February 3, 2025 • 22 mins
Kelly Groff has led Visit Montgomery for over 25 years. She has spent her entire professional career in the hospitality industry. Prior to joining Visit Montgomery, Groff served as a Business Development Manager at the Baltimore County Office of Economic Development; Business Development Officer with the Baltimore City Office of Promotion and Tourism; and held several directors of sales positions with hotels in Baltimore.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
M and T Bank resients.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
iHeartRadio's CEOs you should know empowered by the Montgomery County
Economic Development Corporation.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Let's meet Kelly Groff.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
She is the President and chief executive officer at Conference
and Visitors Bureau of Montgomery County in Maryland.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Based in Rockville.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Before we talk more about the incredible growth thanks in
part to Kelly and her team and their great website
to visit Montgomery talking about everything in the region and
overseeing everything they have to offer for the private and
the public sector. I first asked Kelly to talk a
little bit about herself, where she's from and her origin story.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
So I am a native Marylander. I grew up in Frederick,
Maryland and lived on the land. We had a farm
with a lot of things that my parents grew that
we ate and frozen, lived on for the entire year.
My grandparents lived next to me. So at heart, I'm
(00:52):
really country, but ended up in the much more fast
paced rural city environment and after college.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
I love talking to everybody in this series, but lifers
who have kind of a job where if you're a lifer,
it really comes in handy, which I want you to
talk about when it comes to visit Montgomery as president
and CEO now over eleven years.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
I also want to talk about where you started and.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Where it was and to where it is now because
I know everything evolves fluid industry. There's a lot of
people moving into this area, which is absolutely incredible.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
I know you're excited about.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Injacked with all the new businesses, your partners, neighborhoods, schools, events,
all things that we're going to cover the next twenty minutes.
But I did want to ask you about that, About
being a lifer and doing what you do as president
and CEO, I imagine there are a lot of advantages
for somebody who already knows the area very well.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
Would I be correct? That's absolutely correct? So how do
you use that?
Speaker 4 (01:44):
So, knowing the community and being raised in Maryland, you
love where you live and you want to share that.
I mean, if you love where you live, you're going
to want to share that story not just with your
own friends and family, but I have the pure luck
of being able to share that with millions of visitors.
(02:05):
So you know, it's just taking what you love and
telling the story through our marketing and our advertising and
our sales.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
You know, one of the things that you mentioned as
you tell that story about love, and I think that
means passion too. And when I talk to people in
this series who run organizations, whether it's profit nonprofit, doesn't matter.
They have a passion for what they do and they
also rely on their team a lot. I know you've
got a great team that you work with as well.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
Oh, you can't do it without the team, that's for
That's for sure. We do have a great team. I
grew up in this job, so I've learned a lot
as the years have gone by. I you know, I'm
a marketing person. I'm a salesperson, so I'm always leaning
back and the I mean, the most fun part of
my job is when I get to sit with the
sales and marketing team and talk about the fun stuff
(02:52):
and not not the day to day budgets and finances
in HR. It's much more fun for me when I'm
in the in the weeds with the sales and marketing side.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Well, let's do this.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Why don't we talk about mission when it comes to
visit Montgomery.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
What's your mission statement? Very simple?
Speaker 4 (03:07):
Our mission is to bring visitors here from outside of
the area, but also create and enhance the quality of
life for our existing residents. So it's really twofold, and
we do that through all of our sales and marketing initiatives.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
And if you could maybe expound a little bit, if
you could give a thirty thousand foot view to all
the people that are new to what visit Montgomery is
and what you exactly do for your partners and this
whole region, what would you say that you do.
Speaker 4 (03:39):
We provide support to help businesses be successful. That's the
bottom line. We're here as a resource to help businesses
find ways to market and sell themselves. We are a connector.
We connect businesses with visitors. We connect businesses with meetings
and conferences and sporting events that are coming to Montgomery County.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
We are a connector and a partner.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Let's talk about some of those partners with the neighborhoods.
There's a lot of neighborhoods, and I don't know if
you can mention them all because there are a lot,
but those are your partners, and there are a lot
of neighborhoods when it comes to the area.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Can you talk about a few.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
So Montgomery County, as you know, is a very big county.
It's very robust, and every community within the county has
its own unique characters, and so our job as marketers
is to really find those unique characters and tell those stories.
And our website does a really good job of telling
the story of each of those individual communities. And they're
(04:34):
all my favorite communities. So that's how we do. We
tell the stories.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
So like being a parent, when a parent says, do
you have a favorite child, Kelly does not.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
She loves everybody equally. They're all my favorites. I love that.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
So let's talk about partnership. If there's a small, medium,
or large business that either's currently here or they're moving
into the area, how do they partner up with Visa.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
Montgomery so telling us that they're here or using us
as a resource when they're thinking about moving here. I mean,
that's what we're here for and connecting them to the community,
you know, just just being able to tell the story
through our social media. You know, we have a we
have a couple platforms where we do that, telling the
(05:16):
story through social media, digital marketing. That's that's our sweet
spot is being able to push out the message about
and how to help businesses.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Now, one of the cool things that you do Kelly,
and we'll mention the website a couple of times for everybody.
