GILROY
– Gilroy is
”
Garlic and So Much More
”
because of the community spirit Kirsten Carr enthusiastically
spreads as executive director of the Gilroy Visitors Bureau.
Kirsten Carr calls working at the Visitors Bureau her dream job
By VALERIE BROCKBANK
Special to The Dispatch
GILROY – Gilroy is “Garlic and So Much More” because of the community spirit Kirsten Carr enthusiastically spreads as executive director of the Gilroy Visitors Bureau.
She took over the helm when the Visitors Bureau was created as a separate nonprofit organization outside of the Chamber of Commerce in 2000, but Gilroy has been in her blood for much longer. She volunteers extensively in the community and is active on a number of councils to make Gilroy even more of a destination.
Before work last week she was cheerfully participating in Love of Literacy Week at Glen View Elementary School. She and her Rotarian friends spent 15 minutes reading a book of their choice to a classroom of children. As a former teacher at the school, she slipped comfortably into the teacher role and had the first-grade students mesmerized.
“I love to read books,” she tells them. “If you are bored, read a book. They’ll take you to far away places, and you’ll make a new friend. A funny book can make you happy if you’re sad.
“I got my love of education from my mom who is a teacher, and my love of politics from my dad, who was deputy chief of staff in the Carter administration,” she said.
She has also had a career in politics working for Congressman Norm Mineta, State Senator Byron Sher and for Congressman Mike Honda while he was a county supervisor. Both career paths serve her well in her role as chief promoter of Gilroy and its amenities.
“I have my dream job,” she said. “I love this town. There is such a sense of community. My first day on the job three years ago I attended a national tourism convention in Salt Lake City. It was my mission to tell people about our main anchor, the Garlic Festival, but also to show them what was available the other 362 days of the year. It felt so natural to say ‘come to Gilroy.’ ”
“Kirsten Carr is the best thing that has happened to the Visitors Bureau,” said its board president, Sam Bozzo. “She takes Gilroy with her wherever she goes. Gilroy is more present in California and in the USA because of her efforts.”
She recently worked closely with Huell Howser to promote Gilroy on his popular PBS show “California’s Gold.” The board’s vice president, Dave Peoples, agreed.
“She takes on monumental projects with efficiency and innovative ideas,” Peoples said. “The fact that she has lived and worked in many areas of the United States and makes her home in Morgan Hill helps the Visitors Bureau to have a more regional approach.”
Carr is married to Morgan Hill City Councilman Larry Carr.
“I go to the Gilroy functions and Larry goes to the Morgan Hill events. We say our two children will grow up with a split personality,” she said. “We were both brought up to be active in our communities, and we want that for our children, too.
“We are probably the only couple that argues about which town got the Costco.”
At a recent board of directors’ retreat to look at the progress the Visitors Bureau has made, she discovered that many of their goals for the next five to 10 years have already been achieved.
“It’s amazing to see the plans come to fruition,” she said. “We have increased tax revenue by bringing consistently more visitors to the area. We can track those numbers through our advertising efforts in Sunset, Via and Westways magazines.
“Because we are centrally located we are attracting more day trippers and our Web site hits have tripled in three years. We are hitting all the markets needed to be hit: restaurants, hotels businesses, wineries, outlets, sports, culture and Bonfante Gardens. But I want more”
Her marketing wheels are already turning as she speaks passionately about the future sports center and the Arts and Cultural Center still in the planning stage.
“She is the true essence of leadership,” Bozzo said. “Her skills will continue to increase Gilroy’s visibility and viability as a world-class destination.”
