Guest column: Varley made lasting impact on Space Coast

When Rob Varley began running the county's tourism agency in 1994, he didn't envision a long-term tenure helping to promote the Space Coast as a vacation destination.

"When I came here, I thought I would be like many tourism execs who come into an area — build it up and then move on," said Varley, who is retiring as executive director of the Space Coast Office of Tourism.

But Varley opened Brevard's tourism door, and a world of opportunity he never expected was revealed. Now, 20 years later, it is time to take note of his achievements.

Varley brought together a 72-mile-long county and built consensus. Historic challenges had to be overcome: recession, fires, hurricanes and the BP oil spill. He took numerous leaps of faith for out-of-the-box advertising to compete with competitors across the state with advertising budgets much bigger than Brevard's.

He has been the common denominator during the changing of the guard with the Brevard County Tourist Development Council and the County Commission.

Varley was instrumental in changing the name of the Bee Line Expressway to the Beachline Expressway, maintained a strong partnership with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and the Army Corps of Engineers to keep sand on the beaches to sustain our tourism economy, and implemented a snooze-and-cruise program, in which cruise ships passengers are enticed to arrive a day or two before their cruise to experience our area.

After nine years of governmental red tape, plans for a new visitor center on Interstate 95 are being implemented. This is a first-of-its-kind project undertaken by the tourism office and the Department of Transportation.

During Varley's tenure, the TDC offices moved to Cocoa Village and added a welcome center in the lobby. There also is a welcome center at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

County tourism programs also benefit local residents. Beach renourishment, dune crossovers, special events, baseball, the Brevard Zoo and grants to area attractions for expansions are enjoyed by Space Coast residents 365 days a year. All of this is paid for with the county tourist tax, not general revenue.

Varley also expanded the international market: The United Kingdom, Germany, China and Brazil were incorporated into the marketing plan. Educational opportunities are offered to these countries and the student market in these countries is becoming a strong segment for visitation.

During Varley's tenure, surfing became a niche in the county's marketing plans, highlighting the fact that Cocoa Beach is home to surfing legend Kelly Slater and is the East Coast surfing destination. Our surf ranked among the nation's cleanest in an annual environmental survey. Our sports niche was elevated when Varley contracted with the Buchanan Company to promote the Space Coast as a destination for sporting activities. We have seen more than a $20-million-a-year economic impact.

With an eye toward the future, the broad appeal of space exploration and the introduction of new space vehicles, Varley continued to harness widespread interest in space and turn it into more tourism opportunities. The Space Coast tourism website was expanded to include the ever-changing world of interactive technology.

Varley leveraged our resources through co-op ad programs that created added value for our partners, thus increasing our limited advertising fund by $400,000 a year.

He provided leadership on the board of the Southeast Tourism Society, a regional association that promotes and markets the Southeast as a destination, serving as chairman for two years.

While he may not have initially known the path his career would take and the "tourism whisperer" he would become, Varley said his greatest joys are knowing he was part of a community, made lasting friends and found the love of his life, Tina, whom he married in March 2002. A change in scenery is in store for him as he moves forward and devotes more time to his love of photography.

All of the Space Coast wishes him well.

Wasdin is a former member of the Tourist Development Council, a former basketball coach at Jacksonville University, a businessman and a philanthropist. He lives in Cocoa with his wife Susie.