Service Directory

ANGLERS HONORED

John McFalls, left, secretary of the Atlantic Coast Sportfishing Association, recently presented the Angler of the Year awards to Ron Smith (ocean) and Shaun Flaherty (bay).

RELAY SUPPORT

The Ocean City Lioness Lions Club presented a check to Relay for Life for its upcoming event. Pictured, from left, are Club President Bev Topher; Dawn Hodge, representing Relay for Life; and Vice President Donna Greenwood.

ART PROGRAM MEMBERS CELEBRATED

PHOTO COURTESY D.J. LANDIS, SR.

Greater Ocean Pines-Ocean City President Tim Lund, center, presents "Kiwanian of the Month" awards during the Feb. 2 weekly meeting, to January 2022 recipient, Dave Landis, left, and December 2021 honoree, Tom Southwell.

NEW MEMBERS

The Ocean City-Berlin Optimist Club welcomed new members, William Smith, left, and Janet Rollman Smith, on Jan. 6. They are pictured with membership chairman Roger Pacella.

TAKING OVER

Worcester Prep fourth grader Lea Jaoude of Lewes, Delaware, acted as head of school on Dec. 16. Her parents purchased the “Head of School for a Day” during the WPS Virtual Gala fundraiser auction last April. As head of school, she asked students, teachers and administrators for a donation of $1 to go toward SOS Children's Villages of Lebanon, and in return they were allowed to wear a “crazy hat” for the day. SOS supports orphaned children deprived of parental care and provides them with family-based care preventing child abandonment. She is pictured with WPS Head of School Dr. John McDonald.

DONATION

The Ocean City Lioness Lions Club President Bev Topfer presented a check to the Mid-Atlantic Shockers Club represented by Tanner Edleman and his mother, Monica.

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

The General Levin Winder Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), presented the Award of Excellence in Historic Preservation to Jeannie and Brittany Mariner. The Mariners have restored the Showell-Mariner House, in keeping with the style of the 1858-59 era. The home is a show-piece with antiques, an interesting setting for the Windmill Creek Winery and Vineyard in Berlin. Pictured, from left, are General Levin Winder Chapter Regent Gail Weldin with Jennie and Brittany Mariner.

SUPPORT

The local branch of Delta Kappa Gamma Society provided toiletries and other needed items to Diakonia and Good Samaritan through their annual “Helping Hands” project. Pictured are President Yvonne Babcock and Corresponding Secretary Nina Willett. DKG is comprised of local women teachers (presently working and retired), whose mission is to promote professional and personal growth of women educators and excellence in education, and also help others in the community.

SWORN IN

Worcester County Commissioner Josh Nordstrom swore in the 2022 Democratic Women’s Club Board during a luncheon on. Dec. 2. Pictured, in back, are Board Members at-Large: Susan Buyer, Rosie Bean and Rebekah Simonds; and in front, Sue Challis, corresponding secretary; Pat Tarr, recording secretary; Bev Thomas, vice president; Deborah Fisher-Reynolds and Mary Anne Whitcomb, co-presidents. Not pictured: Irene Daly and Susanna Eisenman, co-treasurers.

BABY BOUTIQUE

Santa came early to the Grace Center for Maternal and Women’s Health in Berlin after the Delmarvelous Stampers held a baby shower during its December meeting in order to restock the Baby Boutique at the center. Pictured are Stampers Joan Dori and Kris Barron making their special delivery.

GREG WEHNER/OCEAN CITY TODAY Tom Perlozzo, director of tourism and business development for Ocean City, last Monday introduced the tourism commission to the town’s new advertising agency, BVK, which signed a contract with the resort area on Jan. 31.

BVK lays out plan for Ocean City

Continued from Page 22 branding Ocean City to the tourism commission because she and Tom Perlozzo, the director of tourism and busines development for the city, agreed that they needed to be part of the process.

Matt Stiker of BVK introduced several members of the team who would be supporting Ocean City in its endeavors to rebrand and attract various demographics to the resort.

During his presentation, Stiker walked through the process BVK uses when taking on a client like Ocean City. The process, which the company claims to have used for the last 30 years, includes conducting a brand audit and assessing all the information available from the past, while also holding interviews with stakeholders to establish a foundation on which to start.

