GRIT Award winners named by Fort Smith Convention & Visitors Bureau

The Fort Smith Convention & Visitors Bureau announced on Thursday (April 25) the GRIT Award recipients.

The GRIT Awards were presented at the MovieLounge, dinner-cinema-event space in Fort Smith, and more than 100 people attended the awards ceremony.

“This gathering of friends was to showcase the accomplishments of the finalists and winners who have distinguished themselves in their profession, time, energy, expertise and celebrate a job well done in the local hospitality industry,” the Fort Smith CVB noted in a statement.

The GRIT Award winners, by category, were:
• Restaurant Partner of the Year: MovieLounge

• Lodging Partner of the Year: Courtyard by Marriott

• Attraction Partner of the Year: Fort Smith Museum of History

• Business Partner of the Year: Richard and Rick Griffin

• Polly Crews Hospitality Person of the Year:  (a tie) Baridi and Tonya Nkokheli & Dr. Art Martin

At the awards ceremony, the Fort Smith Convention & Visitors Bureau showcased the past year’s Hometown Hospitality Heroes, who have been highlighted each quarter in the City of Fort Smith’s Fast Focus e-newsletter, as having brought or hosted tourism events in 2012.

The recipients are:
• Mackey Yocum and Becky Neighbors for their work and assistance with the United Methodist Church State Convention;
• Susan Fiori for her work on the River Valley Feis, Irish Dance competition for youth;
• Robbie Bryant, for his work on the Slamily Reunion, Arkansas’ largest custom car, truck and bike show; and,
• Mike McKeown, for his work on bringing the “Southeast Global Shootout”, a youth baseball tournament to Fort Smith.