BC Hotel Association President Earl Wilde Announces Support for BC Hospitality Foundation

Working Together Will Reap Rewards ... there is strength in numbers – and that strength can benefit both the bottom line of members and the charitable good offered to others

We all know the benefits of working together.

That’s why we’re all members of the BC Hotel Association. It’s great to see what happened in Vancouver this month. The Vancouver Hotel General Managers’ Association and the Vancouver Hotel Association have joined forces and will be merging into a single organization. In fact, both groups offered unanimous approval of the move! The merger will mean more opportunities to bring a single voice to the table when it comes to working in partnership with the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre and Tourism Vancouver. The new association will be able to work one-on-one with VANOC and the 2010 Olympics, and it will be a united force in using the Destination Marketing Fund to initiate or support revenue-generating opportunities for the Vancouver hotel community.

This merger has been a two-year project, and I want to congratulate Francis Parkinson, General Manager, The Fairmont Waterfront, and Marion Harper-Treskin, General Manager, The Westin Grand, Vancouver, for the leadership and vision they showed in making this happen.

Strength in numbers is also the reason behind the BCHA joining forces with the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association and Alliance of Beverage Licensees of BC in signing an agreement that will make the BC Hospitality Foundation our charitable foundation of choice. The BC Hospitality Foundation has been up and running since 2006. It has built up broad support from wine companies, hotels, and restaurants. The Foundation’s mandate is to offer financial assistance to individuals within the foodservice, beverage, and hospitality industries in times of critical medical need.

Our own charitable foundation has had great success raising $50,000 to $60,000 per year over the last 12 years. The hard work of volunteers, and the generous support from people like you, has helped lend support to the BC Paraplegic Association and Children with Intestinal and Liver Disorders. However, it’s been getting more and more difficult. We were all hosting golf tournaments and chasing a similar pool of support. We took a hard look and decided there had to be a better way.

That’s why BCHA is folding its own charitable foundation, and supporting the Hospitality Foundation with $50,000 a year. We will also be working with the other associations in getting behind a single golf tournament each year. As a part of our four organizations joining forces, the Hospitality Foundation is expanding its role. They’re adding a new component to the work they do, and the funds they raise will also help support scholarships and bursaries for aspiring students who aim to work in the hospitality industry in BC.

I’m proud to be part of an organization and an industry that understands there is strength in numbers - and that strength can benefit both the bottom line of members and the charitable good offered to others.

Earl Wilde
President, BC Hotel Association