Lee Tasseff to serve as President of Ohio Travel Association
Columbus, Ohio – Lee Tasseff, President of the Mansfield/Richland County Convention & Visitors Bureau, was inaugurated as president of the Ohio Travel Association (OTA) Board of Directors at the Ohio Conference on Tourism held last week in Dublin, Ohio. Tasseff has served on the OTA Board since 2009, and he has served the past three years as secretary, treasurer, and vice president.
“We are very proud of Lee and his involvement in taking on leadership roles on a state level,” according to Board President Victoria Cochran. “It is an honor to have him represent the Bureau with one of the leading organizations in Ohio’s tourism industry. We recognize the benefit for our Mansfield and Richland County’s tourism industry by having a voice at the leadership table. Earlier in the year he represented Convention and Visitors Bureaus at the Ohio Tourism Caucus working to help pass the new funding model for TourismOhio, even providing sole testimony on behalf of the industry. The new funding is expected to boost the state’s tourism marketing efforts to drive more visitors into Ohio and increasing the market for communities like ours to attract.”
Tasseff has been active in Ohio tourism since the early 1990’s. He is a member of the Ohio Tourism Roundtable (a policy forum for the leading state tourism associations); represented the Ohio Travel Association at the Ohio Tourism Caucus; served as president of the Ohio Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus 1997- 98; and was selected to serve on the Tourism Advisory Council for the former Ohio Tourism Division currently known as the Office of TourismOhio.
Other 2012-13 Ohio Travel Association officers include Lute Harmon, Jr., president of Great Lakes Publishing, as vice president; Karen Raymore, executive director of the Hocking Hills Tourism Association, as treasurer; Eric Hansen, director of development services at Hotel & Leisure Advisors, as secretary; and Michelle Doyle of the Toledo Zoo as past president.
Travel and tourism is one of the largest industries in the state of Ohio, generating $40 billion annually to the economy, $10.5 billion in direct payroll and $2.7 billion in state and local taxes. Ohio’s tourism industry employs nearly 443,000 individuals, representing nearly 8.7-percent of total employment in Ohio.
Here in Richland County spending by visitors generates $284 million to the economy, sustains 3975 jobs with a payroll of $70 million resulting in new local tax revenues of $7.6 million.
The Ohio Travel Association is a non-profit trade association representing the interests of the Ohio travel and tourism industry. Its mission is to promote statewide hospitality and economic development. For additional information on the Ohio Travel Association, contact Executive Director Melinda Huntley at (800) 896-4682 or visit the Ohio Travel Association website at www.ohiotravel.org.
Contact:
Lee Tasseff, President
Mansfield/Richland Convention & Visitors Bureau
419-525-1300 ext. 24
ltasseff@mansfieldtourism.com
Melinda Huntley, Executive Director
Ohio Travel Association
800-896-4682
director@ohiotravel.org
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CVB promotion of the area brings dollars into local economy
As the only tourism focused economic development organization in Richland County, The Mansfield/Richland County Convention & Visitors Bureau (M/RCVB) is chartered to promote the area’s facilities, attractions and events as a destination for group tours, conventions and visitors, and to developing new visitor markets.
A local employer of four full-time and one part-time staff, the M/RCVB uses the talents of volunteers and interns to accomplish its mission. Its website can be found at the following Internet address: www.mansfieldtourism.com.
The M/RCVB office is located at 124 North Main Street in Mansfield, one block north of the Richland Carrousel in the Historic Carousel District. The M/RCVB is a member of the Ohio Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus. Information about the OACVB and its mission is available at www.oacvb.org.
Key information you can use
Contact us at the following addresses:
Phone………………………………………………………………………………………………. 419-525-1300
FAX……………………………………………………………………………………………………419-524-7722
Office………………………………………………….. 124 North Main Street, Mansfield, Ohio 44902
Web……………………………………………………………………………… www.mansfieldtourism.com
Staff
President, Lee Tasseff………………………………………………. ltasseff@mansfieldtourism.com
Group Tour/Media Director, Jodie Puster, CTIS…………….. jpuster@mansfieldtourism.com
Marketing and Meetings Director, Kim Miers…………………. kmiers@mansfieldtourism.com
Operations/Member Services Director, Amber Dobbins… adobbins@mansfieldtourism.com
Visitor Information Assistant, Becky Mahoney………………visitors@mansfieldtourism.com
Board Officers
Chairman, Victoria Cochran……………………………… ………. AngelWoods Hideaway B&B
Second Vice Chairman, Josh Maurer…………………………………….. Best Western Richland Inn
Treasurer, Ed Pickens…………………………………………………………… Ed Pickens’ Café on Main
Immediate Past Chairman, Ross Clark …………………………………………………… Roark Studios