Peter Meersman — Colorado Restaurant Association

Tourism Star Award Recipient — 2003

Peter Meersman has been the president and CEO of the 1,700-member Colorado Restaurant Association since 1989, helping to grow and transform Colorado restaurants into one of the state’s major industries. Today, Colorado restaurants generate $7.3 billion in annual sales and employ over 169,000 workers – four out of every ten retail workers are employed at one of Colorado’s 9,000 restaurants. In 2002, consumers spent $20 million a day in Colorado restaurants, generating $438 million in state and local sales taxes. As a leader and spokesperson for this industry, Peter has been instrumental in helping Colorado’s restaurant growth outpace the nation, even in these challenging economic times. His ProStart program to help high school students prepare for careers in the restaurant industry won a national award, as did his Dine Out to Help Out fund-raiser, which helped bring Colorado restaurants together in the aftermath of September 11. The new Big Bite program was launched last summer to raise money for charities that fight hunger, and CRA has been on the frontlines of water conservation since the beginning of Colorado’s drought. For leadership in one of the state’s more important industries, Peter Meersman is truly a Denver and Colorado Tourism Star.

The profile of each Tourism Star is reflective of the time of the award.