Pamplin Park staffer wins VRLTA Award

Pamplin Historical Park & The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier Director of Marketing & Development Colin Romanick was recently honored by receiving the 2019 Charlie Buser Award, Travel Attraction Employee of the Year by the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association.

The VRLTA selects finalists from across the state, which have been nominated by peers, in the hospitality industry for sixteen award categories and an annual lifetime achievement award. “Each year, Ordinary Awards winners represent all the extraordinary people and companies that make up Virginia’s hospitality and tourism industry, and this year, our record number of nominations raised the bar even higher,” said Eric Terry, President of VRLTA. “On behalf of the Association, our staff, and board, we applaud the efforts of our nominees, finalists, and winners for the exemplary work they have done and will continue to do.”

Romanick was nominated by the Hopewell/Prince George Chamber of Commerce for the VRLTA’s 2019 Ordinary Awards “Attraction Employee of the Year” category. According to Becky McDonough who manages the only State Certified Visitor Center in the region, “Colin has been generous to all of us in sharing his vast marketing expertise and he embodies the notion that tourism is a regional sport.” Pamplin Historical Park was not the only regional H/PG Chamber of Commerce member to be recognized by the VRLTA. The Boathouse at City Point in nearby Hopewell was also nominated and advanced to be a finalist for the “Restaurant of the Year” award.

Romanick has served as the Director of Marketing & Development for Pamplin Historical Park for two and a half years and helped to expand awareness of this 501(c)(3) educational institution located in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. Park Executive Director, Jerry Desmond said of the award ” I could not be prouder.” Pamplin Historical Park includes a 424-acre historical campus that features three museums, four antebellum homes, a National Historic Landmark Civil War battlefield and a slave life exhibit. The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier, located at the Park, depicts the life of the ordinary soldier during the Civil War and attracts student tours from Virginia Beach to Northern Virginia and as far away as California.

The VRLTA nomination form stated “Romanick’s efforts have helped to redefine the Park from a single-focus operation to a diverse, community venue.” It went on to highlight various activities to include; “On May 6, 2019, Pamplin Park hosted a first-time celebration to kick-off 2019 National Travel & Tourism Week event for the Petersburg Area Regional Tourism (PART) association. Rita McClenny, President and CEO of the Virginia Tourism Corporation, was keynote speaker and representatives from Chesterfield County, the City of Colonial Heights, Dinwiddie County, the Cities of Hopewell and Petersburg and Prince George County attended.”