By the way, it's a gorgeous website. It's beautiful to
look at and I know that's my intent. It's robust
with pictures, information, easy to navigate.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Let's give the website quickly to everybody right now, visit
Montgomery dot com. Okay, So that's nice and easy.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
So events bring people together, and I love that you
do this, and I know it's a big part of
the job of anytime you have to host a get
together or a form for people. Whether it's large, mediums, small,
doesn't matter. But you do have a lot of events
which I think is cool, which brings the community together.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Correct.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Can you talk about a couple of the upcoming and
it's that either you're most proud of or upcoming that
we need to get our radar on.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
Well, the one we're most proud of is one that
we're hosting March thirty and thirty one, the Moco Eats
Food and Bevery Showcase.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
It's huge, isn't it.
Speaker 4 (06:12):
It's huge and it's a big part of who we
are as an entire county. I mean, there are so
many places to eat in Montgomery County and it's a
strength of who we are. There are a lot of
hospitality businesses here. We always teut that choice and Marriott
are headquartered here, so we are really proud about the
hospitality space. And so we're hosting a consumer show on
(06:33):
March thirtieth where consumers can come in from the region
and get to know some of the businesses in the county,
some within the state of Maryland, do some samplings, food
beverage samplings, and buy products. And then on Monday, March
thirty first, we're going to host a hospitality conference that
really brings together people in that industry sector, whether you're
(06:53):
a restaurant owner, a restaurant manager, a restaurant server, a bartender,
or someone in the lodging industry to come in and
sit in on sessions and breakout sessions, to learn and
share and just be together to network and.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
How does anybody be a part of that. Moco Eats showcase,
dot Com outstanding.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
So I want to talk about statistics, and I'm not
going to hold you specifically, Danny. We can talk a
little bit more ballpark and I imagine and I want
to get back to my eleven year question because you've
been doing this for over a decade now, and I'm
sure there's been some amazing, incredible changes, not only with
growth in the community, but who exactly is moving here,
because I know the biotech industry is a big deal.
(07:34):
You mentioned hotel restaurants are growing exponentially.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
Really is incredible. But when it comes.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Statistically to this area in your region, how are we
doing with growth? Is there always growth every year or
their challenges? And I know COVID got in the way,
so that obviously slowed everything down for everybody, But where
are when we come to the statistics as far as
how the growth is working in the region.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
For you, you are absolutely correct.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
The pandemic really put everybody kind of in a pause place.
And I don't think that's quite shaken out yet right
on where we're going to be, who we're going to be.
People are still working from home, some people are now
coming back to the office. So where we are going
to be a year from now, I think it's anybody's guests.
But what I do know is that we are doing better,
(08:20):
that people are traveling, that people are eating in our restaurants,
and this community, all of Montgomery County offers everything for
not just our residents, but regional residents and visitors for
those experiences that people are looking for. One of the
shifts we did see is people are really interested and
(08:41):
desire to be in the outdoors. So that makes Montgomery
County very attractive because we have kind of this balance
of urban centers, but also a third of the county
is preserved agricultural, so when you come to this county,
you're able to be within a city and enjoy all
those amenities, but also go into the country.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
And we really tout that.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
One of the things that you and your team do
very well that I know is hard work, is that
you have to pitch yourself. And people might not know
this about Visa Montgomery or any agency when you're trying
to bring new businesses, whether it's small, medium, or large,
about pitching how great this area is that you were
kind of talking about. We're talking about homes and schools
and restaurants and hospitals, places you know to shop, and
(09:23):
all sorts of different things about why this place is
so attractive.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
What's it like, maybe a little behind.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
The scenes about what you and your team do when
it comes to pitching businesses, Whether you're hearing about it,
you got your ear to the ground, or you're physically
going out and say, we would really like this business
to come in the region.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Let's go ahead and pitch them. How does it all work? Oh,
the pitch, the elevator pitch. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
Is basically our proximity to Washington, d C. It is
our great school system, is the culinarya experience. It's the
fact that our community is so diverse, We're so culturally diverse.
These are all things that attract people to our community.
But again, as I said, the fact that you can
(10:04):
be within a very city environment but also enjoy the
outdoors within a ten or fifteen minute drive makes us
a very appealing destination. And being right outside the nation's
capital to do business.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
So I know, you get to talk to business owners
all the time, but you also live in the region too.
When you hear from people, maybe it's not often, but
when you hear from people that actually live here and
everything happening in all the growth, what kind of feedback
are you getting from families?
Speaker 4 (10:31):
What's really interesting about Montgomery County is when I travel,
there has not been a time or a place where
I've been at a trade show or a conference where
someone sees my name Badge and says, I grew up there.
