I sit down with Sandy Ward, CEO and president of Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism, and am immediately struck by her warm spirit, her love of her community, and her hot pink nails. As she sips a hot chocolate, she tells me about her dreams and plans for sharing Bellingham and Whatcom County with the world.
Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism is an organization that’s been in business since 1978. “Our main job is to bring people from far enough away so that they have to spend the night,” Ward tells me. “When people spend the night, they spend more money. We’re really an economic development tool and agency. We’re focused on bringing people in from outside of the area—from Seattle, San Francisco.”
