Eddy Alexander has recently hired Catherine Fox, former VP of Destination Development at Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge, as Senior Tourism and Destination Development Advisor.
Eddy Alexander, a locally owned marketing and growth strategy consulting firm, continues to expand both its national profile and its impressive talent roster. Today, the firm announced they have hired Catherine Fox, former Vice President of Destination Development for Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge, to help support their significant growth in tourism, destination management, and economic development.
Fox officially assumed the number two position within the firm’s award-winning tourism and destination marketing practice on June 20 and is working closely with the tourism vertical’s General Manager Bob Gilbert, an internationally recognized industry leader who has served as a White House advisor on tourism, as the Director at Large for the National Tour Association, as a multi-year board member for the US Travel Association, and more.
Over the course of her own esteemed 33-year career, Roanoke native Fox has been heavily involved in external public relations, local media relations, government relations, visitor attraction, company and tourism asset recruitment, strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and customer service excellence training.
During her time with Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge, she is credited with increasing group tours to the area by 50%, increasing media coverage of the region by 65%, obtaining a silver-level ride center designation from the International Mountain Bicycling Association, and leading the regional logistics for the inaugural 2021 and 2022 Carilion Clinic IRONMAN 70.3 Virginia’s Blue Ridge, a national and international event.
Fox has also served in a number of industry leadership roles with the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association, the Governor’s Conference on Travel and Tourism, the Shenandoah Valley Travel Association, the Blue Ridge Parkway Association, and the Outdoor Writers Association of America. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Travel and Tourism Management from Virginia Tech.
“We are all extremely excited to welcome Catherine to the firm,” Eddy Alexander President and Chief Strategist Jennifer Eddy said. “Her extensive experience, unique areas of specialty, and past performance profile fit perfectly within Eddy Alexander’s rapidly growing tourism and economic development portfolios. Catherine’s extensive industry experience, proven past performance, and trusted relationships will all be extremely valuable to our clients, and our team, as we continue to scale our practice.”
“I’ve been watching Eddy Alexander for the last few years, and I’ve been so impressed by what they’ve been able to accomplish,” Fox said. “Especially in this moment of economic recovery for the tourism industry, I am really looking forward to using my unique skill set with client destinations to leverage their return on investment. This is a firm that is squarely focused on making a difference and in this stage of my career, that is exactly where I want to be.”
This latest new hire announcement comes after Eddy Alexander’s recent receipt of several notable industry recognitions. In 2022, the firm has already been recognized with several top-awards that guide their industry, including:
- A Public Relations Society of America Silver Anvil Award of Excellence for “Most Effective Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Campaign” in the country
- A Visit California Poppy Award for “Most Effective Public Relations Campaign” and finalist recognition for “Best New Destination Brand” in California
- And International Internet Advertising Awards for “Best Education Online Newsletter Campaign” and “Best Travel Online Video.”
ABOUT EDDY ALEXANDER:
Eddy Alexander is an international award-winning, full-service marketing, and growth strategy consultancy that offers strategic planning, marketing, branding, advertising, and public relations services to advance client goals across six strategic practice areas. Eddy Alexander has dedicated client portfolios and specialized staff devoted to emerging technology, healthcare, professional services, economic development, tourism, and higher education. Eddy Alexander is a privately owned, WBENC-certified, women-owned business known nationally for combining data-driven management consulting practices with comprehensive growth strategy and marketing communications services to deliver measurable, meaningful, and highly effective results for organizations around the globe. Learn more at www.eddyalexander.com
