Greater Williamsburg Chamber & Tourism Alliance Blog

Deals for William and Mary students do not stop at free midnight trolley rides on Harry Potter night.  From the recently released “Student Guide to Williamsburg,” it is clear that being a student burning the midnight oil can get one a golden ticket to a land called “Great Deals.”  First, there are, as already mentioned, the free passes to Historic Jamestown and Williamsburg.  Students, unlike tourists, can simply cross the threshold of campus and traverse DOG Street at no cost. Discounts abound at the Campus Bookstore, Campus Store and dining places including the much acclaimed Cheese Shop and Aroma’s.

Williamsburg was recently ranked one of America’s 11 Spookiest Halloween Destinations by ABCNews.com

Article reads as follows:

Spooky Halloween Get-Aways

Ghosts Amongst Us -When the sun goes down, Williamsburg, Va., has a haunted history to tell. Colonial Williamsburg: offers a one-hour walking tour of sites known for their supernatural inhabitants. The $12 tour is available Mondays through Saturdays through Nov. 26, but is not appropriate for young children.

There are several other spooky events in Williamsburg this season. During the Cry Witch program,, guests can question witnesses, weigh evidence and determine the guilt or innocence of the “Virginia witch,” Grace Sherwood, who was tried for witchcraft in 1706.

In another program called Crime and Punishment, guests can step back in time and meet three people from the past who are intimately familiar with the crimes and punishments of colonial justice. Guests hear of sentences handed down from 18th-century Virginia courts and decide for themselves how effective they were.

The link can be found at ABCNews.com

Williamsburg, VA ―The Greater Williamsburg Chamber & Tourism Alliance saluted outstanding members of the business community and recognized the organization’s outgoing chair and new leadership during its Annual Membership Meeting, conducted Wednesday, September 24, at the Williamsburg Lodge. The Alliance annually pays tribute to distinguished members with awards.  Honorees this year were:

• Small-Business Person of the Year: Ray Wright, Wright Sign Service, Inc., for his positive impact on the community, substantial employee growth, increased sales and excellent customer service.
• Corporate Citizen of the Year: Williamsburg SCORE, for the volunteer organization’s counseling services and many educational programs that help ensure area small businesses not only survive but succeed.
• The William Washington Customer Service Award:  this year’s recipient is Richard Tate, of the Williamsburg Inn, saluted for consistently providing high levels of service with grace and elegance.
• Military Citizens of the Year: Sgt Lawrence J. Taylor Jr., Ft. Eustis; Petty Officer Dorina Goetz, Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown; Petty Officer Brian N. Rusk, US Naval Weapons Station Yorktown
• Ambassador of the Year: Bill Forloine, CLU, New York Life Insurance Company

 The evening was the final Alliance event presided over by outgoing Chair John Bacon. Bacon formally passed the gavel to incoming 2009-2010 Chair James Golden, vice president for strategic initiatives at The College of William and Mary.  In accepting the gavel, Golden recognized the other officers for the next year:

• Vice Chair, Tourism Interests:  Joe Cantrell, vice president of finance, King’s Creek Plantation
• Vice Chair, Business Interests:  Brien Craft, general manager, Walmart Stores, Inc.-Distribution Center 6088
• Treasurer: John Hallowell, president, Colonial Williamsburg Company – Hospitality Group

Outgoing Alliance Board Chair John Bacon (left), senior vice president for External Affairs and secretary, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation hands over the gavel to incoming 2009-2010 Alliance Board Chair James Golden, vice president for strategic initiatives at The College of William and Mary.

This years Small Business Person of the Year award went to Ray Wright (left), Wright Sign Services, Inc. Ray was selected for his positive impact on the community, substantial employee growth, excellent customer service and his response to adversity.

Richard Tate (center), of the Williamsburg Inn was awarded the William Washington Customer Service Award for his commitment and consistent devotion to those he serves.

