Frederick County Office of Economic Development Named Tourism’s ‘Ambassador of the Year’

The Frederick County Office of Economic Development (OED) was named the 2017 Tourism Council of Frederick County (TCFC) ‘Ambassador of the Year’ for the collaborative promotion of the craft beverage industry in Frederick County at the organization’s annual membership meeting on October 31, 2017.

The award is usually presented to a person in the community who helps to improve the experience of visitors to Frederick County, and helps the council achieve its mission. “Frederick would not be the incredible destination it is without our many partners who work hard every day to create a positive experience for our visitors. The Office of Economic Development has been a key partner in promoting and advancing tourism initiatives over the past year and we are thrilled to honor them with our Ambassador of the Year Award, “said Tourism Council of Frederick County Executive Director John Fieseler.

“This Award means so much to our office,” said OED Director Helen Propheter. “We’ve been fortunate to work with Tourism’s staff on a number of projects including the award-winning craft beverages brochure and we are looking forward to continuing our partnership on projects in the future. Partnering with Tourism is a natural fit to promote Frederick County as the ideal place to start, locate and expand a business.”

Frederick County’s craft beverage and farm-to-glass movement is quickly growing, and attracting visitors and new businesses has become a shared role of both organizations. In 2016, OED and TCFC collaborated to produce the Frederick County Wineries, Breweries and Distilleries brochure which also won the 2016 award for ‘Best Printed Promotional Material’ at the Maryland Tourism & Travel Summit. The creation of the brochure also coincided with the launch of OED’s website www.homegrownfrederick.com, where visitors can also find the list of wineries, breweries and distilleries online. OED furthered work in the craft beverage industry in 2017 by producing a marketing video on wineries, breweries and distilleries which premiered at the Great Frederick Fair’s 1st Homegrown Frederick Craft Beverage Showcase, another partnership event for OED and TCFC.

About OED: The Frederick County Office of Economic Development (OED)’s mission is to increase the overall economic health of Frederick County through attracting new businesses in our targeted industries and helping existing businesses be more successful. Located at ROOT, a one-stop business and technology cultivation center in the heart of Downtown Frederick, OED has the resources to get businesses connected. For more information on how to start, locate or expand a business in Frederick County, visit www.discoverfrederickmd.com.

About TCFC: The Tourism Council of Frederick County (TCFC) is the recognized Destination Marketing Organization for Frederick City and Frederick County, Maryland. It operates the Frederick Visitor Center and related Visit Frederick programs that include Destination Marketing and Group Tour Marketing. For more information about membership and Visit Frederick events, go to www.visitfrederick.org.

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Photo Caption: (Left to Right) Helen Propheter, Director, Frederick County Office of Economic Development; Heather Gramm, Assistant Director, Frederick County Office of Economic Development; Sandy Wagerman, Business Development Analyst, Frederick County Office of Economic Development; Dave Ziedelis, Tourism Council Board of Directors President; John Fieseler, Executive Director, Tourism Council of Frederick County.

Photo Credit: Tourism Council of Frederick County