Newberry Area Tourism Association announces new executive director

NEWBERRY — Recently, the Newberry Area Tourism Association Board of Directors unanimously voted to officially hire Andrew Rasch as their new executive director as of Jan. 2. 

Rasch comes to the organization with many years of experience in hotel management and tourism marketing. He has served on the board of directors for Visit Escanaba since 2015 and has served as vice president since 2019. He has worked in hospitality in general since 2007. Rasch had approached the board with several proposals to improve the organization's effectiveness. This led to his participation in an October meeting, eventually hiring him as the executive director.

“While Luce County has one of the most recognizable attractions in Michigan with

Tahquamenon Falls, there is so much more we have to offer visitors to our area,” said Rasch in a press release. “I intend to develop both the marketing infrastructure and the messaging needed to increase tourism, provide the best possible experience for our guests, and bring more people and businesses to Luce County.”

In addition to the hiring, the board unanimously passed the annual budget, approved the submission of the annual marketing report to the Michigan Economic Development Council, and approved contracting with Holt-Bosse, a marketing firm out of St. Joseph.