Davies attends last meeting as Parks & Tourism director, incoming director says agency has a ‘solid’ culture

“And for the final time, Richard Davies,” Mike Mills said Thursday (Nov. 19) morning, turning over the November meeting of the State Parks, Recreation and Travel Commission. That simple line introduced Davies who before the end of November will end 42 years of service in Arkansas’ tourism industry.

Mills, commission chairman, and the other commissioners gathered in Fort Smith for the monthly meeting, would later recognize Davies, director of the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism, for his service. They also recognized Greg Butts, who is retiring as director of State Parks.

The meeting is the last for Davies, and the first official meeting for Kane Webb, 51, who recently was appointed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) to succeed Davies.

During his 42 years with the agency, Davies was department director for 20 and has served under eight governors. Davies was appointed director in May 1990 by then Gov. Bill Clinton. Prior to that, Davies worked 14 years as director of the Parks division within the department, and served 18 months as interim department director. As a testament to his popularity within Arkansas’ tourism industry, Davies was reappointed by Gov. Jim Guy Tucker (D), Gov. Mike Huckabee (R), and Gov. Mike Beebe (D).

His many accolades include being named State Parks Director of the Year by the National Association of State Parks Directors, and induction into the Hall of Fame by both the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation and the Arkansas Hospitality Association. The Arkansas Broadcasters Association named him Arkansan of the Year in 2004. (Link here for a March 2015 Q&A with Davies conducted by Talk Business & Politics.)

But in what has become typical for a Davies-led tourism department, Thursday’s meeting agenda was full of department employees talking about the various programs, changes and possible future actions within an agency that employs more than 1,500 and is responsible for promoting the state’s second largest economic sector – travel and tourism.

Arkansas’ tourism industry in 2014 had an estimated 25.885 million visitors – with two-thirds coming from out of state – who spent $6.7 billion. That’s well ahead of five years ago when the 2009 visitor count was 22.838 million and tourism spending was $5.337 billion.

“The 2014 average trip expenditure of $259 per trip resulted in $334 million in state taxes and $127 million in local taxes. Arkansas’ continuing success relates directly to thousands of members of the tourism industry who work hard every day to create positive vacation experiences for our visitors,” noted the 2014-2015 Parks and Tourism annual report.

Webb, who was introduced by Davies during the Thursday meeting, said he recognizes that he follows a director with an excellent reputation inside and outside the agency. He said the past few months have been spent with Davies traveling the state “meeting with people who do the real work.” He also said that in organizations it is often true that “culture trumps strategy,” with the department under Davies having a “culture that is solid.” Webb acknowledged that part of his job is to maintain and build upon that culture.

“I feel like I’m joining the team in the middle of a championship run,” Webb told the commissioners and audience.

Webb also said Gov. Hutchinson is fully behind seeing the industry continue to grow.

“He gets it. He knows it’s (tourism and tourism amenities) an economic development driver,” Webb said. “I don’t think we are going to have to convince the governor of Arkansas that tourism is important.”

In closing his first commission address, Webb paraphrased Coach Lou Holtz who said teams either get better or they get worse, but they don’t stay the same. Webb said he’s eager to work with the agency and those in the industry “to get better.”

Webb was born in Hot Springs and raised in Little Rock, and made a career outside the tourism industry as a journalist. He began in journalism as a sports writer with the Arkansas Democrat, and his other jobs included executive editor of Arkansas Life magazine, an editorial writer for the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, and editor of the Louisville Magazine.