I have a cousin there, my grandmother lives there, my
parents live there, I have an aunt there. I feel
(10:53):
like so much of who we are starts here, and
people just still love, even if they've moved away, love
that they grow up in this community.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
I think that's so cool.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
And with you being a life for here, I think
it's probably extra special that people are talking so fondly
and positive with the region and the growth that's happening.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
I can see it right.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
Down the street from where we are, and there's growth everywhere.
Really is tremendous. I did want to talk about the future.
I know that every company that either produces something or
works with people like you and businesses, they always think
about the future. How far down I don't know, but
I did want to ask you about that when it
comes to down the road, when it comes to visit Montgomery,
(11:31):
imagine you're thinking for it.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
I don't know how many years in advance. What's that like?
Speaker 3 (11:34):
And how far do you think about about what could
happen to the future of this region and the continued
growth that you would love to see well, we.
Speaker 4 (11:42):
Want to continue to tell the story and bring more
visitors here. Because visitors come here, they spend their money,
and they go home right and it impacts our communities.
So we're always focused on bringing more visitors here and
capturing our market share of visitors that come to this region.
We want to see larger events come to the region
and also to our community. Events have a very big
impact economic impact on communities longer term. The vision for
(12:07):
our organization, and I think most of this community is
identifying space needs for gathering. So finding a place that's
either sports facility or a multi use facility, something that
is a large gathering place. Look, is kind of what
we're looking for in the future is and how we
(12:29):
grow our community.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
You know, I'm glad that you're talking about that because
you're speaking my language because as a sports guy, and
also I love entertainment. One of the things I've seen
over the years in my travels economic development. When those
kind of places are built, it's really extraordinary, folks. So
I'm going to let Kelly expound in this a little bit,
but you can imagine the amount of money when you
(12:51):
have an entertainment or sports facility. People that are coming
in not only that live here, but travel to see
their favorite teams or they just want to see the
and that means they're flying in. Hotel and taxi industry
is huge, obviously, the restaurants, all sorts of things go
into somebody visiting or living here when you have those facilities.
So I see why you want to go in that direction,
(13:13):
But could you expound on that a little bit about
how important that is for regions that if they can
get to that point and build those kind of facilities,
it's just exponential the amount of millions of dollars that
can come to the region.
Speaker 4 (13:23):
Why be correct, Yes, absolutely, And you know, our Maryland
Soccer Plex in Boyd's is a perfect example of what
we are doing now. There isn't any weekend, any given
weekend you go there, there are jobs of kids running
around and parents and games happening every sport soccer, lacrosse, basketball, volleyball,
(13:47):
and that facility's done very well. And we think about
what else we could do with more space and the
economic impact of that, and that's the future.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
There are a.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
Lot of parents just in our our own community that
would love to not have to travel.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
They'd love to.
Speaker 4 (14:03):
Be able to go to an event with their kids
locally and bring visitors from all over the country to
experience our community, but spend money.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
Well, I wanted to ask you about that because I
know you have a great team and imagine you talk
all the time about exactly that. But do you get
a chance to get feedback from the community how you
can get better? Because I know that you will live here,
so you probably use your own experiences and talk to
your neighbors and your friends and your family. But everybody
wants to get better. And with that said, do you
get any opportunity to get feedback from the actual community
(14:35):
how you can get better?
Speaker 1 (14:37):
We do. We always want feedback from the community.
Speaker 4 (14:39):
You know, social media can be really helpful, but it
can also be terribly honest, and you know that's where
you get some of your feedback. We have a volunteer
board of directors that helps us with fiscal policy and
also just our strategic planning. That's really good feedback because
those members represent different sectors of the industry. That's really
(15:00):
our report card. Also statistics and data that we get
at the end of every fiscal year, our calendar year
is our report card on how we're progressing and that's
how we make modifications and develop strategies for the future.
But overall, our goal is to market the community, listen
to the needs of the community, and listen to the
(15:21):
experiences that our visitors respond to when they leave.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Kelly, I having only joke on this series that when
a person of your position is doing all that you're
doing with your team, that it's not always unicorns and
rainbows all the time. And there's a lot of hard
work beside COVID and kind of flushing that out about
businesses still coming in or kind of the landscape changing
how people order their food and how they go out
and shop. Now, are there any other current challenges that
(15:47):
are presented that you and your team are working on
right now.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
To get through.
Speaker 4 (15:51):
I think the biggest challenge is just never having enough money.
You always want more marketing money. And we've gotten very creative.
We've used our social media strategies and digital strategies in
a very creative way. But we're a small team and
so we have to work really hard, and I would
say that's one of the challenges for us as an organization.
