Sentell, Smith get standing ovation for tourism work

By Catherine Godbey, Staff Writer, The Decatur Daily

Two titans of the tourism industry received standing ovations from grateful city and hospitality leaders during the annual tourism meeting Thursday.
As Jimmy Smith accepted the “Good Neighbor Award,” Lee Sentell led the applause. Later, Sentell, the Julian Walker “Mr. Tourism” Award winner, received his own ovation.
“Anytime you receive something from people you have known half your life it is a great honor,” said Sentell, Alabama Tourism Director. Gov. Bob Riley appointed him to the position in 2003.
For Sentell, the path to Montgomery began in 1980 when the Decatur Chamber of Commerce tapped him as the city’s first tourism director.
Armed with a budget of $55,000, Sentell formed the basis for the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau — an organization, which operated with a $723,000 budget during fiscal 2009.
Sentell credited community leaders with Decatur’s success.
“The great thing about this tourism organization is that there is a collection of creative individuals who donated a lot of time to putting on events like Spirit of America, Alabama Jubilee and Christmas tour of homes,” he said. “There is a strong foundation here.”
Officials, residents and businesses, including Jimmy Smith Jewelers, built the foundation. The CVB and Decatur-Morgan County Hospitality Association recognized Smith, owner of Jimmy Smith Jewelers, with the “Good Neighbor Award,” for his impact on tourism.
During the past three decades, T-shirts for local festivals and sporting events, which listed Jimmy Smith Jewelers as a sponsor, showcased Smith’s contributions to the industry.
“It’s not your city and county. It’s not my city and county. It’s our city and county,” Smith said. “We need to support Morgan County because the events bring more people in and that is growth.”
The man who helped attract the Racking Horse Breeders Association to Priceville is working on his next project — overseeing the Celebration Arena.
“This is something that can benefit everybody,” Smith said.
Sentell also looked to the future of the city’s tourism industry. “Decatur still has a lot of growth, particularly in outdoor recreation and sports marketing,” Sentell said. “Jack Allen is known throughout the nation for its size and quality. It was a brilliant decision to build that many fields and it has paid off.”
Prior to leading the city’s tourism association, Sentell worked at The Decatur Daily for 12 years as a reporter and editor. After leaving Decatur, Sentell was tourism director for the U.S. Space and Rocket Center and the Huntsville Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Under Sentell’s leadership, Alabama’s Tourism Department has grown by 45 percent to $9.3 billion expenditures a year and received the Southeast Tourism Society’s organization of the year award three of the past four years.
“My No. 1 job as tourism director is to remind people who live in Alabama of the great things we have in our state and make us proud,” Sentell said. “I still consider Decatur my hometown, and I’m so proud of my hometown.”