisure travelers,” Kline said.
The Mandala study also found that heritage travelers are looking for more than just museums or historic sites, but are also interested in “experiences where the destination, its buildings and surroundings have retained their historical character…as well as lodging that reflects the local culture.”
While the heritage alliance steering committee is made up of representatives the nine largest historical attractions, Kline said it seeks to represent the interests of many other smaller organizations in the area, such as the smaller historical societies found in a number of communities.
As for Saturday’s summit, he said the alliance is seeking broad participation from attractions and businesses that will stretch beyond the county’s borders for a more regional approach.
“We’re inviting all of them because it’s a regional thing,” he said.
John T. Sullivan, M.D. has joined St. Clair Hospital as its new senior vice president and chief medical officer.
He joins the hospital from Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where he served for 17 years in a number of clinical, academic and management positions, most recently as associate chief medical officer for academic affairs, and as professor of anesthesiology in the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He is also the immediate past-president of the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology.
Sullivan earned his medical degree at the University of Michigan Medical School. He completed a residency in anesthesia at Massachusetts General Hospital, which is affiliated with Harvard Medical School. More recently, he received a MBA degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
He has also held a series of progressively responsible positions with the United States Navy, and currently serves as a Commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve.
At St. Clair, Sullivan will be responsible for clinical program development, best-in-class performance, and leveraging technology to better serve patients and the community.
Washington native and 1975 Trinity High School graduate Hugh G. Hitchcock has been elected the eighth president and CEO of Davis Trust Company, Elkins, W. Va., a 117-year-old community bank.
He began his career with the trust company in 1999 as a special projects manager, and was promoted to assistant CEO/assistant secretary in 2001. He was appointed to the board of directors in 2006 and promoted to executive vice president/secretary in 2011. Prior to joining Davis Trust, he worked for almost two decades with Monongahela Power Company.
Hitchcock is a graduate of West Virginia University with a B.S. degree in business administration with a major in accounting. He is a certified public accountant and a certified internal auditor.
He is on the board of the Community Bankers of West Virginia where he served a term as president in 2016. He is also active on a number of boards in the Elkins community, including the Davis Health System and its foundation, the Mountain State Forest Festival and the Randolph County United Way. He also served as an adjunct instructor in the business department of Davis & Elkins College for 10 years.