Wampole

Wampole

Luzerne County must hire a new Convention and Visitors Bureau head because current director Ted Wampole will be retiring Aug. 1 after two years and eight months in the position.

Wampole has been a “phenomenal asset” to the county, county Manager C. David Pedri said in a Wednesday release.

“He brought excitement and new ideas to Luzerne County tourism. He is a tireless worker with a can-do attitude who always put the needs of the community first,” Pedri said. “He made a difference here and will be sorely missed. His retirement with his family is well earned.”

With Wampole at the helm, the tourism bureau established a strong online presence, helped to attract industries here and initiated the relocation set for later this year of its downtown Wilkes-Barre headquarters from Public Square to the historic train station to better serve customers, Pedri said.

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Wampole and his team also “supported and marketed Luzerne County’s outdoor activities to the nation,” attracting hundreds of new visitors, Pedri said.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Wampole helped obtain and distribute hundreds of grants for small businesses in the hospitality industry,” he added.

But Wampole’s “most lasting legacy” may be co-founding the “Rockin’ the River” free concert series at the county-owned River Common recreation complex along the Susquehanna River in Wilkes-Barre, which attracted more than 6,000 in 2019, Pedri said.

That event is set to return this summer, with an announcement to come soon, Pedri said.

Previously Wilkes-Barre city government’s administrator, Wampole started working as county tourism executive director Dec. 10, 2018 at a compensation of $70,000 annually after Janet Hall retired.

Wampole had switched to municipal government from the insurance industry when he joined prior city mayor Tony George’s administration in 2016. Wampole retired from Liberty Mutual, where he had been an agent for more than 32 years.

The Convention and Visitors Bureau has a self-sustaining budget funded primarily by 1% of the county’s 5% hotel tax.

The executive director position will be publicly advertised shortly, Pedri said. County job openings are posted under the career opportunities link of the human resources department at luzernecounty.org.

Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.