{"id":26016,"date":"2025-05-06T12:37:51","date_gmt":"2025-05-06T16:37:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/?p=26016"},"modified":"2025-05-06T12:37:52","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T16:37:52","slug":"neal-named-to-countys-tourism-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/06\/neal-named-to-countys-tourism-post\/","title":{"rendered":"Neal named to county’s tourism post"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By BOB SHRALUKA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WZBD.com<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adams County Economic Development Corporation (ACEDC) Executive Director Colton Bickel has announced a change in the Tourism Initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taylor Braun will be stepping down upon graduation from Purdue Fort Wayne and Kalie Neal has been hired as the new tourism director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Kalie Neal<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Braun served in the post over the past year. \u201cWe are overjoyed to see Taylor take the next step in her career and are proud of the work she accomplished for the ACEDC Tourism Initiative. We wish her all the best,\u201d Bickel said in a news release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bickel said Neal is a dedicated professional with a background in human resources and community engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lifelong resident of Adams County, Kalie has always had a
passion to find ways to actively contribute to local growth, especially through her involvement on committees and her role as a board member for Imagine Early, Bickel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHer roots in the community \u2013 both as someone who grew up in the county and now raising her family here \u2013 provide her with a unique and valuable perspective,\u201d the director continued. \u201cKalie\u2019s local insight, combined with her passion for relationship-building and strategic thinking, will be a great benefit as she steps into the role of tourism director.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile this role marks a shift from my previous professional experience in human resources, many of the core values remain the same \u2013 building relationships, supporting growth, and making a positive impact in our community,\u201d Neal said in the news release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m incredibly excited to take a creative approach to showcasing all that Adams County has to offer. From our local attractions to the events that bring people together, I look forward to highlighting the things that make our county special. I\u2019ve always loved networking and connecting with people, and I\u2019m truly looking forward to starting this new journey as tourism director,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Bickel, Neal will be promoting the county’s attractions, events, and unique offerings to both local residents and visitors. Responsibilities will include developing and implementing marketing campaigns that highlight tourism assets, such as the Limberlost State Historic Site in Geneva, exploring Pine Lake, and cultural events like the annual Swiss Days festival in Berne and Downtown Decatur Days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bickel said the role will involve collaborating with local businesses to create new ideas that attract tourists and enhance visitor experiences. Additionally, monitoring tourism trends
and visitor feedback being crucial for adjusting strategies to maximize tourism growth and economic impact in Adams County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Adams County EDC is thrilled to add Kalie Neal to our team,\u201d said Bickel, who will supervise the tourism director. \u201c I have been fortunate to work with Kalie in a variety of capacities and know the experience and energy she will bring to this role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe believe that Kalie\u2019s expertise in building relationships, leading projects, thinking strategically, and marketing organizations will result in leading our Tourism Initiative into the next phase of growth.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By BOB SHRALUKA WZBD.com Adams County Economic Development Corporation (ACEDC) Executive Director Colton Bickel has announced a change<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[14,15,21],"class_list":["post-26016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-decatur","tag-featured","tag-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26016"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26016\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26018,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26016\/revisions\/26018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}