 (PENN YAN, NY – Feb. 28, 2006) The Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance (FLTA) Board of Directors has announced that Michael Rusinko has been selected to be the new president of this regional tourism group, effective immediately.
“We conducted a wide-ranging search for a new president and were extremely pleased to receive nearly 100 applications from people interested in becoming the next leader of Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance,” said FLTA Board Chairman Gene Pierce. “Tourism continues to be a very competitive industry, but we are confident that Mike Rusinko is the right person to help us continue growing this important regional organization.” Rusinko follows Alexa Gifford, who resigned at the end of 2005 to become executive director for the New York Wine & Culinary Center now under construction in Canandaigua.
A resident of Geneva and graduate of Cornell University in Ithaca, Rusinko has been a sales and marketing executive as well as host of a morning show for the Finger Lakes Radio Group since 2001. He is also co-owner of Crossroads Drive-in, a seasonal restaurant in Dresden, NY. Rusinko has extensive experience in advertising sales having worked over the years for radio stations in Rochester, Nashville, Charleston and Elmira. He has been a senior trainer for Eagle International; and in 1999, was the general manager in charge of launching a Finger Lakes location in Dundee for Woodbury Vineyards, a wine producer based in Fredonia, NY.
Among his many community-service activities, Rusinko is currently a member of the Dresden Volunteer Fire Department and a board member for the Geneva Family YMCA. He is a past board member of the Smith Opera House in Geneva and was previously a board member and treasurer for Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance. Last year, Michael Rusinko and his wife Carol Chester received the 2005 Consumer Award from the New York Wine and Grape Foundation in recognition of their active support of the state’s wine industry.
“I am very excited about this opportunity to build on the strong foundation of regional collaboration that Alexa Gifford forged during her tenure as president,” said Rusinko. “I know we can take advantage of this organization’s past accomplishments and continue making Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance a strong and effective leader for our industry throughout the entire 14-county Finger Lakes region.”
Media contact for more information: Gene Pierce, FLTA Board Chairman (607) 243-8000 |