(16:13):
But in our community, I think we just continue to
build pride and make sure that people are proud of
where they live, and they're word of mouth advertising. If
you love where you live, you're going to want your
family and friends to come and visit.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
And that's really important to us. Also.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
That's very cool. And I do want to talk about
a positive story. And I know you've got handfuls over
the decade plus that you've been there, but maybe recently,
and you don't have to mention the business who it is,
But when I talk to people in this series, there's
always that one story that really affected them emotionally and
they said, this is why I get up every day
to do stuff like this, because we made a difference
(16:49):
that day. Something happened recently with a small, medium or
larger business, or just maybe a special story that you
could share with the listeners and maybe something that just
kind of made a difference for you, and that's why
you get up every day to.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Do this job.
Speaker 4 (17:01):
There's a lot of those stories, I would say, recently
seeing a small business in Leytonsville area, a brewery that
expanded and has opened a distillery and watching them open
during COVID and wow, be successful and so successful and
(17:22):
done so well that they've now expanded four years later.
To me, that's heartwarming is seeing the development of a
new business, the startup of a new business and watching
its growth during a very difficult time and being successful.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
And that's just one story.
Speaker 4 (17:39):
But what I see in that particular story is just
heart soul at drive and hospitality.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
People.
Speaker 4 (17:49):
If you have great hospitality at your business, you're going
to be successful.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
I agree with that, And that industry is so tough,
as we all know. I'm a layperson when it comes
to restaurants, but you know, I go to a lot
of restaurants with my family and my wife, and.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
I realize how hard it is.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
So hearing that story must be very heartwarming that they
persevere doing it the toughest time for that industry is
truly incredible that they're able to get through it and
then continue to thrive.
Speaker 4 (18:14):
It's pretty impressive, very impressive. And again it's about service
and hospitality.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
It sure is. People remember that stuff.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
Yes, I want to do some final thoughts by what
we had talked about here, and we're going to remind
people about the website. Also we can talk about the
big events coming out one more time and how you
can be a part of that. But just some final
thoughts about visit Montgomery. People can partner up with you.
What you're doing now and in the future of the
floor is yours?
Speaker 4 (18:39):
Oh great, So visit Montgomery dot com. We really want
people to visit the website. We also have an app
you can download and the showcase March thirty and thirty
one Moco Eats Food and Beverage Showcase. Continue to check
back on that website for updates on speakers and vendors.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
We're really excited.
Speaker 4 (18:58):
This is the first year we have long this event,
so we're really excited to engage with the community, not
just the consumers and the residents, but also with our
hospitality community. So I encourage everybody to stay on board.
Visit our website and visit the Moco Eats Food and
Beverage Showcase website before.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
I say my goodbye, I hope you indulge me here
because one of the series things that we like to
throw out there's a lot of maybe future entrepreneurs, CEOs
and presidents out there. You weren't one at one time,
and now you have been for eleven plus years, do
you part some advice to the people out there? And
I realize your journey is very specific to what you do.
But when it comes to leadership running an organization as
(19:36):
a see owned president, maybe to some words of advice.
If anybody wants to get into whatever industry turns them
on and they're good at and they have the good
fortune to maybe lead a company someday, what kind of
advice would you have for them?
Speaker 4 (19:47):
Find your passion, find an industry and work that you love,
and you'll never You'll get You'll wake up every day
and want to go to work. I have to tell
you that I don't ever regret any day of coming
to work. You have to love what you're doing and
be passionate about it. I would say, you know, work hard.
(20:08):
I've worked really hard. I've worked long hours, I've worked weekends.
Sometimes you feel like it's challenging, it's difficult, but it
absolutely pays off.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
And be a good leader for your staff.
Speaker 4 (20:24):
Anything you do is a reflection on the organization, a
reflection on what kind of leaders they will be in
the future.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
And give back.
Speaker 4 (20:34):
I teach at Montgomery College as an adjunct professor. It's
one of my favorite things to do is just giving
back and helping the next generation outstanding.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
I really appreciate that I know this is not going
to surprise you, but a lot of the answers when
I talk to leaders, passion and the team always come up,
and it's really important. Plus there's a lot of CEOs
that I think are brilliant and they say I've had
a lot smarter people than I and to run this
organization with me. But my team is important and I'm
passionate about what I do. So I'm sure that doesn't
(21:05):
surprise you that those are the same kind of answers
we get all the time.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
Absolutely, it's so true.
Speaker 4 (21:10):
You can't know everything about everything, and that's how you
build your team, build your chain to help you implement
and be successful.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
Well said Kelly, I can thank you enough for your
valuable time. Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
I'm glad things are going well. I'm glad we all
got out of the pandemic. And even though that's just
about five years now, it's hard to believe that it's
been that long, but it's still lingering there. It sounds
like you're really thriving with all your partners, and I'm
so excited for you and your team. I love this
industry because when it comes to businesses and people thriving
in our neck of the woods. It's just a very
(21:41):
special thing and I'm seeing some special things happen in
our neighborhood, which is great. So thank you again for everything.
Continue success, and thank you so much for joining us
on CEOs.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
You should know, thank you for having us today.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
Montgomery County, Maryland is built for business success. Here CEOs
find the resources, incentives, and support they need to grow
their businesses. From Sight's election to county provided incentives, Montgomery County,
Maryland is where innovation happens. Learn more at Thinkmoco dot com.