Once the assessment is complete, the company will look at audience insights on how it perceives the resort. Then, the company will host a brand workshop and develop things like a framework and identity before sending the information to the reactive team to conceptualize the production of materials.

Stiker said Ocean City’s brand must be built on a strong and strategic foundation and the timing of the steps is crucial. But with so much to be done, he said his company will run three parallel paths.

“We believe in the destination, and we believe in promise. We also believe in developing that foundation before just throwing stuff out there,” Stiker said. “We’re going to run efforts on three parallel paths. It’s not ideal. It’s not optimal.”

There is too much economic impact at stake though, he added.

Over the next three months, BVK has major requirements it needs to establish. The immediate requirement, Stiker explained, is for the company to create a campaign supporting the spring and summer months. Once the campaign is in place, BVK will then focus on the full brand campaign.

Waters admitted the timeline is aggressive, but she is optimistic it will be fulfilled.

“It’s just extremely exciting,” she said. “Some of the things they’ve done in other communities is very positive.”

In addition to introducing the BVK team, Perlozzo also introduced Kim Muller to the tourism commission.

Muller was hired by the city to serve as the director of sales for the tourism and business development team – her first day on the job was Tuesday.

Before working for the city, Muller was the senior sales manager for the Harrison Group.

“She has tremendous sales experiences and knowledge of Ocean City,” Waters said. “We are thrilled to welcome her to the team.”

OCEAN CITY TOURISM COMMISSION BRIEFS

Crossword answers from page 32

By Greg Wehner Staff Writer (Feb. 25, 2022) The Ocean City tourism commission – consisting of elected and non-elected city officials, business owners, and local organizations focused on directing people to establishments at the resort area – met at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center on 40th Street on Feb. 14 for its monthly gathering.

The meeting featured several updates from Director of Tourism and Business Development Tom Perlozzo and his team, including the following: Spartan ’21 recap

Ocean City hosted a Spartan race on Oct. 16 that attracted thousands of athletes who took on the challenge of completing a 3.17-mile obstacle course consisting of walls of various heights that needed to be scaled, jump ropes, burpees, monkey bars, Continued on Page 27

A sense of adventure compels you to travel to a new destination, Aries. You may have something in mind or you can throw a dart at the map and enjoy the trip. TAURUS – Apr 21/May 21

Don’t be surprised if relationships seem a little more intense than normal, Taurus. Everyone is a little keyed up and the extra energy is on display in daily interactions. GEMINI – May 22/Jun 21

People could play important roles in your life right now, Gemini. Partnerships are especially fortuitous. After all, two minds are better than one for problem-solving. CANCER – Jun 22/Jul 22

Cancer, there’s much productivity this week as you find yourself thrust into yet another project. Once you sail through it, things will calm down. LEO – Jul 23/Aug 23

Leo, this week you are invited to enjoy yourself. Feel free to live life as much as you can for as long as you can. Plan a retreat with a special someone. VIRGO – Aug 24/Sept 22

Try to be as efficient as possible to save time and money in the days ahead, Virgo. See where you can streamline things and find ways to conserve your resources. LIBRA – Sept 23/Oct 23

Libra, this may be a busy week for you, so take a few moments each morning to center yourself and focus your energy before you dive in to your list of tasks.

SCORPIO – Oct 24/Nov 22

Money has been on your mind for some time, Scorpio. Figure out ways that you can increase your income — if only temporarily. Once you catch up on bills, you can relax. SAGITTARIUS – Nov 23/Dec 21

Sagittarius, you will likely be deep in your feelings this week, exploring many different emotions. It can be tiring, so find some activities to give your brain a break. CAPRICORN – Dec 22/Jan 20

Life may seem surreal this week as your subconscious seems to be guiding many of your decisions, Capricorn. Go with the flow for the time being. AQUARIUS – Jan 21/Feb 18

It is a good idea to connect with your friends while you can, Aquarius. You may not have an opportunity for some time, so reach out and make a plan to get together. PISCES – Feb 19/Mar 20