Clarksville, TN – At its last regularly scheduled board meeting, the Visit Clarksville Board of Directors elected officers for the 2024-25 program year.
Charlie Koon, senior vice president of Corporate & Military Business Development at F&M Bank, was elected chairman beginning July 1st. His community involvement includes serving on many boards, including the Tennessee Bankers Association Independent Bank Board, Clarksville-Montgomery County Regional Airport Authority, Tennessee Chamber of Commerce, and Leadership Middle Tennessee. Charlie also hosts the podcast “Clarksville Conversations.” He is married to Traci, his wife of 29 years, and has one daughter, Lexi.
“Tourism plays such a vital role in our local economy,” said Koon. “I’m looking forward to serving in this important position and offering my support to our team who promotes Clarksville to so many different audiences every day.”
Elected to serve as vice-chairman is Garnett Ladd, Garnett Ladd, a lifelong resident of Clarksville. He is past president of W.G. Ladd Oil Company Inc. and vice president of L&C Shredding, LLC. Ladd has served in leadership roles on several boards including past president of United Way and past alumni chair for Leadership Clarksville.
Jerry Allbert, owner of Russell Popcorn Company and former Montgomery County Parks and Recreation Director and County Commissioner, will serve as immediate past chairman.
Newly appointed to the board by Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts and Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden are Kylie Wilkerson, general manager of F&M Bank Arena and Patricia Allende, general manager of Holiday Inn-Clarksville Northeast. Both appointees are for a three-year term.
Completing their terms on the board are Kyle Luther, market president of Traditions First Bank, and Matt Cunningham, president at Old Glory Distilling Co.
By virtue of their office Koon, Ladd and Allbert also serve on the board of directors of the Clarksville-Montgomery County Economic Development Council.
During 2023-24, Visit Clarksville hosted 60 events to Clarksville-Montgomery County during the program year, including group tour buses, military reunions, and sports events. These events brought more than 56,000 visitors, accounting for just under $27 million in spending on lodging, food, transportation, and shopping.
The 2022 Economic Impact Report of Travel on Tennessee reported that tourism in Montgomery County accounted for $371.4 million in visitor spending, ranking ninth of the state’s 95 counties. Local and state sales tax generated from this visitor spending totaled $37.6 million. More than 3,600 people are employed in hospitality related jobs in Montgomery County. Tourism spending data for 2023 will be released in August 2024.
About Visit Clarksville
Visit Clarksville is the destination marketing organization for Clarksville-Montgomery County.
Visit Clarksville’s mission is to positively influence tourism in the area by promoting tourist attractions, hosting conventions and group tours, and engaging in large-scale marketing efforts. A portion of the county’s lodging tax funds it.
