The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Earned Media Coverage

February 27, 2014

Family Fun Awaits at Colonial Williamsburg

2.23.14

Visit Colonial Williamsburg this winter for a family vacation that is as educational as it is fun. By booking the Revolutionary Experience Package, your family will enjoy accommodations in a Colonial Williamsburg hotel, daily breakfast, and admission to local museums. Looking for a more private experience? Book the Couples Getaway Package featuring a carriage ride for two, and more.

http://www.takingthekids.com/tip-of-the-day/family-fun-awaits-in-colonial-williamsburg/

Colonial Williamsburg Shuttle to be Shut Down

2.22.14

A free shuttle that carried passengers from the Colonial Williamsburg Regional Visitor Center to Jamestown, Yorktown, Busch Gardens and Water Country is being discontinued.

The service connecting Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown began in 2005.

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation assumed the financial and operating responsibility for the bus service to Jamestown and Yorktown in 2012. It had been funded by a federal grant to the National Park Service until the end of 2011.

But the foundation said this week that it's not feasible to continue the service in the future given its other priorities and financial pressures.

http://www.apnewsarchive.com/2014/Free-Colonial-Williamsburg-shuttle-to-be-shut-down,-foundation-sites-financial-priorities/id-83131a5dde2c40c69bff1a889ee96cbe

Colonial Williamsburg Foundation names new trustee

2/21/14

The newest member of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Board of Trustees is a money manager from Los Angeles.

Sheldon Stone is co-founder, principal, director and portfolio manager of Oaktree Capital Group, LLC, a global asset management firm.

Before helping to create the firm in 1995, Stone worked for Trust Company of the West, Citibankand Prudential Life Insurance.

"Sheldon and his wife, Cindy, are dedicated supporters of the mission of Colonial Williamsburg as members of the Raleigh Tavern Society and we are delighted that he is bringing his demonstrated commitment to community service, knowledge of non-profit governance and expertise in asset management to the board of trustees," said Colin Campbell, president of Colonial Williamsburg, in a statement announcing the appointment.

"I am delighted to be joining the board of Colonial Williamsburg and look forward to serving this extraordinary institution," Stone said. "My wife and I have many fond memories of the times we visited Williamsburg with our children. It is a delight to get reacquainted with Williamsburg."

Stone is chair emeritus of the California Community Foundation and serves on the national advisory board of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth and the board of advisors for theUniversity of Southern California Marshall School of Business Center for Investment Studies. He is a member of the World Presidents' Organization and a trustee of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. He serves as a trustee of Bowdoin College and previously chaired the board's investment committee. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from Bowdoin College and a master's degree in business administration from Columbia University.

In November 2013, three members of Colonial Williamsburg's governing boards retired upon completion of their terms of service. Jeanne B. Daniel of New Canaan, Conn., retired after 13 years of service as a director of Colonial Williamsburg Company, the foundation's wholly-owned business subsidiary which oversees hospitality, merchandising and commercial properties operations. John R. Donnell Jr. of Atlanta, Ga., and Sharon P. Rockefeller ofWashington, D.C., retired as trustees of the foundation, each with 12 years of service.

http://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-cwhonors-0212-20140225,0,2477392.story

Busch Gardens, City of Williamsburg turn to social media for input, decisions

2.25.14

By Steve Vaughan

One of the most important tasks for businesses using social media is to create two-way conversations with followers.

According to the website Mashable, using social media to "create a community of insiders" is important. The "insiders" feel they understand the inner workings and behind-the-scenes "personality" of the business. And one way to do that is to let them know their comments are heard.

One local leader in using social media has even allowed follwers to make some of its business decisions.

Wanting to add nights to its successful Food & Wine Festival promotion for this year, Busch Gardens Williamsburg turned to its Facebook fans to decide what cuisine should be added.

"We conducted a poll in January to ask our nearly 500,000 Facebook fans what kind of culinary offering they would like to see for the 2014 Food and Wine Festival," said Busch spokesman Kevin Crossett. "For the poll, we asked fans to choose among five options. Those options were American Southwest, India, Thailand, the Caribbean or a vegetarianoption. An overwhelming majority of fans, 38 percent of nearly 1,000 who voted, chose Caribbean cuisine."

