Northwest suburban tourism bureau leader steps down Friday
Friday marks the last day for Dave Parulo after more than a decade at the helm of a Northwest suburban tourism bureau.
Parulo, president of Meet Chicago Northwest, was publicly honored by officials this week in Arlington Heights, one of eight communities that helps fund the bureau for its regional marketing efforts.
"Dave was a very valuable person to all of the communities that he served," said Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes, who presented Parulo with a village coin and certificate of recognition.
Hayes appointed Parulo to the Arlington Economic Alliance, the village's economic advisory committee, where he served for six years. Parulo also served as a mayoral appointee on the Schaumburg Business Development Commission.
A 30-year veteran of the hospitality industry, Parulo was hired in 2007 as director of partnership and business development for what was then known as the Greater Woodfield Convention and Visitors Bureau. He became the organization's president in 2010, and oversaw its rebranding in 2013.
Last month, he announced his departure from the Schaumburg-based bureau to assume the role of president and CEO of the Washington County Visitors Association in Beaverton, Oregon.
Arlington Heights Trustee John Scaletta, who has served as the village's representative on the Meet Chicago Northwest board of directors, remembers village board meetings when he and fellow trustees expressed concerns about Arlington Heights' visibility, relative to Schaumburg's, in the organization.
"Dave, instead of sulking, rolled up his sleeves and worked with the board of Meet Chicago Northwest to not only rename the tourism bureau, but also work to provide us with the metrics so we could see exactly what (the organization) was doing to promote Arlington Heights," Scaletta said.
That led to additional marketing pieces, many of which are placed in Arlington Heights hotel rooms, Scaletta said.
Parulo remembers his first village board meeting, and giving what was a bit of a "touchy" presentation, he said. But he says he came to be embraced by the village board and staff, as well as local business community.
"It became our mission at the bureau to show value to the organization and to show a return on investment," Parulo said.