Long time Sports ETA member Gary Ewen, CSEE, of Fort Myers, Florida, is hanging up the cleats after nearly 40 years of service. Gary was one of the first tourism professionals to recognize the value of sports in his community. In the early 90’s, Lee County was one of only 40 destinations that targeted, at that time, the “niche” market of sports tourism. There are now over 600 such agencies nationwide. In his tenure, he has served on many boards including the Sports ETA. He was an inaugural member of the CSEE program.

Gary and his wife Karen have created two sports-related businesses: Pinnacle Tourism Strategies, and Southwest Florida Sports and Entertainment Group. These organizations will continue to make a lasting footprint in the sports marketing community. Gary can be reached at pinnaclets@yahoo.com, garyewen1@yahoo.com or at 239-321-1730 or his website http://pinnacletourism.com/.