Congratulations to the 2023 Purple Iris Award Winners! We were pleased to have over 600 people attend the Stars of the Industry Gala at the Governor's Conference on Hospitality & Tourism in Knoxville. From outstanding employees to community service, we handed out over 40 awards to the best of the best in our industry. Thank you to all of the nominees for your hard work and dedication to making Tennessee so wonderful.
If you are inspired by our award winners, please come back here next May to help us find our Stars of the Industry for 2024. You can nominate someone you know or nominate yourself or your business. We'll post the full list of categories as well as the link to submit your nomination. We look forwarding to continuing to honor the outstanding individuals and companies that are members of Hospitality Tennessee.
Outstanding Individual Awards
Brian Lee
Blackberry Farm
Industry Educator of the Year
Barbara Wolke
Senior Vice President, Rutherford County Convention and Visitors Bureau
Women in Hospitality & Tourism Award
Alec Castro
Johnson City Convention & Visitors Bureau
Special Recognition Awards
Jennifer Wilder
Greene County Partnership Tourism Department
Community Service Award: Employee
See Rock City, Inc.
1400 Patten Road
Lookout Mountain, GA 30750
Community Service Award: Attraction
Huey's
1915 Madison Ave.
Memphis, TN 38104
Community Service Award: Restaurant
Ruby Falls
1720 South Scenic Highway
Chattanooga, TN 37409
Visit Knoxville
301 South Gay Street
Knoxville, TN 37902
Event of the Year: Bassmaster Classic
Employee Excellence Awards
Kristen Combs
Visit Knoxville
DMO Employee of the Year - Large
Airika Actouka
Ripley's Old MacDonald's Farm Mini-Golf
Tourism Employee of the Year - Large
Austin Hamilton
Deacon's New South
Restaurant Employee of the Year - Independent
Belva Myers
Golden Corral - Sevierville
Restaurant Employee of the Year - Chain
Joel Dalhauser
Room Revenue Director, Carnegie Hotel - Johnson City
Lodging Employee of the Year - Small
Mostafa Eladawy
Embassy Suites - Knoxville West
Lodging Employee of the Year - Medium
Rebeca Acevedo
Franklin Marriott Cool Springs
Lodging Employee of the Year - Large
Industry Leadership Awards
Kim Mitchell
Blount County Tourism
DMO Manager of the Year - Large
Tevin Hill
TopJump Trampoline & Extreme Arena
Tourism Manager of the Year - Small
Tourism Manager of the Year - Large
Jake Bradley
Gatlinburg SkyPark
Tourism Manager of the Year - Large
Nicole Primes
Kooky Canuck
Restaurant Manager of the Year - Independent
Tabitha Hartung
Manager, Smoky Mountain Brewery - Gatlinburg
Restaurant Manager of the Year - Chain
Ashley Mott
Hampton Inn - Chattanooga East Ridge
Lodging Manager of the Year - Small
Cierra Layman
The Resort at Governor's Crossing
Lodging Manager of the Year - Medium
Joseph Dunn
Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Water Park
Lodging Manager of the Year - Large
Tourism General Manager of the Year - Small
Restaurant General Manager of the Year - Ind.
Holly Smith
Golden Corral - Sevierville
Restaurant General Manager of the Year - Chain
Cassidee Dabney
Blackberry Farm
Brandy Crawford
General Manager, Fairfield Inn & Suites - Johnson City
Lodging General Manager of the Year - Small
Debra Adams
Edgewater Hotel and Conference Center - Gatlinburg
Lodging General Manager of the Year - Medium
Jay Raynor
General Manager, Chattanooga Marriott Downtown
Lodging General Manager of the Year - Large
Best in the Industry Awards
NewTerra Compost
109 Hummingbird Lane
Wildwood, GA 30757
Allied Partner of the Year
Yee-Haw Brewing Company - Knoxville
P.O. Box 1709
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
See Rock City, Inc.
1400 Patten Road
Lookout Mountain, GA 30750
Tourism Property of the Year - Large
Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association
3211 North Roan Street
Johnson City, TN 37601
Visit Knoxville
301 South Gay Street
Knoxville, TN 37902
Janice Morgan
Chattanooga Marriott Downtown
Hospitality Achievement Award
James Blunt
Embassy Suites - Knoxville Downtown
Hospitality Achievement Award
Jerry Caldwell
Bristol Motor Speedway, Inc.
Tourism Professional of the Year
Kirby Smith
KBS Restaurant Group
Andrea Anderson
General Manager, Hilton Garden Inn - Chattanooga Downtown
