David Attaway made our area better

Although I admired David Attaway's energy and accomplishments for south Placer County, I never thanked him for all he did for this area's tourism development. Attaway, the Placer Valley Tourism and @the Grounds CEO, unexpectedly died last week while on vacation in New Orleans. He was only 66. After his online obit appeared March 3, accolades were posted immediately by colleagues and friends. He was dedicated to making south Placer County a leading destination for tourism. In 2010, Attaway was hired as Chief Executive Officer of Placer Valley Tourism, a business improvement district (BID) for Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln. Placer Valley Tourism's primary function is to provide marketing and promotional opportunities for the Lincoln, Rocklin, Roseville area that result in higher hotel occupancy rates at area hotels. The nonprofit Placer Valley Tourism (PVT) was incorporated in 2004 by the city of Roseville under provisions in the California Streets and Highways Code Section. All three cities joined at the same time and Roseville was designated administrator of the business improvement district. The district helps generate incremental room night stays in hotels within south Placer through various conferences and youth and amateur sports events. In 2019, Placer Valley Tourism helped hotels generate about $5 million in "bed-tax" revenue for the region. Attaway also served as CEO of @the Grounds, the former 61-acre Placer County Fairgrounds in Roseville. He is credited with transforming the former Placer County Fairgrounds into @the Grounds, with a 160,000-square-foot Placer Valley Event Center as the $45-million effort's centerpiece that opened February 2020. Despite all his enormous responsibilities over the years, I never heard Attaway raise his voice or lose his cool, even when others berated his organization's goals. I remember about a decade ago when he addressed the Lincoln City Council about Placer Valley Tourism proposed benefits to the city and some audience members made rude comments. But the soft-spoken tourism advocate didn't let it defeat him that night. Attaway was respectful and calmly continued on with his presentation. Attaway was classy, even when he had an uphill battle to win some residents over. He never gave up. Attaway was inspirational and Placer County, especially south Placer, is in a better place economically and as a tourism and sports destination because of his efforts. I only talked to Attaway professionally and not socially over the years but I hope he knew how much Placer County residents, businesses and sports organizations appreciated him. According to Ron Trujillo, the Blue Oaks Media and Halldin Public Relations president, Attaway always went out of his way to connect with people. "David was one of the most-driven, hardest-working people that I've ever known. He had a vision for @the Grounds and the Event Center, and was committed to making sure it was a success. @the Grounds was more than a project to David; it was a never-ending passion," Trujillo said. "He arrived at work in the early-morning hours (most people would call it the middle of the night) because there was always so much to do, so much more to accomplish. I just hope that there was one moment that David stopped long enough to appreciate and enjoy what his efforts and the hard work and support of many others have accomplished." Attaway had time for everyone, including Trujillo's 8-year-old daughter who can remember all the times she talked to him during the last three years because Attaway cared about what she was saying. He touched many of our hearts, even the heart of a then 5-year-old. That's the kind of man Attaway was, making sure that everyone was treated with respect and deserved to be heard. Attaway was a role model for all ages. Sadly, his life was cut short too soon. Life is so unexpected. I wish I had thanked Attaway at least once for all he has done to make south Placer County a better place to call home. Positively impacting our area, Attaway will be greatly missed for years to come.