That's th h I n K m O c O
dot com.
M and T Bank resients.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
iHeartRadio's CEOs you should know empowered by the Montgomery County
Economic Development Corporation.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Let's meet Kelly Groff.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
She is the President and chief executive officer at Conference
and Visitors Bureau of Montgomery County in Maryland.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Based in Rockville.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Before we talk more about the incredible growth thanks in
part to Kelly and her team and their great website
to visit Montgomery talking about everything in the region and
overseeing everything they have to offer for the private and
the public sector. I first asked Kelly to talk a
little bit about herself, where she's from and her origin story.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
So I am a native Marylander. I grew up in Frederick,
Maryland and lived on the land. We had a farm
with a lot of things that my parents grew that
we ate and frozen, lived on for the entire year.
My grandparents lived next to me. So at heart, I'm
(00:52):
really country, but ended up in the much more fast
paced rural city environment and after college.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
I love talking to everybody in this series, but lifers
who have kind of a job where if you're a lifer,
it really comes in handy, which I want you to
talk about when it comes to visit Montgomery as president
and CEO now over eleven years.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
I also want to talk about where you started and.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Where it was and to where it is now because
I know everything evolves fluid industry. There's a lot of
people moving into this area, which is absolutely incredible.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
I know you're excited about.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Injacked with all the new businesses, your partners, neighborhoods, schools, events,
all things that we're going to cover the next twenty minutes.
But I did want to ask you about that, About
being a lifer and doing what you do as president
and CEO, I imagine there are a lot of advantages
for somebody who already knows the area very well.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
Would I be correct? That's absolutely correct? So how do
you use that?
Speaker 4 (01:44):
So, knowing the community and being raised in Maryland, you
love where you live and you want to share that.
I mean, if you love where you live, you're going
to want to share that story not just with your
own friends and family, but I have the pure luck
of being able to share that with millions of visitors.
(02:05):
So you know, it's just taking what you love and
telling the story through our marketing and our advertising and
our sales.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
You know, one of the things that you mentioned as
you tell that story about love, and I think that
means passion too. And when I talk to people in
this series who run organizations, whether it's profit nonprofit, doesn't matter.
They have a passion for what they do and they
also rely on their team a lot. I know you've
got a great team that you work with as well.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
Oh, you can't do it without the team, that's for
That's for sure. We do have a great team. I
grew up in this job, so I've learned a lot
as the years have gone by. I you know, I'm
a marketing person. I'm a salesperson, so I'm always leaning
back and the I mean, the most fun part of
my job is when I get to sit with the
sales and marketing team and talk about the fun stuff
(02:52):
and not not the day to day budgets and finances
in HR. It's much more fun for me when I'm
in the in the weeds with the sales and marketing side.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Well, let's do this.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Why don't we talk about mission when it comes to
visit Montgomery.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
What's your mission statement? Very simple?
Speaker 4 (03:07):
Our mission is to bring visitors here from outside of
the area, but also create and enhance the quality of
life for our existing residents. So it's really twofold, and
we do that through all of our sales and marketing initiatives.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
And if you could maybe expound a little bit, if
you could give a thirty thousand foot view to all
the people that are new to what visit Montgomery is
and what you exactly do for your partners and this
whole region, what would you say that you do.
Speaker 4 (03:39):
We provide support to help businesses be successful. That's the
bottom line. We're here as a resource to help businesses
find ways to market and sell themselves. We are a connector.
We connect businesses with visitors. We connect businesses with meetings
and conferences and sporting events that are coming to Montgomery County.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
We are a connector and a partner.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Let's talk about some of those partners with the neighborhoods.
There's a lot of neighborhoods, and I don't know if
you can mention them all because there are a lot,
but those are your partners, and there are a lot
of neighborhoods when it comes to the area.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Can you talk about a few.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
So Montgomery County, as you know, is a very big county.
It's very robust, and every community within the county has
its own unique characters, and so our job as marketers
is to really find those unique characters and tell those stories.
And our website does a really good job of telling
the story of each of those individual communities. And they're
(04:34):
all my favorite communities. So that's how we do. We
tell the stories.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
So like being a parent, when a parent says, do
you have a favorite child, Kelly does not.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
She loves everybody equally. They're all my favorites. I love that.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
So let's talk about partnership. If there's a small, medium,
or large business that either's currently here or they're moving
into the area, how do they partner up with Visa.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
Montgomery so telling us that they're here or using us
as a resource when they're thinking about moving here. I mean,
that's what we're here for and connecting them to the community,
you know, just just being able to tell the story
through our social media. You know, we have a we
have a couple platforms where we do that, telling the
(05:16):
story through social media, digital marketing. That's that's our sweet
spot is being able to push out the message about
and how to help businesses.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Now, one of the cool things that you do Kelly,
and we'll mention the website a couple of times for everybody.
