Forrest Hills Resort Hires New Results-Based Conferencing Division Director, Group Sales Director
Media Contact:
Anne Wainscott-Sargent
For Forrest Hills Resort
678.352.0009
awpr@bellsouth.net
For Immediate Release:
Key Additions to Bolster Resort’s Reach into Corporate Meeting Market
DAHLONEGA, Ga. – July 11, 2008 – Forrest Hills Resort, one of the country’s top 100 private resorts and a popular destination for couples, announced today two key sales appointments that will enhance the resort’s focus on the corporate event meeting market.
Management consulting and training veteran Leigh Ann Johnston has joined Forrest Hills as Director of the Resort’s Results-based Conferencing Division. She leads the resort’s corporate group sales strategy efforts and represents Forrest Hills with key meeting planning groups and in the business community.
In the private sector, Ms. Johnston worked in the Washington D.C. change management headquarters for global assurance and tax advisory firm PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. As a change management and organizational development senior consultant, she served a diverse range of clients, including the Security and Exchange Commission, the Department of Education, the Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Defense, the U.S. Navy, Royal Mail and the National Imagery and Mapping Agency. Besides performing strategic business and training need analyses of organizational processes, she facilitated change by having clients focus on their ‘go-to-market’ strategy and identify crucial gaps.
A former college associate professor, Johnston earned her Master of Science degree in corporate communications with a focus on organizational development from Radford University in Virginia and a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communications from Louisiana State University.
Also joining the conferencing division is Jeffrey Kraft as Group Sales Director, who will play a key role in helping Forrest Hills target and market effectively to corporate groups. Kraft has served in various operational roles at Forrest Hills Resort for the past five years. He will complete his B.B.S. in Business Management from North Georgia College and State University this summer. His studies have focused on organizational change, where Kraft has played a key role on a collaborative project with 24 non-profit organizations. His team’s data will enable the non-profits to better operate their respective organizations.
“The addition of Leigh Ann and Jeff to our Results-Based Conferencing Division diversifies our in-house sales capabilities and will accelerate our penetration into the growing executive retreat and corporate meeting market,” says Keith Roberson, executive director of the Results-Based Conferencing Division. “Forrest Hills is an ideal destination for both relaxation and team-building within close proximity to metro Atlanta, and will be particularly attractive to firms facing reduced travel budgets,” he adds.
About Forrest Hills Resort
Forrest Hills Resort, founded in 1978 in Dahlonega, Georgia, been rated as one of the top 100 privately-owned resorts for 10 of its 30 years in existence by Lodging and Hospitality Magazine, and boosts an impressive 60 percent average guest return rate. The resort hosts 150 weddings a year, and also serves as an executive retreat and team-building venue. The resort has 111 rooms, including 32 cabins, four group lodges and 12 bi-level luxury suites. Wireless Internet is available, as well as spa services through the newly opened Anidawehi Plantation Wellness Center. Other amenities include a fitness center, a three-mile jogging/biking trail, hiking, a sand volleyball court, and horseback riding. For more information, visit www.forresthillsresort.com or the Results-Based Conferencing Division site at: www.resultsbasedconferencing.com or call (770) 534-3244.
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