J.W. Marriott, Jr., to Receive the Maryland Governor’s Leadership Award
BALTIMORE, February 7, 2008 - The World Trade Center Institute has announced that Chairman and CEO of Marriott International, Inc., J.W. "Bill" Marriott, Jr., will be the recipient of the 2008 Governor's International Leadership Award. Mr. Marriott will be honored at the Jim Rouse Visionary Arts Museum in Baltimore on Wednesday, March 12, 2008.
The Governor’s Leadership Award is given annually to one individual who has led his or her company to new global heights, demonstrating entrepreneurial spirit, determination, creativity and the cultural sensitivity that global business demands. “Bill Marriott is a man of global vision and corporate consciousness, a perfect choice for this year’s WTCI Governor’s Leadership Award,” said David W. Edgerley, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. In the last 50 years, Bill’s commercial achievements have only been overshadowed by Marriott International’s positive, long-lasting economic impact on Montgomery County and the State of Maryland.”
Mr. Marriott has exemplified outstanding leadership for more than 50 years, taking Marriott from a family restaurant business to a world leader in global lodging. Regarded as a lodging innovator, Bill Marriott’s strategic decisions resulted in accelerated growth, broadening Marriott’s position worldwide to include 3,000 properties across 68 countries and territories.
In January, addressing more than 300 U.S. mayors at the United States Conference of Mayors 76th Winter Meeting – in the first-ever USCM plenary session dedicated solely to travel and tourism, Mr. Marriott said, “Travel is trade. Every time a visitor rents a room in Maui, dines along the Riverwalk in San Antonio or shops on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, it’s a U.S. export – just as much as exporting airplanes, iPods and software. I know security should absolutely be a priority, but we need to implement appropriate security processes in the context of enabling an open exchange of people, ideas, services and products.”
Marriott International is a leader across the board, from its high-quality workforce to its commitment to diversity and community service. Marriott International has also led the industry in its efforts to be environmentally friendly. These factors have consistently placed the company on Fortune magazine’s lists of most admired companies, best places to work and top companies for minorities.
Bill Marriott is a member of the Executive Committee of the World Travel & Tourism Council, the Chairman of the President’s Export Council (a presidential advisory committee on export trade) and serves on the Secure Borders Open Doors Advisory Committee (SBODAC). In addition, he serves as a director of the United States Naval Academy Foundation.
About the International Leadership Awards Event:
Date: March 12, 2008
Time: 5:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Location: Jim Rouse Visionary Center, a part of the American Visionary Arts Museum, 800 Key Highway, Baltimore, MD 21230
Refreshments/Maryland-Ireland International Buffet, Irish Music Celebration
See wtci.org for tickets and details
About WTCI: Established in Baltimore in 1989 to help connect Maryland to the globe, today the World Trade Center Institute (WTCI) is the region’s premier private sector international business partner. Financed jointly by area businesses and the State of Maryland, WTCI operates as a non-profit membership organization.