Salt Lake City (March 2011)-Thirteen members of the "Visit Salt Lake" cycling team, comprised primarily of Visit Salt Lake employees, recently completed its fifth annual trek to Moab, Utah, for the Skinny Tire Festival. Held in Utah's scenic Red Rock region of Southern Utah, the three-day event is a fundraiser for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and its fight against cancer.
The fight against cancer plays a daily role for Visit Salt Lake, having lost its President and CEO, Dianne Nelson Binger, to the disease six years ago, as well as for former friend and team member, Terry McGinnis, who lost his courageous battle with cancer in 2009. "Dianne and Terry were both incredible people; their spirit, strength and hard work created a lasting impact on our community," said Scott Beck, President and CEO of Visit Salt Lake. "Dianne's impact is felt to this day within Salt Lake's hospitality community, while Terry was the driving force behind one of our state's flagship events, the Tour of Utah professional bicycle race. Both are terribly missed, yet fondly remembered."
Joining Beck and Visit Salt Lake staff members Cliff Doner (Executive Vice President/Chief Financial Officer), Michael Mack (Vice President of Services), Mark White (Vice President of Sales), Chris Peterson (Convention Sales Director), Eric Thompson (Managing Director of Marketing), Shawn Stinson (Director of Communications) and Bill Krause (Director of Hospitality & Visitor Services) were other members of Utah's hospitality community: Bill Cutting, Shane Dunleavy, Ryan "Hop Sing" Patano, Rob Sparrer and Todd Taft.
Visit Salt Lake is a private, non-profit corporation responsible for the promotion of Salt Lake as a convention and travel destination. Visit Salt Lake's mission is to improve the area economy by attracting and providing support to conventions, leisure travelers and visitors while being a leader in environmental responsibility. Salt Lake is a unique fusion of metropolitan city and quaint mountain town; the towering Wasatch Mountains that embrace Salt Lake offer a dramatic backdrop to the vibrancy and activities of downtown.