That surprised Busch Gardens president Carl Lum.

"I thought they'd go for the vegetarian," he said in a recent talk to the Business Roundtable.

The park then began developing a theme and menu to coincide with the selection.

Crossett said that this was the first time Busch Gardens has used social media to guide product development, but it might not be the last.

"The process was well received by the park's senior leadership," Crossett said. "It lets us connect with our fans in a new way, and helps us create experiences that our fans want. Based on the success of the Food and Wine Festival poll, fans can expect to see more of these types of polls from the social media team."

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, which also has a huge online presence, uses its website to draw in visitors though the "RevQuest" scavenger hunt game, which begins online but must be completed in the Historic Area.

http://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-socialmedia-0219-20140225,0,5958925.story

While its social media marketing lets followers know about special events coming up and offers insider deals and discounts, Colonial Williamsburg has done little in the way of letting its social media audience help make decisions so far.

"We did have a Facebook contest where we asked our fans to decide the names for two sheep," said spokeswoman Barbara Brown.

The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation hasn't ventured into that territory yet.

"We have an active Facebook page, with close to 28,000 followers, but haven't used it in this way," said spokeswoman Debby Padgett.

Among municipalities, the City of Williamsburg has been ahead of the curve for years in e-government.

"Since 2008 we've used Peak Democracy/Williamsburg Forum to get citizen input on budgets, how and where to save money," said city spokeswoman Kate Hoving.

She said the city has also reached out online to citizens as part of its goals and initiatives program.

"It's routed through Facebook and Twitter, so all comments are shared. We used it for comments regarding the Stryker project, Arts District, Northeast Triangle Focus group and economic development ideas," Hoving said. "Council takes the comments into consideration. I must say we've gotten really thoughtful, valuable comments on all topics."

And the city has used its social media presence for some lighter projects as well.

"I've done a few contests," Hoving said, pointing to efforts to choose Dogs of Williamsburg and Birds of Williamsburg. "The winners were chosen by the number of likes."

http://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-socialmedia-0219-20140225,0,5958925.story

Colonial Williamsburg honored

Inn, Lodge Spa, Golf course honored

By Steve Vaughan

2.25.14

The hospitality division of Colonial Williamsburg recently collected a string of honors and awards from Forbes Travel Guide, Golf magazine and the Virginia Chefs Association.

Some of the honors are new; some Colonial Williamsburg has garnered before.

Colonial Williamsburg's Golden Horseshoe Gold Course has been awarded the Golf magazine Premier Resort Gold Medal for 2014-15, continuing its long-standing position among elite resort courses throughout North America, according to a statement released Tuesday.

"The golf course has been recognized before, of course," said Colonial Williamsburg spokeswoman Barbara Brown.

The magazine's biannual rankings are based on golf, lodging, food and beverages and service.

The Gold Course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and opened in 1963. The course was updated in 1998 by Jones' son.

Forbes Travel Guide announced that the Williamsburg Inn, the Williamsburg Lodge and the Spa of Colonial Williamsburg have all earned the 2014 Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Award. The Inn has received that designation before. This is the first time the Williamsburg Lodge and the Spa of Colonial Williamsburg have received the four-star designation.

"Not only is this the first time the spa has been recognized, it is the only spa in Virginia to be rated four stars," Brown said.

The Virginia Chefs Association named the Williamsburg Inn's Executive Chef Travis Brust its 2014 Chef of the Year.

Brust joined the Inn staff in 2002.

His specialties are the preparation of classic dishes and innovative pairings of regional foods from local purveyors.

http://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-cwhonors-0212-20140225,0,2477392.story

Brust is in charge of the Inn's culinary kitchens and of training new students, which he counts as his greatest accomplishment..

The Inn, the brainchild of John D. Rockefeller Jr., the force behind the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg, opened in April 1937. The Lodge followed in 1939, also at the guidance of Rockefeller.

