< Forsyth County Public Library & OneForsyth Partner for Annual Lunar New Year Celebration

Forsyth County Chamber and Discover FOCO Name Stacey Gross Director of Tourism Development

---

 

Stacey Gross has been named Director of Tourism Development for the Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce’s tourism development entity, Discover FOCO. Discover FOCO is the outsourced visitor investment development service for the City of Cumming and Forsyth County governments.

 

Since the inception of a professionally driven department in 2011, visitors have generated $32 million in local taxes in Forsyth County, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development. During that same period, the Chamber’s marketing efforts generated 60,000 hotel room night leads for local hotel operators. Those hotel room nights alone generated $15.4 million in local tax revenues. Last year, Forsyth County saw increases in occupancy rates and visitor revenue generation. Hotel room night stays increased by 12.2 percent and visitor generated revenue increased by 26.2 percent over the prior year.

 

“Stacey is very familiar with the region and understands the assets our community has available to visitors. These visitors stay in our hotels and drive revenue to our local restaurants and businesses,” commented James McCoy, President and CEO of the Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce. “Stacey’s skills at relationship development and cultivation of outstanding guest experiences fits perfectly with our strategy for tourism development.”

 

Gross comes to Discover FOCO from the City of Johns Creek where she served as the city’s Event Coordinator, planning various community-wide festivals and celebrations. She previously served as the Executive Director of the Johns Creek Convention and Visitors Bureau and operated her own small business.

 

“These are exciting times for Forsyth County, particularly when it comes to the marketable tourism attractions currently available and those forthcoming on the horizon,” Gross said. “I look forward to contributing to the success of the Discover FOCO brand.”

 

Gross is a graduate of The University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business. She enjoys cheering for UGA with her husband and three daughters, all who have, are pursuing or are planning to pursue degrees from the school.

 

The Chason Group, a firm specializing in tourism, chamber, economic development and non-profit executive searches, assisted the Forsyth Chamber on the search process for the Director of Tourism Development.

---