The longtime executive director of the Ozark Gateway Tourist Council in Batesville has lived in the region her entire life and relishes the challenge to attract others to the area through creative promotions. Her love for home and the local economy is what motivates Cathy Drew every day.
Drew shared the Tourist Council’s mission and vision statement. The mission is to grow a sustainable tourism economy through strategic promotion, partnerships and collaboration between region members and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. The council’s vision includes leading sustainable tourism and relocation development for economic growth of the North Central Arkansas Ozark Gateway Region.
While she’s been the council’s executive director for 17 years, Drew has been affiliated with the council for 27. She became familiar with its purpose during her years working for the Media Market, a former ad agency with an owner from Little Rock.
“The ad-agency owner was ready to close the ad agency, and the Ozark director was ready to retire,” Drew said. “He told me I would be a perfect fit, since I knew the region, and the board decided to hire me. It was not such a hard transformation.”
The first big change Drew made was transforming the organization’s tabloid paper publication into a magazine format. The glossy visitor’s guide remains in circulation today, featuring all the amenities and attractions of the eight-county region in north-central Arkansas.
Among her many accomplishments since then, Drew helped the council obtain its current location and made it visitor-friendly 24/7 with information available outside.
Adam Davis, assistant superintendent of Mammoth Spring State Park, has worked closely with Drew as president of the Ozark Gateway.
“Cathy Drew is largely regarded as the template of excellence when it comes to tourism management,” he said. “I’ve served as president of the Ozark Gateway for the past five years. In this time, I have worked closely with Cathy on many projects, and one thing stands out. She understands how important tourism is to our state and that it is the lifeblood for the small-town economy.
“Cathy has done more for the Ozark Gateway region than anyone I know, and I’m proud to call her a colleague, mentor and friend.”
Drew was born in Batesville and spent her early years in Jamestown. When she was in the fourth grade, she and her family moved to Charlotte. While a student at Corde-Charlotte High School (now consolidated with Timber Ridge), Drew said she enjoyed working on the yearbook staff and laying out the pages. She also enjoyed the business aspect of being on the staff.
Before becoming a graphic designer at the Media Market, Drew worked as a typesetter for a printing company, she said, noting that her path naturally led her to the Ozark council.
“I felt like I was called to work here,” she said. “I’m excited to go to work every day. Even if I’m sitting in the office, I’m doing stuff for this beautiful region. We take for granted that we live in such a beautiful place. I get to travel around one of the most beautiful places in the world.”
Drew said she has taken some college courses but has a degree in “life.” Her son, Jon, stayed local and graduated from the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville.
“It’s in our blood to stay here in Arkansas,” she said.
Cathy and her husband, Jeff, met in the late 1980s when they both worked at KFC — he worked as a cook, and she was an assistant manager. They married in ’90.
“I told him what to do back then, and now I’m still telling him what to do,” she said, chuckling.
Her husband works at Bad Boy Mowers, as do Jon and her stepson, Corey.
Every day, Drew’s goal is to encourage as many people as possible to visit the area, she said, and to find new ways to promote the region.
“Every day is a challenge to stay busy and attract new people,” she noted, adding that the tourism industry is an ever-changing field. “When I started, it was much more simple, and things have evolved so quickly, especially with social media.”
Nearly 1.3 million people visit the Ozark region every year, Drew said, making more than a $300 million economic impact.
Before working for the ad agency all those years ago, and even though she had lived in the area her whole life, Drew said she was surprised to learn what the region offers.
“Sometimes we all just need to venture out and learn about and enjoy what’s in our own backyards,” she said.
She tries to feature each unique part of the region as much as possible, Drew said. Highlights of the area include the Ozark Folk Center State Park, Loco Ropes, Blanchard Springs and Beatles Park. The park in Walnut Ridge pays homage to the rock band’s only stop in Arkansas.
The Beatles at the Ridge Festival has transformed tourism in the area, Drew noted.
“It’s really neat to be a part of the efforts of local people making sacrifices to help revive their area,” she said.
In Newport, PortFest is reinventing itself this year, Drew added. For the June festival, “they’re really moving things around to stay with the times,” she said.
Prospective visitors call every day from all over about these events and more, Drew said.
“It’s fun having visitors call and express how they’re interested. From Tennessee to New Jersey, even other countries — I get contacts from everywhere.”
Soon, a pocket motorcycle map that folds down to a little bigger than the size of a credit card will be available. The map will be good for car drivers and anyone interested in the scenic byways of the area, Drew said.
Drew enjoys motorcycle jaunts with her husband and, unsurprisingly, outdoor activities, such as fishing, kayaking, jogging and gardening.
Drew is chairwoman of the Batesville Advertising and Promotion Commission and a past president of the Batesville Rotary Club, for which she is now publicity chair. She’s also secretary-treasurer of the Ozark Foothills FilmFest and serves on the Arkansas Travel Council Board of Directors.
For the most up-to-date event information in this Ozark region, visit www.ozarkgateway.com.