Posted: December, 2007

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced The “Employee of the Year” and “Tourist of the Day” ceremony will be held Monday, May 12, 11:30 a.m. on the lawn at Park Headquarters to celebrate National Tourism Week and showcase the long and successful partnership between Great Smoky Mountains National Park and its neighboring tourism communities. This year, the event will honor the Park’s Senior Contracting Officer for the outstanding job he does in overseeing a wide variety of contracting, procurement, property management services, and cooperative agreements. As part of the celebration, a tourist family will be selected to take part in the ceremony to highlight the importance of visitors to the Park and its gateway communities.

Lewis Grooms, National Park Employee of the Year

“Each year, when we invite our staff to nominate one of their co-workers to be our “Employee of the Year” for the previous year we get a terrific slate of candidates from which to choose,” said Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson. “We are indeed proud to announce the selection of Lewis Grooms, Chief of Contracting and Property Management in the Administrative Division, as the 2007 ‘Employee of the Year.’ Lewis was chosen both for his ability to accomplish millions of dollars of contracting and procurement services in the Park, as well as assisting several other National Park Service Southeast Region units that do not have the budgets to support a contract specialist.”

He is noted for his efficiency in administering these multifaceted contracts that serve all the divisions of the Park that are responsible for managing the Park’s diverse and irreplaceable natural and cultural resources, spanning a half million acres. Included in these resources are hundreds of buildings, campgrounds, picnic areas, utility systems, over 800 miles of trails, 350 miles of roads, and visitor services for 9 million visitors.

Last year the Park issued 220 contractual documents ranging from road projects and installing utility systems to securing trash pick up services and managing comprehensive cooperative agreements between the Park, municipalities, and a number of universities for research activities. Donna Losson, Administrative Officer, said that “Lewis handles this wide ranging responsibility with commitment and professionalism. He has applied his interpersonal skills, contracting expertise, resourcefulness, and strong work ethic to achieve recognition in the field of contracting and has become an ambassador for Great Smoky Mountains National Park.”

This month, Lewis celebrates his 50th anniversary working at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. During this time, he has held numerous positions starting as a warehouse clerk in 1958. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army and is an active participant in the Gatlinburg Post of the American Legion. He and his wife, Betty, are long-time residents of Gatlinburg and members of the First Baptist Church of Gatlinburg.

Mark Northall, a professional master of ceremonies at Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede Dinner and Show, will serve as the Employee of the Year emcee. Co-hosts of the event include: Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism, Gatlinburg Department of Tourism, Sevierville Chamber of Commerce, Smoky Mountains Visitors Bureau, Cherokee Tribal Travel and Promotions in North Carolina, and Newport/Cocke County Tourism Council.

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