Visitors Bureau CEO Greg Edwards reshapes Des Moines
If the set of ears banking on him belongs to civic leaders, Edwards revisits his eighth-grade duty as captain of the "patrol boys" crossing-guard unit in his native Peoria, Ill., as dependable as the sun arriving blaze-yellow each morning in the east.
If the job demands flash and sass, Edwards embodies slick-tongued gambler Nathan Detroit from the Broadway musical "Guys and Dolls," a role he played in high school.
For the CEO and president of the Greater Des Moines Convention & Visitors Bureau, there's simply too much on the to-do list to be handcuffed by a single set of skills.
Edwards is the affable engine behind more than $1.2 billion in estimated event revenue that has rolled into the region under his guidance since 2000. He teamed with Iowa Events Center general manager Chris Connolly and Iowa State to recently lock down the area's biggest success — the opening weekend of the 2016 NCAA men's basketball tournament.
The central Iowa events maestro, a quick-witted mix of tenaciousness and deft touch, alters what it means to live in Des Moines.
"Greg doesn't take 'no' for an answer, if you know what I mean," said Tim Arehart, an attorney from Overland Park, Kan., who's called Edwards a friend since kindergarten. "He takes it as a challenge."
The 59-year-old Edwards probably has pumped through more handshakes and patted more backs than all of the Iowa caucus contenders combined.
The ability to connect was honed in central Illinois, where Edwards was named president of his 525-student class at Richwoods High School in Peoria. His work ethic developed through delivering the weekly newspaper "The Observer" — collecting $1.05 from customers each month — before he spent time as a lifeguard and a country club maintenance man.
Edwards later took a job as restaurant lounge manager at Peoria's Continental Regency Hotel. He became the hotel's marketing manager, which caused the company to steer him to a new Holiday Inn in Waterloo.
"I moved there in 1983, not knowing a soul," he said.
Hotel connections bounced Edwards between the downtown Marriott in Des Moines — where he met his wife, Joni — and another hotel in Overland Park, Kan. He became marketing director for the convention and visitors bureau in Overland Park before returning to Peoria in 1994 to run the CVB there.
That's where Edwards showed, in a headline-grabbing way, that he's the kind of person capable of reshaping perceptions and retooling what's possible.
Edwards was one of two men who ended the 77-year run of the Illinois High School Association's boys' basketball tournament in Champaign. That city had hosted generations of stars, including a talented scorer named Johnny Orr who led the Taylorville Tornadoes to a 45-0 record and championship in 1944.
The thought of uprooting a tournament with such a rich history and shuffling it to Peoria raised eyebrows — until it happened in 1995.
"That's one of those personal highlights," Edwards said.
That's Edwards. He's the guy holding the microphone or sitting on the other side of the table, persuading anyone who will listen to adopt new visions.
The state basketball success is one of the reasons a head-hunting firm identified Edwards for his current job in 2000. He's been signing event contracts in Polk County ever since. In the time Edwards has overseen the Des Moines CVB, the organization has pulled in 2,115 convention and meeting groups, along with 678 sports groups.
Every ticket for the 2013 NCAA wrestling championships sold out in less than 15 minutes, with the event adding an estimated $15.5 million to the region's bank account. The continuing relationship with the World Pork Expo brings 25,000-30,000 to the metro area annually.
The flood of activities that enriches central Iowa ranges from religious groups and trade shows to destined-for-television sports.
"Greg's got that personality that allows him to communicate with ease with a really broad range of people," said Paul Rottenberg, the CEO of Orchestrate Management and chairman of the Des Moines CVB board. "It takes that kind of guy to make a pitch to a square dance group or quilting group and also win the confidence of people who make decisions at the NCAA."
Des Moines city councilman Chris Coleman has worked with Edwards and become a friend. He's impressed by the professional and person he's come to know.
"Sometimes it is hard to figure out if Greg is the guy you want to run your business or the guy to have a beer with. Actually, he's both," Coleman said of Edwards, who has served on the board of directors for 15 central Iowa organizations. "I'm always amazed at his command of the data and info related to his business. He holds people accountable at the CVB and has detailed metrics on each employee. That is why he runs a successful CVB.
"You'd never know all that if you only saw Greg on one of his comedic rolls that has everyone laughing and wondering what might possibly come next. The guy is talented. And he has the heart of a true friend."
Arehart remembers a day at school when an unpopular kid was being bullied — and Edwards, his friend, stepped in.
"Greg would never be a part of that. That's not the way he worked. That's not the way he thought," Arehart said. "He had that instinct at a very early age. It's the same way he is now. Things have not changed for Greg in 45 years. What you see is what you get. And his word is gold. People flock to that."
