FRANKLIN, Tennessee— Visit Franklin has promoted Nate Gaw to Director of Sports Tourism. He will lead Visit Franklin’s strategy for the sports market, emphasizing bringing high-impact youth and amateur sports events to Williamson County. Additionally, Visit Franklin has grown its overall staff with the addition of Natali Erickson as Visitor Center Manager and Jon Miniot as a staff accountant.
“Nate has become a fixture in the youth and amateur sports community across the region, attracting youth and amateur sports events from across the country to host their events in Williamson County,” said Visit Franklin President & CEO Maureen Thornton. “I am excited to watch him continue to build those relationships and showcase our area as a premier destination to host tournaments and events.”
Gaw has been with Visit Franklin for 10 years, during which time he has demonstrated a deep commitment to the county’s sports tourism growth. He has built strong relationships with public and private local facilities and stakeholders to bring premier events to Williamson County. He has attracted NCAA post-season tournaments and large-scale tournaments from some of the Southeast’s premier youth soccer, volleyball, baseball, and hockey organizations, among others.
Gaw will continue leading efforts to secure high-impact youth and amateur sports events in Williamson County, as well as industry trade shows and athletic association meetings that drive positive economic impact through visitor spending.
Joining Visit Franklin as Visitor Center Manager, Natali Erickson brings a background in tourism hospitality management and a wealth of customer service experience. Originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, Erickson attended Florida International University and will oversee the visitor center in downtown Franklin, which includes daily operations and events, such as the monthly Art Crawl and pop-up information booths.
Jon Miniot, a Franklin resident with extensive experience in financial management and client relations, joins as a staff accountant. Minoit’s career includes leadership positions across various industries, where he has excelled in budgeting, forecasting, and client-focused financial management. His proven track record of accuracy and professionalism will be valuable as he supports Visit Franklin’s financial and administrative needs.
Thornton added, “As the hospitality industry continues to grow throughout Williamson County, we are ensuring Visit Franklin does the same and is staffed at a level where we can best support our industry and community. I am particularly excited about the opportunities to engage visitors and the local community through our visitor center and visitor information. Having Natalie onboard will create more capacity for our growing efforts across the county. Similarly, Jon brings tremendous experience that will allow us to streamline operations.
ABOUT VISIT FRANKLIN Visit Franklin is the public brand name of the Williamson County Convention & Visitors Bureau. Visit Franklin is the official destination marketing organization for Franklin and the unique communities of Williamson County, Tennessee. Visit Franklin stimulates economic growth by promoting travel and tourism assets such as history, music, attractions, entertainment, the arts, and events to visitors worldwide. For information on Franklin and Williamson County, visit us on the web at VisitFranklin.com.
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