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2016 Tourism Breakfast Awards

The Door County Visitor Bureau (DCVB) named Randy Zahn the 2016 Certified Tourism Ambassador (CTA) of the year at their National Travel & Tourism Week breakfast at Maxwelton Braes Resort near Baileys Harbor on Tuesday, May 3, 2016.

Zahn, who works at the Waterbury Inn in Ephraim, was announced as the winner during the breakfast. The Door County CTA of the Year award is presented annually to a Certified Tourism Ambassador who exemplifies excellence in hospitality and customer service.  This individual consistently exceeds customer expectations, possesses a strong knowledge of Door County and its attractions, and promotes the ideals of the Door County Tourism Ambassador Program and the Tourism Ambassador Institute. The DCVB administers Door County's Tourism Ambassador Program.

Zahn accepted his award in front of a crowd of 115 people that gathered on a beautiful spring morning to celebrate Door County's tourism industry. He becomes the sixth winner of the Door County CTA of the Year award, which was first awarded in 2011.

The breakfast program also featured four area high school students who were awarded scholarships as part of the DCVB's Spirit of Door County program. The scholarships are named after a longtime Door County Visitor Bureau employee named Carole Counard. Carole Counard Scholarship winners receive a $1,000 scholarship to use towards furthering their education. These scholarships are open to all Door County residents of any age pursuing further education at a four-year college, a two year college or a technical college.

This year's scholarship winners included Hope Copiskey from Gibraltar High School, Julia Englebert and Zebedee Kielar from Southern Door High School and Rachel Miller from Sturgeon Bay High School. All were on hand to accept their scholarships during the breakfast program.

Carole Counard worked at the DCVB for 20 years and retired in 2009. After a courageous battle with cancer, Carole passed away in 2013. To honor a dear friend, a colleague, and someone who spent 20 years welcoming visitors to Door County, the DCVB established the Spirit of Door County Fund in 2014.  That fund is used to supply $1,000 scholarships, known as Carole Counard Scholarships, each year. 2016 marks the second year of scholarships. To date, eight $1,000 scholarships have been awarded. The Carole Counard Scholarship is part of the Door County Scholarship Network, which is administered by the Door County Community Foundation, Inc. The DCVB raises money for the Spirit of Door County Fund through an annual raffle. Raffle tickets are sold throughout the summer months with prizes geared to the businesses of the county, although anyone can purchase a ticket.

Also featured at the breakfast was the unveiling of a tourism related video that's a part of the DCVB's Our Door County video series. The episode, titled Destination Door, highlighted the tourism industry and what it means to the community, on multiple levels. The video is available through the DCVB's web site, DoorCounty.com, as well as on YouTube and other social media outlets.

The DCVB also handed out a 2-page tourism fact sheet () as well as an 8-page newspaper style Power of Tourism publication (PDF) that will be distributed to residents throughout the county later this week.

The 33rd annual National Travel and Tourism Week continues through May 7, 2016.

The Door County Visitor Bureau is the official tourism marketing organization for Door County, whose mission is to generate incremental economic impact for the community by attracting visitors with strategies that ensure sustainable tourism.

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