Local Tourism Employees and Properties are Recognized at Annual Tourism Achievement Awards
POCONO MOUNTAINS, PA, May 10, 2017 – The Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau (PMVB) is happy to announce this year’s recipients of the annual Tourism Achievement Awards. The program honors Pocono Mountains hospitality and tourism industry employees, along with member properties, as local tourism heroes for strides in customer service and community involvement. The awards were distributed during the PMVB’s 23rd Annual Tourism Day held this afternoon at Skytop Lodge.
Congratulations to Kyle Kuczma of Cove Haven Entertainment Resorts for the Outstanding Tourism Employee of the Year Award; Greg Huffman of Bushkill Group, Inc. for the Brand Hero Award; Pocono Raceway for the Green Award for a Large Business; and Keen Lake Camping & Cottage Resort for the Green Award for a Small Business. To learn more about the winners, please read on.
Kyle Kuczma – Outstanding Tourism Employee of the Year Award
As the Public Relations Coordinator at Cove Haven Entertainment Resorts, Kyle Kuczma is awarded Outstanding Tourism Employee of the Year for constantly striving to engage with guests, providing excellent customer service, willingness to always step up to the plate, and endlessly aiming to discover innovative ways to attract guests to the resorts. Kuczma has become known as the “go-to” person for team members; extremely knowledgeable on all three resorts’ policies and Pocono Mountains activities, always willing to help out a co-worker or guest, or volunteer for an event. His experience in public relations, marketing, advertising, and graphic design have caused the resorts to improve efforts exponentially. Kuczma’s hospitable, pleasant personality shines, encouraging and motivating all of those around him.
Greg Huffman – Brand Hero Award
Greg Huffman, Resort General Manager for the Villas and Fernwood Resort, has been an employee there for twenty years. From beginning in the golf shop, he has made his way up the ranks. His experience in varied positions has given him the perspectives he needs to run a 400-acre resort and lead 200 employees. Huffman has completed several management certifications, is always on call to provide leadership to nine different department heads, and interacts with customers daily providing the highest level of guest experience possible. Going above and beyond the duties normally required for a General Manager, Huffman continues to grow his knowledge and expand his leadership with Bushkill Group’s recent additional attractions; supervising rope course employees, becoming certified in ride inspections for an all-season tubing park, and impressively learning how to make snow, groom it, and carve out snow tubing lanes.
Pocono Raceway – Green Award (Large Business)
The Pocono Mountains Green Award for a Large Business is awarded to Pocono Raceway, the first sports facility to rely on solar power. The race track and its partners work hard to reduce the impact the races have on the environment, through source reduction, responsible waste management via composting and recycling programs, solar energy generation, charitable giving, food donations, even simply planting trees. Pocono Raceway is committed to a goal of diverting 75% of all waste away from landfills by 2018, and zero landfill waste from its skybox facilities in future seasons. The race track believes that food donations are also a large part of reducing waste, and have donated almost 700 pounds of food in June of 2016 to various groups in the Stroudsburg Area.
Keen Lake Camping & Cottage Resort – Green Award (Small Business)
The Pocono Mountains Green Award for a Small Business is awarded to Keen Lake Camping & Cottage Resort. The resort uses non-toxic and biodegradable cleaning products, eco-friendly septic digesters and enzymes, energy efficient bulbs and appliances, as well as a solar-powered heated pool. As employees, they ensure they are eco-friendly by keeping communication as green as possible; sending text messages, emails, and calling as often as possible to avoid using paper. They also extend this belief to their guests, offering recycling bins. Aluminium cans are donated to churches, which they redeem for money to use towards heating said churches over the winter. A USAgain bin stands on the property, aimed to increase the amount of clothes, shoes, and household textiles diverted from waste for the benefit of re-wear, reuse, and recycle.
About the Pocono Mountains
With 2,400 square miles encompassing Pennsylvania’s Wayne, Pike, Monroe and Carbon counties, the Pocono Mountains region is home to rolling mountain terrain, breathtakingly beautiful waterfalls, thriving woodlands, and 170 miles of winding rivers. Winters offer guests the opportunity to ski, snowboard, snow tube and even snowshoe their way through snowy wonderlands encompassing over 163 ski trails, while summers also cater to the active traveler allowing exploration of 261 miles of hiking and biking trails, over 30 golf courses, whitewater rafting, boating, fishing, and open access to nine state and two national parks.
Pocono Mountains visitor information is available online at www.PoconoMountains.com or by phone at 800-POCONOS (800-762-6667). Follow @PoconoTourismPR on Twitter to stay current with up-to-date information. Established in 1934, the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau is a private, non-profit, membership organization. The Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau is the official destination marketing organization for the four counties of Wayne, Pike, Monroe, and Carbon in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
