EMBARGO: September 24, 2009, 12 p.m. CST
CONTACT: Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association
PHONE: 256.350.3500 / 800.648.5381
EMAIL: info@northalabama.org
AMLA Honors Gadsden’s Tom Banks and Huntsville’s
Don Dukemineer with “Green Apple Award”
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| CVB Convention Sales Manager Don Dukemineer and Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association President and CEO Dana Lee Jennings presenting his award. |
Mooresville, Ala. - The Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association (AMLA) has honored Don Dukemineer and Tom Banks with the 2009 Young Professional of the Year “Green Apple” Award. The award is among 11 that comprise the PEAK Awards which will be presented on Thursday, September 24 during the AMLA Annual Meeting at Quail Creek Golf Resort in Hartselle, Ala.
The PEAK Awards, the highest achievement in North Alabama tourism, honor individuals and organizations that have had a major impact on tourism in North Alabama. The Young Professional of the Year “Green Apple Award” is awarded to a young person who has been in the tourism business less than seven years and has exhibited extraordinary leadership skills and initiative associated with their position.
As a convention sales manager for the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Dukemineer has done an outstanding job in securing conventions and sporting events that not only benefit Huntsville and Madison County but have been fruitful for surrounding counties as well. He was instrumental in booking the FLW Outdoors and successfully coordinated logistics with Marshall County. He works closely with the Decatur/Morgan County Convention & Visitors Bureau to secure additional accommodations for soccer tournaments. Dukemineer is also credited with securing the 2010 annual convention of the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association. North Alabama will benefit from future media coverage from the dozens of world-class outdoor writers in attendance of the convention. He served as chairman for Sports Alabama for two years and is currently the chairman of the State Golf Committee.
“It’s truly an honor to receive the Green Apple Award. I am delighted to represent our cities, county, region and the entire state to a wide variety of meeting and event planners. The hospitality industry is filled with talented professionals and it is most satisfying to be recognized in this manner,” according to Huntsville/Madison County CVB Convention Sales Manager Don Dukemineer.
Banks is the deputy director of the Mary G. Hardin Center for Cultural Arts in Gadsden. He worked at the Hardin Center each summer through high school and college and began his full-time employment upon graduation from the University of Alabama in 2005. From hanging curtains at the historic Pitman Theatre to hanging banners on Broad Street, no job is too small or too large for Banks. As deputy director, his responsibilities include supervision of daily operations and management. Through his efforts, the Hardin Center has had a direct impact upon the revitalization of downtown Gadsden. He is also instrumental in transforming the Hardin Center into a first class facility with each changing exhibit and is especially proud of the “Ink and Blood, Dead Sea Scrolls to Gutenberg” exhibit currently on display through October where he is anticipating more than 10,000 people to visit during this time period. Banks is currently active with the Alabama Museums Association, the University of Alabama Alumni Association and the Gadsden Airport Authority.
“The PEAK Awards recognize those who have had a direct impact in the tourism industry across North Alabama,” said Dana Lee Jennings, president/CEO of the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association. “The North Alabama region has positioned itself as a tourist destination and sporting mecca and this recognition would not be possible without the dedication of our industry professionals. Tourism contributed over $2.1 billion to North Alabama’s economy in 2008 and supported over 30,000 jobs in the 16 northernmost counties of Alabama.”