Stopping By: Telling McMinnville's story

Rusty Rae/News-Register##Dan Gibson enjoys being in McMinnville and visiting sites such as Art Alley — which is between Third and Fourth streets, just behind his office at Visit McMinnville. Behind Gibson, new head of the tourism organization, is the large mural painted this summer by Colt Bowden and friends.

Dan Gibson wants the whole world to know what he’s realized since he moved here in October to become CEO of Visit McMinnville.

“I thought I was moving to a cool town,” said Gibson, who had visited previously from his hometown of Tucson, Arizona. “But it’s so much better than I realized.”

He said he’s seen people post on social media that they want to visit somewhere “with a great bookstore, lots of great eateries, someplace adorable.”

“I know a place like that!” he said. “Now I need to tell them just how special this place is.”

Working with the rest of Visit McMinnville’s team, he’s in just the right position to do that. The job involves advertising, marketing and promoting his new home in order to boost the economy — telling the stories of local people and businesses, and helping them tell their own stories, he said.

And that benefits both visitors and local people alike, he said.

Visit McMinnville is funded by 70% of the lodging tax charged to people who stay in motels, hotels, B&Bs and other accommodations.

The other 30% goes into the city’s general fund budget. “That’s more for parks, the library, police, sports fields – things that are important to people who live here,” he said.

In addition, the tourists who stay overnight also eat at local restaurants, buy things at local stores, visit museums, attend plays and use other services. Their money goes directly to businesses.

“Tourism at its best makes everyone a winner,” he said.

Gibson arrived in McMinnville in October, and last week he was joined by his wife, Tara; their 16-year-old daughter, Piper, a junior at McMinnville High School; and their 22-year-old son, Jonathan.

He had lived in Tucson for most of his life. His parents settled there when he was 4, and his wife was born there.

The couple spent a few years in Los Angeles and in Phoenix, Arizona, but returned to Tucson, a city Gibson said he has “a lot of affection for.”

But he applied for the McMinnville job because he was ready to do something new. He said the whole family supported the move to McMinnville.

Now he’s looking forward to the holiday season in Oregon, especially McMinnville’s Santa parade, which takes place at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 29.

“It’s so nice to have a sense of wonder again,” he said.

He likes parades, anyway. In order to participate in such events in Tucson, he joined “Beat on the Streat,” which he described as a very amateur dance troupe that was “not good, but fun.” He said he may bring the concept to McMinnville parades, as well.

This community has “a real appreciation of holiday things,” he said.

He is pleased by how cooperative people are here, including the Greater McMinnville Chamber of Commerce, the McMinnville Downtown Association and the city.

And he is impressed with the Visit McMinnville staff and its board, made up of community members who understand the city’s unique assets and needs. They work together to “enhance what we have, support people and create great experiences,” he said.

Gibson is Visit McMinnville’s second CEO, following Jeff Knapp, who left in May for a similar position in Bend.

“I can see the area with fresh eyes,” Gibson said. “What resonates with visitors? With residents? What’s special about this place?”

A great many things, he said in answer to the latter question. But he has more to learn.

“I need to spend as much time listening as I can,” he said, including listening to what’s been tried and what people dream about. “I need to listen and be inquisitive without being judgmental.”

Fortunately, he said, with his background as a reporter for the Tucson Weekly, a paper akin to Willamette Week, he finds it easy to be curious. He just has to remind himself to take his time – after all, he said, “I’m in this community for the long haul.”

Gibson said he wants to make sure Visit McMinnville doesn’t focus simply on Third Street or just on wine, already major tourist draws. Those things are important, but there’s so much more to the area, he said.

“Not everyone goes to Third Street, or they don’t go anymore,” he said, noting the need to reacquaint many locals with what the downtown area offers. “It’s an asset; it’s beautiful; but it has to connect with the community as a whole.”

With a goal of getting to know all sectors of the community, Gibson has been attending a variety of events, including the McMinnville High School boys soccer team’s state championship game and Linfield football games.

“I want to be present,” he said. “I have to build authority and trust so people know I’m leading with good faith.”

He’s fortunate, he said, to have joined an “incredible” staff at Visit McMinnville. The five other employees – Lee McCollins, James Howe, Lisa Macy-Baker, Ashley Solis and Olivia Rovang – are passionate about the community.

In addition to his newspaper background, Gibson also has experience with marketing. He promoted bike tourism and local food businesses in Tucson, as well.

He said he already has a network of people and publications to call when he wants to attract attention to McMinnville. “My Rolodex is helpful,” he said.

