Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, December 16, 1994                   TAG: 9412170002
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A19   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: DAN CASEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WANTED: 1 HOTEL DIRECTOR

After months of using borrowed talent, the Hotel Roanoke Conference Center Commission is looking for a director it can call its own.

The commission unanimously agreed Thursday to hire a full-time director, perhaps on a contractual basis, to shepherd it through the facility's months of start-up operations beginning in April.

Roanoke's former economic development officer, Brian Wishneff, has served as acting director of the commission since May 1993. But he and his staff of four have been on loan from the city, which has continued to pay their salaries and benefits.

Right now, "we don't have any employees," said Commissioner Bob Herbert, also Roanoke's city manager. "These folks have other jobs to get back to."

The director will not be responsible for day-to-day operations at the conference center, which will be managed under contract with Doubletree Hotels Corp. The Phoenix-based Doubletree also is operating the Hotel Roanoke.

Instead, the proposed director will serve the commission, acting in a policy-making role on conference center marketing and promotions, and as a spokesperson. The director also will be responsible for ensuring that the center fulfills various contractual commitments the commission has made.

Herbert said the commission is considering making the director a contract worker, rather than a salaried employee. The advantage to that arrangement is that it's often less expensive.

"If this isn't as cheap or cheaper than hiring an employee, then we're going to be looking at other options," Herbert said.

Wishneff said he will consider applying for the slot.

His alternative would be to go back to the city as economic development chief or to a new post City Council budgeted for this year, as a coordinator for special projects such as the linear rail park the city will build along Norfolk Southern rail tracks between Jefferson Street and the Virginia Museum of Transportation.

The length of time the commission will have a director is unspecified. Proposals, which are due by noon on Jan. 20, should be sent to the commission's law firm, Glenn, Flippin, Feldmann & Darby, P.O. Box 2887, Roanoke 24001.