Tempest Hires State Tourism Director Jake Buganski

PHILADELPHIA, PA (PRWEB) MARCH 19, 2018

Tempest is excited to welcome former New Jersey State Tourism Director, Jake Buganski, as Vice President of Strategy. Buganski, who also served as President of Corning and the Southern Finger Lakes and Executive Director of Visit South Jersey, brings 15 years of experience in destination management and tourism marketing to the company.

Buganski’s hiring is a testament to Tempest’s commitment to the tourism industry. As a Certified Destination Management Executive – a credential earned through the industry association, Destinations International – and an alumnus of U.S. Travel Association’s National Council of State Tourism Directors, Buganski’s broad and extensive knowledge of the tourism industry will be a great asset as Tempest continues to evolve their product roadmap to tailor to the specific needs of its destination marketing organization (DMO) clients as they drive visitation and sales while maintaining stewardship and advocacy functions.

“I am confident that Jake’s innovative thinking, strong leadership, and tourism expertise will be a great benefit to our clients,” said Alex Heimann, CEO of Tempest. “We share a strong conviction that no organization is better suited to help deliver personalized and authentic experiences to travelers than a destination marketing organization."

In addition to driving strategic initiatives, Buganski will share in the responsibility of managing Tempest’s creative process.

“We recognize that Jake is not just a great tourism strategist, but also that he has the experience and vision to help guide our clients toward the most effective expression of their brands,” said Tempest President, Gregg Shapiro. “We look forward to expanding the dialog with our clients as Jake joins the conversation.”

Buganski is a passionate tourism industry advocate and has served on numerous boards, including the New Jersey Travel Industry Association, Finger Lakes Wine Country, Finger Lakes Regional Tourism Council, Stockton University’s Hospitality and Tourism Management School, and Rowan University’s College of Communication and Creative Arts. As a former member of both the New Jersey and New York DMO associations, Buganski remains well-respected among his peers.

“I got to know Jake during his time in New York State, and I came to appreciate his enthusiasm for the industry and his commitment to making an impact,” said John Percy, President and CEO of Destination Niagara USA, a recent recipient of a HSMAI Gold Adrian Award for Website Design & Development. “As a Tempest client, I am glad to have the opportunity to work with him again.”

Tempest, an integrated agency, partners with tourism organizations around the world to deliver digital experiences that inspire. Tempest offers bold ideas, award-winning creative, cutting-edge tech, and integrated digital marketing. Through its iDSS division, Tempest delivers a cloud-based software platform to power destination marketing organizations globally. Headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, Tempest operates offices in Tucson, AZ, and Minneapolis, MN.