SDCCC receives eco-friendly awards, senior event manager recognized

The San Diego Convention Center Corporation (SDCCC), a leader in environmental sustainability, has received two additional awards recognizing its eco-friendly activities; The 2010 Waste Reduction Awards Program (WRAP) award from the California Department of Resources, recycling and recovery, and the 2010 Alonzo award for sustainable business practices from the Downtown San Diego Partnership.


“We’ve always embraced environmentally friendly practices since the day we opened,” said Carol Wallace, president and CEO. “Our employees, led by our General Manger Brad Gessner, have been the real driving force behind our environmental sustainability efforts for more than two decades.”

The 2010 WRAP award is the third consecutive WRAP recognition from the state of California and the sixth time since 1998 that SDCCC has been acknowledged by the state for its recycling, waste reduction and environmental practices.

“Throughout its 20 years of operation, SDCCC has operated as a ‘green machine,’ donating food to the poor, composting what is not edible, eliminating garbage disposals, turning cooking oil into biodiesel fuel, recycling paper and wood scrap, purchasing recycled paper, drastically reducing paper use, training employees and counseling guests on waste reduction, and participating in sustainable trade, community, and college-level educational programs,” said the state Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle).

In addition, the Downtown San Diego partnership, which represents the interests of business, property owners and residents in downtown San Diego, awarded its sustainable business practices award to SDCCC because it “has gone above and beyond local, state and federal regulations in creating best practices in sustainability.”

Event manager honored
Jeff Pinkley, senior event manager at the SDCCC, was recently recognized for his professional achievements by being named 2010 Distinguished Convention Services Manager of the Year by the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA).

The award recognizes outstanding achievement in the field of convention services. Pinkley was acknowledged for his professionalism, his dedication to his clients and the students he mentors from San Diego State University’s hospitality and tourism management program.

“Jeff personifies PCMA’s award and we are extremely proud of him,” said Carol Wallace, president and CEO. “Jeff is not only willing to go the extra mile for our clients in order to ensure they have the exceptional meeting experience they have come to expect at our facility, he is also dedicated to building up the next generation of convention service professionals.”

The PCMA 2010 Achievement award winners will be honored at PCMA’s Annual Meeting on January 10, 2011 in Las Vegas.

“PCMA is proud to recognize and celebrate the achievements of these exceptional members and meeting industry leaders,” said PCMA President and CEO Deborah Sexton. “The 2010 Achievement Award Winners were selected for their commitment to excellence. They have demonstrated their passion for our industry, going above and beyond what is expected of them, and in doing so have made a significant contribution to their profession and the meeting industry as a whole. We are thrilled to honor them during Convening Leaders in Las Vegas on January 10, 2011.”

A certified meeting professional, Pinkley joined the Corporation in 1997 as an event coordinator. He has been involved in the hospitality industry for almost 20 years. The PCMA Annual Meeting will be held at the San Diego Convention Center in 2012.