Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson this week appointed Oaklawn Park General Manager Eric Jackson to the Arkansas State Parks, Recreation and Travel Commission.
The six-year appointment expires Jan. 14, 2023. Jackson replaces LeRoy Dangeau on the commission.
The 15-member P&T commission also includes Jim Shamburger of Hot Springs, the owner of the Best Western Winners Circle Inn, which is located across Central Avenue from Oaklawn, and Bill Barnes, owner and CEO of Mountain Harbor Resort on Lake Ouachita.
Having three members on the commission from the same region of the state "seems quite appropriate," Jackson said Friday, given that "we're the No. 1 tourism area in the state."
Jackson said he was "thrilled" to be going on the state commission and representing the community.
"One of the things that Arkansas excels at is its state parks and its overall approach to tourism, and Oaklawn and Hot Springs are both beneficiaries of what the state does," Jackson said.
With 100,000 jobs depending upon the state's tourism industry being successful, "it's a daunting responsibility," he said.
Jackson said he has spent his entire career in the tourism industry, including having served nearly 10 years on the Hot Springs Advertising and Promotion Commission. During that time, the ad commission oversaw the construction and operation of the Hot Springs Convention Center, and hired Steve Arrison as the CEO of Visit Hot Springs.
Arrison also previously served on the state's P&T commission.
Jackson said the six-year appointment actually dovetails nicely with his previously announced plans to step away from his day-to-day responsibilities as general manager at Oaklawn.
Later this season, Jackson said he will transition into an as-yet unnamed new role -- "it's going to be something like executive vice president for special projects" -- for both Oaklawn and the Cella family.
"It will be less full time than what I am doing now, because (Assistant General Manager) Wayne Smith will be taking the reins and leading Oaklawn into the future. But I don't plan to completely fade away. I will be working a reduced schedule going forward, and as a result, I'll have time to do things such as this," Jackson said.
Jackson, asked about the potential conflict of serving on the P&T commission since the state's marketing firm, CJRW of Little Rock, also handles some marketing for Oaklawn Park, noted that CJRW is the state's largest agency, and "they probably know more about tourism than anybody, anywhere around."
CJRW holds the state marketing contract issued by the state Department of Parks and Tourism. The contract, worth about $15 million annually, will be open for bids in March, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Jackson also notes that the P&T commission has 15 members, and he is only "one commissioner."
"They've done a good job for Oaklawn, and I think they've done a terrific job for Hot Springs," Jackson said. CJRW also handles Hot Springs' tourism marketing program under a contract with the ad commission.
Jackson said Oaklawn does a lot of its marketing internally now, "so we don't use CJRW exclusively, but we do use them, and have for a long time. It's one of the most enduring agency-client relationships in the state."
Local on 01/28/2017