San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau Appoints 2005-2006 Board of Directors

Rick Swig of RSBA & Associates Installed as Chairman

. October 14, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, June 14, 2005. The San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau (SFCVB) installed Rick Swig, resident of RSBA & Associates, as chairman for fiscal year 2005-2006.

Swig has served on the SFCVB executive committee since 2000 and also served on the board of directors from 1992 to 1995. Swig's father, Richard Swig, was SFCVB chairman in 1968-1969. "We look forward to Rick's leadership, especially following the success of his many years of service to the Convention & Visitors Bureau," said John A. Marks, president and CEO of the SFCVB. "His vast experience and expertise regarding the San Francisco tourism industry makes him a natural fit for the chairman role."

The chairman of the SFCVB presides over the board of directors and the executive committee. Swig will direct and guide policy at all meetings involving members, the executive committee and the board of directors.

"San Francisco's number one business is tourism, which is beneficial for the City and for all of its residents," said Rick Swig. "To work together with leadership of the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau presents a unique opportunity during the next 12 months, when tourism activity is growing and the Bureau is implementing new programs to capture a greater global market share of traveler demand."

Rick Swig operates RSBA & Associates, which was founded in 1986. Since that time, Swig has provided advisory services to both major hotel operating companies, as well as owners of individual hotels and portfolios. Along with his asset management and consultancy work associated with RSBA & Associates, he has also been an investor in hotels since 1989, including currently the Harvest Inn in Napa Valley, CA; the Hotel Pacific in Monterey, CA, and the Holiday Inn in Emeryville, CA. His past background also includes a career with Fairmont Hotels, where he rose to be the vice president and managing director of the Fairmont Hotel Management Company.

RSBA & Associates is a consultancy firm for the hospitality industry. Primary activities include hotel operations reviews, asset strategy development, general operational troubleshooting and asset management. Clients include individual and institutional asset owners, as well as hotel operating and management companies. Engagements have included work on hotels with both urban and resort locations with business and/or leisure services.

Rick Swig is currently a member and secretary of the Hospitality Asset Managers Association (HAMA) and a member of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) of which he is past chairman. He also serves on advisory committees for the University of San Francisco Hospitality Management Program, The Collins School of Hospitality Management at California State Polytechnic University Pomona and City College of San Francisco. Swig is also a member of the Board of Trustees at Occidental College in Los Angeles, California. He is a graduate of Stanford University.

The two vice chairs are Susie McCormick, executive publisher, 7x7 Magazine, and Herb Myers, regional managing director, market president, business banking, San Francisco Bay region, Wells Fargo Bank.

The secretary-treasurer is John Hutar, vice president and general manager of the Hotel Nikko San Francisco. Five board members were elected as chairs of standing committees that provide general policy direction and oversight to bureau staff:

. John Mazzoni, Area Vice President and Managing Director, Hilton San Francisco (Convention Committee)

. Don McPhail, Vice President & General Manager, Marketing, USA Hosts (Marketing Committee)

. Pat Gallagher, President, Giants Enterprises (Membership Committee)

. John Cope, President and Managing Director, The Huntington Hotel (Tourism Committee)

. Bob Paterson, Senior Vice President, Young's Market Company (Public Relations Committee)

The four officers and five committee chairs make up the bureau's executive committee, along with the outgoing chairman of the bureau, Jon S. Handlery, senior vice president and general manager of the Handlery Union Square Hotel, and the prior immediate-past chairman, Louis Meunier, executive vice president, external affairs, Macy's.

The bureau's board of directors is comprised of 54 seats, approximately a third of which become open each year. The board meets regularly throughout the year to review and set policy for the bureau and its ongoing marketing efforts. Annually the board approves and oversees an annual budget and program of work to be executed by staff.

Incoming members of the board include:

Len Almalech, Vice President & General Manager, Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Amelia Ashley-Ward, Publisher, Sun-Reporter Publishing Company, Inc.

Cheryl A. Fama, CEO, Saint Francis Memorial Hospital

Kris Gagliardi, General Manager, San Francisco Marriott

Rob Goldberg, President & CEO, PlumpJack Group

Man J. Kim, President, Lori's Diner International, Inc.

Randall Kline, Executive Director, SFJAZZ

Toni Knorr, General Manager, W San Francisco

William "Bill" Lee, Director of Economic and International Tourism, City and

County of San Francisco

Robert MacIntosh, President and CEO, The PIER 39 Companies