(MINNEAPOLIS)March 8, 2012Meet Minneapolis, Convention and Visitors Association, proudly announces the winners of its 2012 Annual Meeting awards, given out at the March 8, 2012, meeting at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Winners included The American Legion Department of Minnesota, Nice Ride Minnesota, Martha Ortiz of Grand hotel Minneapolis, Steve Gordon of the Meet Minneapolis Board of Directors and Sam Grabarski, president and CEO of the Minneapolis Downtown Council.

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated long-time dedication to the hospitality industry. The latest recipient is Sam Grabarski. During his 15 years as president and CEO of the Minneapolis Downtown Council, he implemented the Downtown 2010 plan, which helped bring about an increase in the number of downtown residents, 10 million square feet of new office construction in downtown Minneapolis, the Hiawatha Corridor Light Rail Project, completion of the Minneapolis Convention Center expansion and the new Target Field stadium. Shortly before announcing his retirement in June, Grabarski was instrumental in forming the Intersections Downtown 2025 Plan.

The Chair Award is presented to an individual or organization in appreciation of support and continued contribution to making downtown a more vibrant place to live, work and play. This award has been presented only six times in 15 years. The seventh such award was presented to Steve Gordon, a member of Meet Minneapolis board of directors who serves as chair on the boards Marketing and Partnership Development committee. Gordon leveraged his 40-plus years of experience at Campbell-Mithun to provide guidance to the development of the new Minneapolis City by Nature brand, logo and tag line.

The Coppertop Award was presented to The American Legion Department of Minnesota. The award traditionally honors an individual, institution or organization whose efforts have resulted in a major convention coming to Minneapolis. The American Legion Department of Minnesota was honored for their work in hosting the 93rd National Convention of The American Legion in Minneapolis in August and September 2011. This was the second time this group convened in Minneapolis the groups very first convention was in Minneapolis in November 1919. They will return to the city for their 100th National Convention in 2018, as well. The award was accepted by Past Minnesota Department Commander of the American Legion Chuck Kruger and President of the 2011 Department of Minnesota Convention Corporation, Jim Copher.

The O.D. Gay Award was presented to the Nice Ride Minnesota, and was accepted by Executive Director Bill Dossett. It honors an individual or organization that contributes significantly to the infrastructure of Minneapolis. Originally called the Builders Award, The O. D. Gay Award was renamed to honor the first director of the Minneapolis Downtown Council who was instrumental in the development of so many innovations, including Nicollet Mall and the skyway system. The second successful year of the bike sharing system meant increases in the number of stations, bikes to rent and, ultimately, bicycles rented, with over 200,000 in 2011 alone. Nice Ride further cemented Minneapolis reputation as the Best Bike City in the U.S. and provided a benefit to visitors and residents, alike.

The Hospitality Hero Award was an annual award previously but in Fall 2011, Meet Minneapolis increased the honor to a quarterly award to capture more of the great service around the city. The fourth quarter award was presented to Martha Ortiz, an employee at the Grand Hotel Minneapolis A Kimpton Hotel. The award honors an individual or company who has contributed significantly to the public image of Minneapolis through outstanding hospitality and service.

Ortiz demonstrated this by going above and beyond to restore a beloved toy to a hotel guest. The youngest daughters teddy bear, "Bear," was lost in the sheets of the sofa sleeper. When Ortiz located Bear in the used linens, she discovered that the family was out exploring the city and decided to have Bear explore the Grand Hotel, taking photos of Bear assisting many departments in the hotel. When the family returned to their room, they found Bear relaxing on the sofa enjoying a martini glass overflowing with gummy bears. The family was delighted and will remember Minneapolis and the Grand Hotel fondly.

PHOTOS AVAILABLE

Images of all the award winners are available for download with cut lines at http://www.flickr.com/photos/minneapolisorg/sets/72157629183368660/.

ABOUT MEET MINNEAPOLIS

Meet Minneapolis is a private, not-for-profit, member-based association. It actively promotes and sells the Minneapolis area as a destination for conventions and meetings, works to maximize the visitor experience and markets the city as a desirable tourist destination to maximize the economic benefit of the greater Minneapolis area.

Online: www.minneapolis.org

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/meetminneapolis?ref=ts

On Twitter: http://twitter.com/meetminneapolis

MEDIA CONTACT

Kristen Montag, media communication manager, 612.767.8038, mailto: kristenm@minneapolis.org, Minneapolis_PR on Twitter.

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