Kay Bess

"Kay Bess and I were thrilled to accept this award on behalf of the entire staff and our professional partners," said Doug Maddy, president and chief executive officer.
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"This award was given to the SWVCVB, but we know we could not have earned it without the great advice and creativity of these talented agencies," said Kay Bess, marketing director.

Doug Maddy, President / CEO; Kay Bess, Marketing Director; Londa Justus, Office Manager; Lisa Strader, Communications Director

"You can't do it all in one trip," said Kay Bess, director of sales and marketing with the Southern West Virginia Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) of the nine-county area of the state that offers everything from snow skiing in the winter to river rafting in the summer and hiking in the spring and fall.
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Encompassing the counties of Fayette, Raleigh, Nicholas, Summers, Greenbrier, Monroe, Mercer, McDowell and Wyoming, Southern West Virginia provides an exquisite natural setting for groups and a true four-season experience, Bess said."We look as good covered in snow as we do when the fall leaves are blazing the trails of our country roads.And there is always something you didn't get to do on a trip that beckons you to return for another chance to relax, enjoy the hospitality and see what is new."

And many new developments have been recently completed or are under way to pave the way for the region to accommodate more group business.While there is not a single primary meeting facility in the region, ample meeting and convention facilities and more than 2,700 rooms are available at resorts, hotels and various off-site venues.Bess said these facilities can accommodate small forums to large gatherings for up to 1,200 attendees.

Kay Bess, director of Sales and Marketing for the Southern West Virginia Convention and Visitors' Bureau, said Tamarack "definitely had an impact" in Beckley.

City officials plan to utilize $8 million in grant funds to renovate the former department store.City officials are targeting the first three floors of the building for a Tamarack North operation.The remaining six may be used for office space.

Bess said the existing Tamarack center, which has 59,000 square-feet of retail space and 2,000 juried artists, is a destination location for many.

"We have a satellite office inside," she said of the Southern West Virginia Convention and Visitors' Bureau.
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Bess describes the center as a "home of sorts" for West Virginia artists.

It also has a 178-seat theater where guests can experience live theater each Sunday.A food court, managed by The Greenbrier, offers visitors "a taste of West Virginia" with Appalachian, home-style dishes such as country biscuits, ham and gravy, fried green tomatoes, apple fritters, rainbow trout and more.

Also, Tamarack recently opened a state-of-the-art education and conference facility that is connected to the center, Bess said.

After Tamarack opened, Bess said restaurants and hotels soon followed.

It has its own interstate exit off Interstate 64 to give visitors easy access, she said.Bess also believes the highway was widened to accommodate more traffic.

The building itself is also an attraction, she said, with its unusual shape.She said from the air, the top of the building looks like quilt pattern of some sort.

"How wonderful the artisans' products are, housed in one place," she said.

Kay BessSales & Marketing Directorkay@visitwv.com
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Kay BessSales & Marketing Directorkay@visitwv.com
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Kay Bess, Sales & Marketing DirectorPhone: 304.252.2244, Ext 12Email: kay@visitwv.com