Visit McMinnville is charged with attracting people to spend time in and around the city. But it also works on behalf of local people, Gibson said – not just because what the organization has a hand in helps the economy, he said, but because community members also enjoy the activities and improvements.

For instance, helping plan and create a bicycle riding area and other facilities in Quarry Park, one of the projects in the works, will attract cyclists and provide recreational facilities for McMinnville residents, as well.

The same will be true of another major project that’s in planning stages: reopening access to the Yamhill River in McMinnville. Kayakers and canoeists will want to drive here to explore the river; local people will have a chance to do the same, he said.

In another example, attracting tourists to local restaurants and hotels provides customers for those businesses, and ensures they exist for locals, too.

“We do many things locals see and benefit from,” Gibson said. “They may not see our digital ad that runs in Seattle, but they may see the visitors from Seattle visiting a coffee shop or buying something from their store.”

In less than two months on the job, he said, he already has met an “amazing” number of people who are from out of town, spending a day or a weekend in McMinnville.

Part of his work involves rebuilding and stabilizing the tourism industry that suffered during the pandemic. As social gathering places began to reopen, Gibson said, there was “a flood” of visitors from the Northwest. Now, though, people are comfortable with traveling farther again, so they are flying to farther-flung destinations.

Gibson said he wants to keep them coming to McMinnville. “Now we’re competing with the entire world for people’s attention,” he said. “We have to show all the amazing resources that are right here. We have to do a good job telling our story.”

While he wants to bring people to McMinnville throughout the year, he said he is promoting the holidays as a special time to visit.

“There’s an element of McMinnville that’s like a Hallmark movie, other than the snow part,” he said. “It’s like the setting for a two-hour romantic comedy.”

Like a movie, the McMinnville area is filled with artistic and creative types, he said. Art Alley, which opened over the summer, is one way of showcasing that; he wants to build other outlets and spread the word that “people here are doing amazing things all the time.”

Starla Pointer, who believes everyone has an interesting story to tell, has been writing the weekly “Stopping By” column since 1996. She’s always looking for suggestions. Contact her at 503-687-1263 or spointer@newsregister.com.

Watching the sun go down – and winning a wonderful experience

Dan Gibson, Visit McMinnville’s new CEO, is loving getting to know his new city and its residents. He enjoys it when people say hello or stop him to tell him something about McMinnville and its history.

Just as long as they don’t start singing “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” anyway. The song is a sore point, even for an easy-going, good humored guy like Gibson.

The tune reminds him of some of his myriad experiences that led to him joining Visit McMinnville and moving here from Tucson, Arizona, where he spent most of his life.

More than two decades ago, Gibson lived in Los Angeles for a few years. He worked in music marketing – he likes all sorts of music, and these days sees it as one of the ways he can connect with his children.

In 2001, the music lover was chosen as a contestant on “Rock & Roll Jeopardy.” He did well.

That experience led to him being chosen for several other shows. “Once you’re on one, it’s easier to get on another,” he said.

Besides, he’d learned the secret: “be ridiculously upbeat in the audition,” he said. “Go in as a 125% version of yourself, upbeat and fun.”

Earlier this year, he tried out again with his son, Jonathan, 22. They were chosen as a team to compete on “Beat Shazam.”

The Fox game show about music pits contestants against a computer, Shazam.

Although it’s an American production, “Beat Shazam” is filmed in Ireland. So not only did the Gibsons get a chance to win up to $1 million, they also received a trip to Ireland.

Best of all, he said, they had the chance to spend time together as father and son.

The taping started, and the Gibsons ran onto the stage, met host Jamie Foxx and took their places at one of three podiums.

They did well. The pair breezed through the early rounds, correctly identifying songs after hearing brief snippets of music.

They aced the $57,000 question by correctly identifying the Crowded House song “Don’t Dream It’s Over.” They were well on the way to the $1 million.

Then the show played four seconds of a familiar, but not quite familiar enough, tune. Time stood still before him. Shazam won.

One second later, Gibson realized what the song was – the George Michael version of Elton John’s “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.”

Foxx saw the look on Gibson’s face. “You know it, don’t you?” he asked.

Oh, yeah, Gibson knew it — but too late for the top prize.

“We were still jet-lagged,” he said. “The computer wasn’t.”

But while they missed out on a million, the experience was priceless, Gibson said. “Who else gets to do that with their kid? It was an incredible time,” he said.

“We got a free week in Europe together. I got to be with my kid,” he said. “If I knew beforehand that we’d win nothing, I still would say yes.”

It was altogether a great experience and a great memory.

And today, Gibson will know that tune immediately if anyone was to hum a few bars. But he’ll be happy if he never hears it again.