By the way, it's a gorgeous website. It's beautiful to
look at and I know that's my intent. It's robust
with pictures, information, easy to navigate.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Let's give the website quickly to everybody right now, visit
Montgomery dot com. Okay, So that's nice and easy.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
So events bring people together, and I love that you
do this, and I know it's a big part of
the job of anytime you have to host a get
together or a form for people. Whether it's large, mediums, small,
doesn't matter. But you do have a lot of events
which I think is cool, which brings the community together.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Correct.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Can you talk about a couple of the upcoming and
it's that either you're most proud of or upcoming that
we need to get our radar on.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
Well, the one we're most proud of is one that
we're hosting March thirty and thirty one, the Moco Eats
Food and Bevery Showcase.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
It's huge, isn't it.
Speaker 4 (06:12):
It's huge and it's a big part of who we
are as an entire county. I mean, there are so
many places to eat in Montgomery County and it's a
strength of who we are. There are a lot of
hospitality businesses here. We always teut that choice and Marriott
are headquartered here, so we are really proud about the
hospitality space. And so we're hosting a consumer show on
(06:33):
March thirtieth where consumers can come in from the region
and get to know some of the businesses in the county,
some within the state of Maryland, do some samplings, food
beverage samplings, and buy products. And then on Monday, March
thirty first, we're going to host a hospitality conference that
really brings together people in that industry sector, whether you're
(06:53):
a restaurant owner, a restaurant manager, a restaurant server, a bartender,
or someone in the lodging industry to come in and
sit in on sessions and breakout sessions, to learn and
share and just be together to network and.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
How does anybody be a part of that. Moco Eats showcase,
dot Com outstanding.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
So I want to talk about statistics, and I'm not
going to hold you specifically, Danny. We can talk a
little bit more ballpark and I imagine and I want
to get back to my eleven year question because you've
been doing this for over a decade now, and I'm
sure there's been some amazing, incredible changes, not only with
growth in the community, but who exactly is moving here,
because I know the biotech industry is a big deal.
(07:34):
You mentioned hotel restaurants are growing exponentially.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
Really is incredible. But when it comes.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Statistically to this area in your region, how are we
doing with growth? Is there always growth every year or
their challenges? And I know COVID got in the way,
so that obviously slowed everything down for everybody, But where
are when we come to the statistics as far as
how the growth is working in the region.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
For you, you are absolutely correct.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
The pandemic really put everybody kind of in a pause place.
And I don't think that's quite shaken out yet right
on where we're going to be, who we're going to be.
People are still working from home, some people are now
coming back to the office. So where we are going
to be a year from now, I think it's anybody's guests.
But what I do know is that we are doing better,
(08:20):
that people are traveling, that people are eating in our restaurants,
and this community, all of Montgomery County offers everything for
not just our residents, but regional residents and visitors for
those experiences that people are looking for. One of the
shifts we did see is people are really interested and
(08:41):
desire to be in the outdoors. So that makes Montgomery
County very attractive because we have kind of this balance
of urban centers, but also a third of the county
is preserved agricultural, so when you come to this county,
you're able to be within a city and enjoy all
those amenities, but also go into the country.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
And we really tout that.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
One of the things that you and your team do
very well that I know is hard work, is that
you have to pitch yourself. And people might not know
this about Visa Montgomery or any agency when you're trying
to bring new businesses, whether it's small, medium, or large,
about pitching how great this area is that you were
kind of talking about. We're talking about homes and schools
and restaurants and hospitals, places you know to shop, and
(09:23):
all sorts of different things about why this place is
so attractive.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
What's it like, maybe a little behind.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
The scenes about what you and your team do when
it comes to pitching businesses, Whether you're hearing about it,
you got your ear to the ground, or you're physically
going out and say, we would really like this business
to come in the region.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Let's go ahead and pitch them. How does it all work? Oh,
the pitch, the elevator pitch. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
Is basically our proximity to Washington, d C. It is
our great school system, is the culinarya experience. It's the
fact that our community is so diverse, We're so culturally diverse.
These are all things that attract people to our community.
But again, as I said, the fact that you can
(10:04):
be within a very city environment but also enjoy the
outdoors within a ten or fifteen minute drive makes us
a very appealing destination. And being right outside the nation's
capital to do business.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
So I know, you get to talk to business owners
all the time, but you also live in the region too.
When you hear from people, maybe it's not often, but
when you hear from people that actually live here and
everything happening in all the growth, what kind of feedback
are you getting from families?
Speaker 4 (10:31):
What's really interesting about Montgomery County is when I travel,
there has not been a time or a place where
I've been at a trade show or a conference where
someone sees my name Badge and says, I grew up there.
