Placer Valley Tourism CEO David Attaway dies at 66

Community leader David Attaway, one of the visionaries and leaders of the multimillion-dollar transformation of the former Placer County Fairgrounds into @the Grounds in Roseville, died while on vacation this week in New Orleans. Attaway was 66. The cause of death is pending, according to a press release Thursday afternoon. "David was a visionary unlike any I've had the pleasure of knowing," said Lauryl Hernandez, chair of the Placer Valley Tourism Board of Directors and general manager of Hyatt Place in Roseville. "His confidence and leadership were inspirational for the board, which led to the growth of Placer Valley Tourism and @the Grounds. His vision and the organizations' successes have forever positively impacted the surrounding communities and tourism industry. He will be greatly missed." Attaway was hired as Chief Executive Officer of Placer Valley Tourism in 2010, with more than two decades of experience in the hospitality industry, including senior executive positions at Caesar's Tahoe and Aladdin Casino in Las Vegas. Placer Valley Tourism, a business improvement district (BID) that includes the cities of Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln, also manages the former Placer County Fairgrounds, a 61-acre site in central Roseville that was renamed @the Grounds. Attaway also served as CEO of @the Grounds. Attaway and other community leaders envisioned transforming the decades-old fairgrounds into a multipurpose event campus, with a massive Event Center that could accommodate everything from major sports tournaments to large conferences serving as the centerpiece of the plan. In spring 2018, Placer Valley Tourism completed the first phase of the plan, a more than $10 million transformation of @the Grounds, including the renovation of Johnson and Jones halls and the multi-use barns, installation of digital marquees, new landscaping and walkways, and paving of the south parking lot. The first phase served as the foundation for the much-larger and much-needed piece, the 160,000-square-foot Event Center. The building is the cornerstone of a far-reaching effort to attract more sports tournaments to the region. The Roebbelen Center is one of the largest meeting spaces in the Sacramento region, able to accommodate as many as 12 full-length basketball courts or 24 volleyball courts.