The North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Travel and Tourism Board on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012, elected Rolf Blizzard as its new Chair.
Blizzard, who has served on the Board for one year, has been the Vice President of Operations and Assistant Secretary of Turnpike Properties LLC, of Winston-Salem since March 2006. Turnpike is the parent company of The Sanderling Resort and Spa, a Four Diamond resort located in Duck, N.C. Prior to his work with Turnpike, Blizzard was Vice President of Governmental Affairs with the N.C. Citizens for Business and Industry of Raleigh from January 2005 to March 2006. In that position he served as Chief Lobbyist for the State Chamber of Commerce. Blizzard also served as Chief of Staff of the Office of former N.C. Senate President Pro Tempore Marc Basnight from January 2003 to January 2005.
"Rolf Blizzard has been a great supporter of North Carolina's tourism industry," said Lynn Minges, N.C. Department of Commerce Assistant Secretary for Tourism, Marketing and Global Branding. "In his new position as Chair of the Travel and Tourism Board, he will continue to advocate for tourism as a force in North Carolina's economic engine."
A native of Kenansville, Blizzard received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Blizzard resides in Raleigh with his wife, Ashley Degner Blizzard, and two children. He is a member of Ridge Road Baptist Church, is actively involved in travel and tourism advocacy and the Occoneechee Council Boy Scouts of America, and serves on the Board of the UNC Coastal Studies Institute.
The North Carolina Tourism Board advocates the sound development of the travel and tourism industry in North Carolina. Created in 1991, the board advises the Secretary of Commerce on policy matters related to tourism promotion in North Carolina.
Tourism remains one of the state’s most vital industries. In 2010, North Carolina hosted 36.8 million visitors who spent a record $17 billion. The travel and tourism industry directly employs nearly 200,000 state residents and accounts for $1.5 billion in state and local tax revenues.