The spa is a latecomer. It was completed in early 2007, to enhance the resort status of Colonial Williamsburg. It includes treatments that date from the colonial era and Native American methods that are even older. The spa has 12 treatment rooms, a fitness center, indoor and outdoor pools and bicycle rentals.

http://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-cwhonors-0212-20140225,0,2477392.story

Sheldon Stone Elected Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Trustee

2.22.14

Sheldon Stone of Los Angeles-based Oaktree Capital Group LLC has been elected to the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Board of Trustees.

“I am delighted to be joining the board of Colonial Williamsburg and look forward to serving this extraordinary institution,” Stone said in a news release. “My wife and I have many fond memories of the times we visited Williamsburg with our children. It is a delight to get reacquainted with Williamsburg.”

Stone is one of six Oaktree Capital Group co-founders and is the global asset management firm’s principal, director and portfolio manager. He has served as managing director and senior vice president of Trust Company of the West, research analyst for Citibank and director of corporate finance for Prudential Insurance Company.

Stone earned a master’s degree in business administration from Columbia University. He serves as chair emeritus of the California Community Foundation and serves on the national advisory board of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth and the board of advisors for the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business Center for Investment Studies.

http://wydaily.com/2014/02/22/sheldon-stone-elected-colonial-williamsburg-foundation-trustee/

Stone is also a member of the World Presidents’ Organization, a trustee of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and a trustee of Bowdoin College. He previously served as director of the Mayflower Group Inc.

“Sheldon and his wife, Cindy, are dedicated supporters of the mission of Colonial Williamsburg as members of the Raleigh Tavern Society and we are delighted that he is bringing his demonstrated commitment to community service, knowledge of nonprofit governance and expertise in asset management to the board of trustees,” said Colin Campbell, president of Colonial Williamsburg, in the release.

In November, Sharon Rockefeller, John Donnell retired in as foundation trustees after 12 years of service each. Jeanne Daniel retired in November after 13 years as director of Colonial Williamsburg Company, a subsidiary overseeing hospitality, merchandising and commercial properties operations.

http://wydaily.com/2014/02/22/sheldon-stone-elected-colonial-williamsburg-foundation-trustee/

Williamsburg Inn Chef Named Virginia’s Best

By Hannah S. Ostroff

2.23.14

Travis Brust should be getting familiar with the taste of success.

The executive chef at the Williamsburg Inn has accumulated a slew of awards for his work, most recently named the 2013-2014 Virginia Chefs’ Association’s Chef of the Year. The honor was bestowed at a gala dinner by the association Feb. 9.

Brust began his culinary career at age 13 in a New York restaurant, and first spent time at the Williamsburg Inn in 2002 during a culinary internship. He was invited to return two years later and worked his way up to executive chef, a role he took on in March 2011.

Prior to his Chef of the Year award, Brust earned recognition up and down the east coast and across the country. In November 2012, he traveled to Las Vegas for the inaugural World Food Championships.

http://wydaily.com/2014/02/23/williamsburg-inn-chef-named-virginias-best/

Competing in a grueling two-day contest, Brust took home first place in the World Chef Challenge.Last month, the Regency Room in the Williamsburg Inn was praised as the top restaurant in Coastal Virginia by Coastal Virginia Magazine, where Brust was called a “culinary powerhouse” for his “grasp of cuisine.”

Brust knew he was nominated for the Chef of the Year prize, but said he did not expect to be the one chosen to take home the trophy.

The honor has been awarded since 1977, and is chosen through a ballot system by the members of the VCA. Brust serves as vice president of the VCA, and as vice president of Resort Food Executive Committee.

The organization was founded in 1974 by three Richmond chefs who wished to promote professional growth and education in the culinary arts. A member of the American Culinary Federation, the chapter currently has about 90 members. They have published several cookbooks and are active in fundraisers and social events, as well as support the ACF Apprenticeship program.

Brust, who is a graduate of an apprentice program, said the VCA award is an accumulation of his efforts over the years with Colonial Williamsburg and their programs for young endeavoring chefs.

It is an honor that carries profound – and literal – weight.

“The names on that award are legends in our small culinary community here, and it’s just an absolute honor to be amongst them,” Brust said. “It’s a big heavy trophy too.”

http://wydaily.com/2014/02/23/williamsburg-inn-chef-named-virginias-best/