Rottenberg said the perseverance of the CVB leader can be infectious.
"I've been in plenty of meetings with Greg when he reported on a group we didn't get," he said. "He'll always present it and say, 'We're going to go back on it again.' I think what he's proudest of is, when he gets knocked down, he gets back up."
Under Edwards, the Des Moines CVB also plans ahead to build steam for future events.
The organization donated $100,000 to the new basketball practice facility at Drake University. The growth at Drake is part of a broader strategy of revitalization that could help lure the next biggie on Edwards' list — the U.S. Olympic Trials in track and field.
There's hope, too, that an Olympic-sized pool becomes a reality at the downtown YMCA. Edwards and his group have reached out to anyone who cares about water and stopwatches, including USA Swimming, USA Water Polo and USA Synchronized Swimming.
Someday, that could translate into a run at the U.S. Olympic Trials for swimming held in nearby Omaha.
"I would never say 'never' on anything," Edwards said.
That word was removed from Edwards' vocabulary long ago. It's the reason he became so emotional when the NCAA basketball bid was awarded. His eyes moistened when texts and calls started rolling in from Joni and his children, Annie, Brian, Jack and Molly.
No one knows how hard Edwards has worked and how much he cares more than his family.
"I couldn't do this without them," he said.
Des Moines, it seems, couldn't do it without Edwards.
Bryce Miller can be reached at 515-284-8288 or brmiller@ dmreg.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Bryce_A_Miller
GREG EDWARDS
AGE: 59.
LIVES: Urbandale.
EDUCATION: Illinois Central College, transferred to University of Northern Colorado in 1974 to study speech communications.
CAREER: President and CEO, Greater Des Moines Convention & Visitors Bureau, October 2000-present; president and CEO, Peoria (Ill.) Convention & Visitors Bureau (1994-2000); interim president, Overland Park (Kan.) Convention & Visitors Bureau (1993-94); marketing director, Overland Park CVB (1990-94). Has served on 15 boards in central Iowa.
FAMILY: Wife, Joni, and four children in their 20s — Annie, Brian, Jack and Molly.
15 PEOPLE TO WATCH IN 2015
These are central Iowans in business, arts, nonprofits, civic activism and nonelected government positions who are expected to make a difference in their fields of endeavor in 2015.
Readers were invited to submit nominations. Selections were made by Des Moines Register editors and reporters.
Look for profiles daily through Sunday, Jan. 4.
Coming Monday: Gilbert Vicario, senior curator, Des Moines Art Center
Reported by: The Des Moines Register
If the job demands flash and sass, Edwards embodies slick-tongued gambler Nathan Detroit from the Broadway musical "Guys and Dolls," a role he played in high school.
For the CEO and president of the Greater Des Moines Convention & Visitors Bureau, there's simply too much on the to-do list to be handcuffed by a single set of skills.
Edwards is the affable engine behind more than $1.2 billion in estimated event revenue that has rolled into the region under his guidance since 2000. He teamed with Iowa Events Center general manager Chris Connolly and Iowa State to recently lock down the area's biggest success — the opening weekend of the 2016 NCAA men's basketball tournament.
The central Iowa events maestro, a quick-witted mix of tenaciousness and deft touch, alters what it means to live in Des Moines.
"Greg doesn't take 'no' for an answer, if you know what I mean," said Tim Arehart, an attorney from Overland Park, Kan., who's called Edwards a friend since kindergarten. "He takes it as a challenge."
The 59-year-old Edwards probably has pumped through more handshakes and patted more backs than all of the Iowa caucus contenders combined.
The ability to connect was honed in central Illinois, where Edwards was named president of his 525-student class at Richwoods High School in Peoria. His work ethic developed through delivering the weekly newspaper "The Observer" — collecting $1.05 from customers each month — before he spent time as a lifeguard and a country club maintenance man.
Edwards later took a job as restaurant lounge manager at Peoria's Continental Regency Hotel. He became the hotel's marketing manager, which caused the company to steer him to a new Holiday Inn in Waterloo.
"I moved there in 1983, not knowing a soul," he said.
Hotel connections bounced Edwards between the downtown Marriott in Des Moines — where he met his wife, Joni — and another hotel in Overland Park, Kan. He became marketing director for the convention and visitors bureau in Overland Park before returning to Peoria in 1994 to run the CVB there.
That's where Edwards showed, in a headline-grabbing way, that he's the kind of person capable of reshaping perceptions and retooling what's possible.
Edwards was one of two men who ended the 77-year run of the Illinois High School Association's boys' basketball tournament in Champaign. That city had hosted generations of stars, including a talented scorer named Johnny Orr who led the Taylorville Tornadoes to a 45-0 record and championship in 1944.