Volunteer executives from Williamsburg SCORE were awarded Corporate Citizen of the Year award for their excellence in providing quality counseling to the areas small businesses.  (Pictured from left to right Malcolm Hecht; Maloy Jones; Ken Carr; Alan Wonsowski; Gene McClure; Dick Garretson)

The July 2009 Tourism Statistics are now available online in the Members Only Section.  For member log-in or any additional questions call the Alliance at 757.229.6511

The Federal Trade Commission’s Identity Theft Rule, also called the Red Flags Rule, takes effect Nov 1, 2009.
If your business or non-profit organization regularly accepts deferred payment or provide goods and services and bill customers later you must design, put in writing and implement a formal identity-theft prevention program.
If you don’t, you could face fines up to $2,500 per ID-theft incident, not to mention the usual threats of lawsuits and reputational damage that sometimes result from a data breach.
These new rules don’t apply to all businesses, but they will pertain to many that collect and store information about others – names, addresses, Social Security numbers, bank account and credit card numbers and so on – either because the firms defer payments themselves or bill customers later for good or services.

The FTC said that by identifying red flags in advance, businesses will be better equipped to spot suspicious patterns when they arise and take steps to prevent a red flag from becoming a costly case of identity theft.

Every program, must include four procedures:

• How to identify red flag
• How to detect red flags that have been identified
• How to determine appropriate action to take when a red flag has been  detected
• How to re-evaluate the program to reflect ever-changing threats.

Visit  http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/alerts/alt050.shtm for more information.

Williamsburg and the Historic Triangle are featured in the August edition of SPOKES magazine. It’s available for viewing from their online home page – www.spokesmagazine.com. The City of Williamsburg’s Planning Director, Reed Nester, played a key role in educating the writer and promoting Williamsburg as a great destination for bicycling.

Looking for something to do outdoors witht he family? Check out the Alliance biking brochure for family friendly routes and routes for the expert biker around the Historic Triangle.

*The Alliance continues to be involved in the Virginia rest stop issue. This letter was sent to the Governor earlier this week.

August 11, 2009

 The Honorable Timothy Kaine
Governor of Virginia
Patrick Henry Building, 3^rd Floor
1111 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA  23219

 Dear Governor Kaine:

 During recent public hearings conducted by the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) our organization spoke in opposition to the recommendation to close 25 of the state’s 41 safety rest areas as a cost-cutting measure.  The travel industry in the Williamsburg area is struggling to survive and closing these areas eliminates a prime opportunity to promote our attractions as well as others across the Commonwealth.  While we were pleased with the decision to only close 19, we were disappointed all were not able to remain open.

 The two nominees for Governor have pledged to re-open these rest areas within 90 days of taking office.  With this in mind, we respectfully ask you to curtail the “mothballing” of the rest areas.  This expensive proposed step will remove fixtures and toilets and secure the buildings for eventual demolition.  But, it also will add to the cost of re-opening them in the event the incoming Governor is successful in funding them.

 We support the efforts of other like business organizations who believe it would be prudent to delay the costly mothballing process until a final determination is made by your successor and the 2010 General Assembly.  If they are successful in meeting their pledge, the Commonwealth will significantly save in reopening these facilities.

 We appreciate this opportunity to share our thoughts with you. 

 Sincerely,
Richard A. Schreiber,
President & CEO

Alliance Gets Green Recognition!

 The Alliance is proud to announce that it has been recognized as a “Virginia Green Travel Organization” by the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality, Virginia Tourism Corporation and the Virginia Hospitality and Tourism Association.  Our commitment to recycling, waste reduction, energy and water conservation reflect our participation in the Virginia Green program, and we support its goal of promoting environmentally friendly practices in all aspects of Virginia’s tourism industry. Visit www.virginia.org/green/ for more information on this statewide program.

 With more visitors, travel industry professionals and area residents making the environment part of their decision-making, go-green initiatives mean good business. 

We are adding information about our area’s many green initiatives to the Alliance website. While Virginia Green focuses specifically on travel-related businesses, the Alliance would like to include the environmentally friendly efforts being made by all of our members.

Leave a comment detailing your green efforrs – whether you are just starting or have initiatives under way.