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
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Brian Lee
Blackberry Farm
Industry Educator of the Year
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Barbara Wolke
Senior Vice President, Rutherford County Convention and Visitors Bureau
Women in Hospitality & Tourism Award
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Alec Castro
Johnson City Convention & Visitors Bureau
Special Recognition Awards
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Jennifer Wilder
Greene County Partnership Tourism Department
Community Service Award: Employee
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See Rock City, Inc.
1400 Patten Road
Lookout Mountain, GA 30750
Community Service Award: Attraction
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Huey's
1915 Madison Ave.
Memphis, TN 38104
Community Service Award: Restaurant
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Ruby Falls
1720 South Scenic Highway
Chattanooga, TN 37409
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Visit Knoxville
301 South Gay Street
Knoxville, TN 37902
Event of the Year: Bassmaster Classic
Employee Excellence Awards
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Kristen Combs
Visit Knoxville
DMO Employee of the Year - Large
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Austin Hamilton
Deacon's New South
Restaurant Employee of the Year - Independent
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Belva Myers
Restaurant Employee of the Year - Chain
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Joel Dahlhauser
Room Revenue Director, Carnegie Hotel - Johnson City
Lodging Employee of the Year - Small
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Mostafa Eladawy
Embassy Suites Knoxville West
Lodging Employee of the Year - Medium
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Rebeca Acevedo
Marriott Franklin Cool Springs
Lodging Employee of the Year - Large
Industry Leadership Awards
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Kim Mitchell
Blount County Tourism
DMO Manager of the Year - Large
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Tevin Hill
TopJump Trampoline & Extreme Arena
Tourism Manager of the Year - Small
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Tourism Manager of the Year - Large
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Jake Bradley
Gatlinburg SkyPark
Tourism Manager of the Year - Large
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Nicole Primes
Kooky Canuck
Restaurant Manager of the Year - Independent
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Tabitha Hartung
Manager, Smoky Mountain Brewery - Gatlinburg
Restaurant Manager of the Year - Chain
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Ashley Mott
Hampton Inn - Chattanooga East Ridge
Lodging Manager of the Year - Small
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Cierra Layman
The Resort at Governor's Crossing
Lodging Manager of the Year - Medium
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Joseph Dunn
Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Water Park
Lodging Manager of the Year - Large
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Tourism General Manager of the Year - Small
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Restaurant General Manager of the Year - Ind.
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Holly Smith
Restaurant General Manager of the Year - Chain
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Cassidee Dabney
Blackberry Farm
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Brandy Crawford
General Manager
Lodging General Manager of the Year - Small
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Debra Adams
Edgewater Hotel and Conference Center - Gatlinburg
Lodging General Manager of the Year - Medium
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Jay Raynor
General Manager, Chattanooga Marriott Downtown
Lodging General Manager of the Year - Large
Best in the Industry Awards
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NewTerra Compost
109 Hummingbird Lane
Wildwood, GA 30757
Allied Partner of the Year
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Yee-Haw Brewing Company - Knoxville
P.O. Box 1709
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
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See Rock City, Inc.
1400 Patten Road
Lookout Mountain, GA 30750
Tourism Property of the Year - Large
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Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association
3211 North Roan Street
Johnson City, TN 37601
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Visit Knoxville
301 South Gay Street
Knoxville, TN 37902
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Janice Morgan
Chattanooga Marriott Downtown
Hospitality Achievement Award
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James Blunt
Embassy Suites - Knoxville Downtown
Hospitality Achievement Award
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Jerry Caldwell
Bristol Motor Speedway, Inc.
Tourism Professional of the Year
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Kirby Smith
KBS Restaurant Group
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Andrea Anderson
General Manager, Hampton Inn & Suites - Hamilton Place