The thought of uprooting a tournament with such a rich history and shuffling it to Peoria raised eyebrows — until it happened in 1995.
"That's one of those personal highlights," Edwards said.
That's Edwards. He's the guy holding the microphone or sitting on the other side of the table, persuading anyone who will listen to adopt new visions.
The state basketball success is one of the reasons a head-hunting firm identified Edwards for his current job in 2000. He's been signing event contracts in Polk County ever since. In the time Edwards has overseen the Des Moines CVB, the organization has pulled in 2,115 convention and meeting groups, along with 678 sports groups.
Every ticket for the 2013 NCAA wrestling championships sold out in less than 15 minutes, with the event adding an estimated $15.5 million to the region's bank account. The continuing relationship with the World Pork Expo brings 25,000-30,000 to the metro area annually.
The flood of activities that enriches central Iowa ranges from religious groups and trade shows to destined-for-television sports.
"Greg's got that personality that allows him to communicate with ease with a really broad range of people," said Paul Rottenberg, the CEO of Orchestrate Management and chairman of the Des Moines CVB board. "It takes that kind of guy to make a pitch to a square dance group or quilting group and also win the confidence of people who make decisions at the NCAA."
Des Moines city councilman Chris Coleman has worked with Edwards and become a friend. He's impressed by the professional and person he's come to know.
"Sometimes it is hard to figure out if Greg is the guy you want to run your business or the guy to have a beer with. Actually, he's both," Coleman said of Edwards, who has served on the board of directors for 15 central Iowa organizations. "I'm always amazed at his command of the data and info related to his business. He holds people accountable at the CVB and has detailed metrics on each employee. That is why he runs a successful CVB.
"You'd never know all that if you only saw Greg on one of his comedic rolls that has everyone laughing and wondering what might possibly come next. The guy is talented. And he has the heart of a true friend."
Arehart remembers a day at school when an unpopular kid was being bullied — and Edwards, his friend, stepped in.
"Greg would never be a part of that. That's not the way he worked. That's not the way he thought," Arehart said. "He had that instinct at a very early age. It's the same way he is now. Things have not changed for Greg in 45 years. What you see is what you get. And his word is gold. People flock to that."
Rottenberg said the perseverance of the CVB leader can be infectious.
"I've been in plenty of meetings with Greg when he reported on a group we didn't get," he said. "He'll always present it and say, 'We're going to go back on it again.' I think what he's proudest of is, when he gets knocked down, he gets back up."
Under Edwards, the Des Moines CVB also plans ahead to build steam for future events.
The organization donated $100,000 to the new basketball practice facility at Drake University. The growth at Drake is part of a broader strategy of revitalization that could help lure the next biggie on Edwards' list — the U.S. Olympic Trials in track and field.
There's hope, too, that an Olympic-sized pool becomes a reality at the downtown YMCA. Edwards and his group have reached out to anyone who cares about water and stopwatches, including USA Swimming, USA Water Polo and USA Synchronized Swimming.
Someday, that could translate into a run at the U.S. Olympic Trials for swimming held in nearby Omaha.
"I would never say 'never' on anything," Edwards said.
That word was removed from Edwards' vocabulary long ago. It's the reason he became so emotional when the NCAA basketball bid was awarded. His eyes moistened when texts and calls started rolling in from Joni and his children, Annie, Brian, Jack and Molly.
No one knows how hard Edwards has worked and how much he cares more than his family.
"I couldn't do this without them," he said.
Des Moines, it seems, couldn't do it without Edwards.
Bryce Miller can be reached at 515-284-8288 or brmiller@ dmreg.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Bryce_A_Miller
GREG EDWARDS
AGE: 59.
LIVES: Urbandale.
EDUCATION: Illinois Central College, transferred to University of Northern Colorado in 1974 to study speech communications.
CAREER: President and CEO, Greater Des Moines Convention & Visitors Bureau, October 2000-present; president and CEO, Peoria (Ill.) Convention & Visitors Bureau (1994-2000); interim president, Overland Park (Kan.) Convention & Visitors Bureau (1993-94); marketing director, Overland Park CVB (1990-94). Has served on 15 boards in central Iowa.
FAMILY: Wife, Joni, and four children in their 20s — Annie, Brian, Jack and Molly.
15 PEOPLE TO WATCH IN 2015
These are central Iowans in business, arts, nonprofits, civic activism and nonelected government positions who are expected to make a difference in their fields of endeavor in 2015.
Readers were invited to submit nominations. Selections were made by Des Moines Register editors and reporters.
Look for profiles daily through Sunday, Jan. 4.
Coming Monday: Gilbert Vicario, senior curator, Des Moines Art Center
Reported by: The Des Moines Register