I have a cousin there, my grandmother lives there, my
parents live there, I have an aunt there. I feel
(10:53):
like so much of who we are starts here, and
people just still love, even if they've moved away, love
that they grow up in this community.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
I think that's so cool.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
And with you being a life for here, I think
it's probably extra special that people are talking so fondly
and positive with the region and the growth that's happening.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
I can see it right.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
Down the street from where we are, and there's growth everywhere.
Really is tremendous. I did want to talk about the future.
I know that every company that either produces something or
works with people like you and businesses, they always think
about the future. How far down I don't know, but
I did want to ask you about that when it
comes to down the road, when it comes to visit Montgomery,
(11:31):
imagine you're thinking for it.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
I don't know how many years in advance. What's that like?
Speaker 3 (11:34):
And how far do you think about about what could
happen to the future of this region and the continued
growth that you would love to see well, we.
Speaker 4 (11:42):
Want to continue to tell the story and bring more
visitors here. Because visitors come here, they spend their money,
and they go home right and it impacts our communities.
So we're always focused on bringing more visitors here and
capturing our market share of visitors that come to this region.
We want to see larger events come to the region
and also to our community. Events have a very big
impact economic impact on communities longer term. The vision for
(12:07):
our organization, and I think most of this community is
identifying space needs for gathering. So finding a place that's
either sports facility or a multi use facility, something that
is a large gathering place. Look, is kind of what
we're looking for in the future is and how we
(12:29):
grow our community.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
You know, I'm glad that you're talking about that because
you're speaking my language because as a sports guy, and
also I love entertainment. One of the things I've seen
over the years in my travels economic development. When those
kind of places are built, it's really extraordinary, folks. So
I'm going to let Kelly expound in this a little bit,
but you can imagine the amount of money when you
(12:51):
have an entertainment or sports facility. People that are coming
in not only that live here, but travel to see
their favorite teams or they just want to see the
and that means they're flying in. Hotel and taxi industry
is huge, obviously, the restaurants, all sorts of things go
into somebody visiting or living here when you have those facilities.
So I see why you want to go in that direction,
(13:13):
But could you expound on that a little bit about
how important that is for regions that if they can
get to that point and build those kind of facilities,
it's just exponential the amount of millions of dollars that
can come to the region.
Speaker 4 (13:23):
Why be correct, Yes, absolutely, And you know, our Maryland
Soccer Plex in Boyd's is a perfect example of what
we are doing now. There isn't any weekend, any given
weekend you go there, there are jobs of kids running
around and parents and games happening every sport soccer, lacrosse, basketball, volleyball,
(13:47):
and that facility's done very well. And we think about
what else we could do with more space and the
economic impact of that, and that's the future.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
There are a.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
Lot of parents just in our our own community that
would love to not have to travel.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
They'd love to.
Speaker 4 (14:03):
Be able to go to an event with their kids
locally and bring visitors from all over the country to
experience our community, but spend money.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
Well, I wanted to ask you about that because I
know you have a great team and imagine you talk
all the time about exactly that. But do you get
a chance to get feedback from the community how you
can get better? Because I know that you will live here,
so you probably use your own experiences and talk to
your neighbors and your friends and your family. But everybody
wants to get better. And with that said, do you
get any opportunity to get feedback from the actual community
(14:35):
how you can get better?
Speaker 1 (14:37):
We do. We always want feedback from the community.
Speaker 4 (14:39):
You know, social media can be really helpful, but it
can also be terribly honest, and you know that's where
you get some of your feedback. We have a volunteer
board of directors that helps us with fiscal policy and
also just our strategic planning. That's really good feedback because
those members represent different sectors of the industry. That's really
(15:00):
our report card. Also statistics and data that we get
at the end of every fiscal year, our calendar year
is our report card on how we're progressing and that's
how we make modifications and develop strategies for the future.
But overall, our goal is to market the community, listen
to the needs of the community, and listen to the
(15:21):
experiences that our visitors respond to when they leave.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Kelly, I having only joke on this series that when
a person of your position is doing all that you're
doing with your team, that it's not always unicorns and
rainbows all the time. And there's a lot of hard
work beside COVID and kind of flushing that out about
businesses still coming in or kind of the landscape changing
how people order their food and how they go out
and shop. Now, are there any other current challenges that
(15:47):
are presented that you and your team are working on
right now.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
To get through.
Speaker 4 (15:51):
I think the biggest challenge is just never having enough money.
You always want more marketing money. And we've gotten very creative.
We've used our social media strategies and digital strategies in
a very creative way. But we're a small team and
so we have to work really hard, and I would
say that's one of the challenges for us as an organization.
(16:13):
But in our community, I think we just continue to
build pride and make sure that people are proud of
where they live, and they're word of mouth advertising. If
you love where you live, you're going to want your
family and friends to come and visit.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
And that's really important to us. Also.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
That's very cool. And I do want to talk about
a positive story. And I know you've got handfuls over
the decade plus that you've been there, but maybe recently,
and you don't have to mention the business who it is,
But when I talk to people in this series, there's
always that one story that really affected them emotionally and
they said, this is why I get up every day
to do stuff like this, because we made a difference
(16:49):
that day. Something happened recently with a small, medium or
larger business, or just maybe a special story that you
could share with the listeners and maybe something that just
kind of made a difference for you, and that's why
you get up every day to.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Do this job.
