Salt Lake City, UT – SMG Salt Lake, the management company that oversees operations of the Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center, the South Towne Exposition Center and the Salt Lake County Equestrian Park, on behalf of Salt Lake County, has named Gaylis Linville as the Director of Communications and Public Relations. This is a new position that General Manager Dan Hayes says is warranted because of SMG’s expanding presence in Salt Lake. “We now manage three facilities that have a tremendous impact on economic development in this area.  We are a vital part of the tourism industry and need a coordinated effort in managing our brands and our involvement in our communities,” Hayes said. 
 
“We’re very excited to now have one person who will oversee the communication demands of all three SMG properties. Plus, as we grow as a company in the Salt Lake area, we are increasing our civic involvement in Salt Lake City and the communities of Sandy City and South Jordan.  We have four primary initiatives – customer service, environmental stewardship, safety and community involvement – that we foster and intend to grow. SMG is on a mission to increase our awareness and enhance our image and the creation of this new Director position is key to this process.”

Ms. Linville has been with the Salt Palace Convention Center since October 2012, most recently as the Guest Relations Manager. She brings with her over 25 years’ of experience in a variety of fields, including public relations, communications, advertising, marketing, economic development and public policy. Prior to joining the Salt Palace, she worked as the Guest Services Manager for Solitude Mountain Resort for five years. She moved to Utah in 2006 from Seattle, WA, where she spent a number of years working as a consultant for the Cedar River Group, a public policy consulting firm, and various non-profits. Additionally, she was the Marketing and Economic Development Manager for the King County Park System, an account supervisor in the advertising industry and a writer/producer for the NBC TV affiliate in Seattle.  

Ms. Linville has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism from Central Washington University in Ellensburg, WA, plus a post-graduate Diploma of Journalism from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, NZ, where she was an International Rotary Scholar.  She is a member of the Board of Directors for Camp Hobé, a camp for children with cancer and their siblings, a member of the Salt Lake City Downtown Alliance Marketing Committee and former member of the Big Cottonwood Canyon Community Council.