Carey Rountree
Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing

Carey Rountree, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, is responsible for the development, implementation and management of all sales, marketing, communications, advertising, membership and development strategies and programs for the Georgia Aquarium. He also serves as head of the Idea Team for Aquarium sales and marketing and is responsible for the coordination of all promotional events, retail partnerships and the development and implementation of the Group Sales Program. In addition, Rountree manages the marketing and sales of and serves as key liasion to the Wolfgang Puck Catering and Restaurant Associates teams. He carries out these responsibilities with 33 years of experience in the hospitality industry.

Rountree’s start in the hospitality industry began in 1974 as a sales manager with the Marriott Corporation where his innovative thinking and desire to improve quickly moved him through the ranks. In 1983, he became regional director of sales and marketing and increased southeastern revenue from $80 million to $285 million. In 1988, he became the resident manager at the Atlanta Marriott Northwest and improved guest satisfaction scores 15 percent in only one year.

In 1989, he joined the Stormont-Trice Corporation, an Atlanta-based hotel development and management company, as vice president of sales and marketing. Using his experience from the Marriott Corporation, Rountree tripled the number of hotels in the company’s portfolio and increased the sales and marketing department from six to 45 employees.

In 1992, Rountree went to work with the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB) as executive vice president of sales and marketing until 2002 and executive vice president until 2005. While at the ACVB, Rountree created new and innovative ways to increase tourism and convention traffic in the metro Atlanta area. Rountree helped business development by the ACVB grow from $2 million in 2002 to $6 million in 2004.

In 2005, Rountree joined Hi-Tech Rental and Staging as vice president of business development. He helped the 180-year-old company move from a third party supplier of audio and visual equipment to a customer-direct rental service. Before moving to the Georgia Aquarium in 2007, he hired a director of sales and a vice president of sales to implement the initiatives he set in motion.

Taking his commitment to the profession beyond the workplace, Rountree has served on the board of directors for many professional and international marketing and exhibition associations and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the International Association of Exhibitions and Events. He is an active member of the Professional Convention Management Association, the American Society of Association Executives, Meeting Professionals International and the Georgia State University Marketing Roundtable.

He is involved in many community organizations including the Atlanta Community Food Bank, the Helping Hands division of Hands-On-Atlanta and the Atlanta Kiwanis Club. He has been a guest lecturer on the subjects of marketing, hospitality and exhibition management at schools such as Georgia State University, Emory University and the University of Georgia.

Rountree graduated from Georgia Southern University with a degree in political science in 1974. He and his wife, Janet, have four children and three grandchildren.

• Bernard Marcus - Benefactor, Chairman of the Board, CEO
• David Kimmel - President and Chief Operating Officer
• Dr. Greg Bossart - Chief Veterinary Officer & Senior Vice President, Veterinary Services
• Matthew P. Hodgdon - Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
• Billy Hurley - Chief Animal Officer & Senior Vice President, Husbandry
• Carey Rountree - Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing
• Beach M. Clark, Jr - Vice President, Information Technology
• Kristie Cobb Hacke - Vice President, Development and Membership
• Joe Handy - Vice President, Guest Experience
• Scott Higley - Vice President of Marketing and Communications
• Timothy Mullican, DVM - Vice President, Veterinary Services and Husbandry
• Will Ramsey - Vice President, Group Sales
• Dr. Bruce A. Carlson - Science Officer
• Dr. Tonya Clauss - Chief Veterinarian
• Dr. Alistair Dove - Senior Scientist