Speaker 4 (17:01):
There's a lot of those stories, I would say, recently
seeing a small business in Leytonsville area, a brewery that
expanded and has opened a distillery and watching them open
during COVID and wow, be successful and so successful and
(17:22):
done so well that they've now expanded four years later.
To me, that's heartwarming is seeing the development of a
new business, the startup of a new business and watching
its growth during a very difficult time and being successful.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
And that's just one story.
Speaker 4 (17:39):
But what I see in that particular story is just
heart soul at drive and hospitality.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
People.
Speaker 4 (17:49):
If you have great hospitality at your business, you're going
to be successful.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
I agree with that, And that industry is so tough,
as we all know. I'm a layperson when it comes
to restaurants, but you know, I go to a lot
of restaurants with my family and my wife, and.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
I realize how hard it is.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
So hearing that story must be very heartwarming that they
persevere doing it the toughest time for that industry is
truly incredible that they're able to get through it and
then continue to thrive.
Speaker 4 (18:14):
It's pretty impressive, very impressive. And again it's about service
and hospitality.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
It sure is. People remember that stuff.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
Yes, I want to do some final thoughts by what
we had talked about here, and we're going to remind
people about the website. Also we can talk about the
big events coming out one more time and how you
can be a part of that. But just some final
thoughts about visit Montgomery. People can partner up with you.
What you're doing now and in the future of the
floor is yours?
Speaker 4 (18:39):
Oh great, So visit Montgomery dot com. We really want
people to visit the website. We also have an app
you can download and the showcase March thirty and thirty
one Moco Eats Food and Beverage Showcase. Continue to check
back on that website for updates on speakers and vendors.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
We're really excited.
Speaker 4 (18:58):
This is the first year we have long this event,
so we're really excited to engage with the community, not
just the consumers and the residents, but also with our
hospitality community. So I encourage everybody to stay on board.
Visit our website and visit the Moco Eats Food and
Beverage Showcase website before.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
I say my goodbye, I hope you indulge me here
because one of the series things that we like to
throw out there's a lot of maybe future entrepreneurs, CEOs
and presidents out there. You weren't one at one time,
and now you have been for eleven plus years, do
you part some advice to the people out there? And
I realize your journey is very specific to what you do.
But when it comes to leadership running an organization as
(19:36):
a see owned president, maybe to some words of advice.
If anybody wants to get into whatever industry turns them
on and they're good at and they have the good
fortune to maybe lead a company someday, what kind of
advice would you have for them?
Speaker 4 (19:47):
Find your passion, find an industry and work that you love,
and you'll never You'll get You'll wake up every day
and want to go to work. I have to tell
you that I don't ever regret any day of coming
to work. You have to love what you're doing and
be passionate about it. I would say, you know, work hard.
(20:08):
I've worked really hard. I've worked long hours, I've worked weekends.
Sometimes you feel like it's challenging, it's difficult, but it
absolutely pays off.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
And be a good leader for your staff.
Speaker 4 (20:24):
Anything you do is a reflection on the organization, a
reflection on what kind of leaders they will be in
the future.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
And give back.
Speaker 4 (20:34):
I teach at Montgomery College as an adjunct professor. It's
one of my favorite things to do is just giving
back and helping the next generation outstanding.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
I really appreciate that I know this is not going
to surprise you, but a lot of the answers when
I talk to leaders, passion and the team always come up,
and it's really important. Plus there's a lot of CEOs
that I think are brilliant and they say I've had
a lot smarter people than I and to run this
organization with me. But my team is important and I'm
passionate about what I do. So I'm sure that doesn't
(21:05):
surprise you that those are the same kind of answers
we get all the time.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
Absolutely, it's so true.
Speaker 4 (21:10):
You can't know everything about everything, and that's how you
build your team, build your chain to help you implement
and be successful.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
Well said Kelly, I can thank you enough for your
valuable time. Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
I'm glad things are going well. I'm glad we all
got out of the pandemic. And even though that's just
about five years now, it's hard to believe that it's
been that long, but it's still lingering there. It sounds
like you're really thriving with all your partners, and I'm
so excited for you and your team. I love this
industry because when it comes to businesses and people thriving
in our neck of the woods. It's just a very
(21:41):
special thing and I'm seeing some special things happen in
our neighborhood, which is great. So thank you again for everything.
Continue success, and thank you so much for joining us
on CEOs.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
You should know, thank you for having us today.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
Montgomery County, Maryland is built for business success. Here CEOs
find the resources, incentives, and support they need to grow
their businesses. From Sight's election to county provided incentives, Montgomery County,
Maryland is where innovation happens. Learn more at Thinkmoco dot com.
That's th h I n K m O c O
dot com.
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