Destination Pulse

Akron/Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau

visitakron-summit.org

Sales brief Beta

As of Oct 12, 2026

Why now?

  • July 2026: published its 2025 Year in Review, which reports a net loss of $337,117. The 2024 Year in Review had reported a net gain of $129,325 “on our operating budget”.56
  • July 2026: released the 2025 Tourism Economics study. Direct visitor spending was $1.65B, against $1.67B in 2023 and 2024.105
  • February 2026: Destination Development Grants totalled $50,000 across 35 organizations, from nearly 60 applications. In 2025, 35 organizations shared $100,000; in 2024, 34 shared $100,000, “the largest award year to date”.11126
  • November 2025: Summit County Council renewed the bureau’s lodging tax contract for 2026 to 2030, 11-0. Council members Rita Darrow and Christine Higham, who voted, also sit on the bureau’s board.275
  • 2026: the Summit Brew Path is in its 10th year, now down to 16 stops after one brewery left and one closed.1322
  • No changes on the staff page since Destination Pulse started reading it.1

Is there money?

  • 2025 revenue was $7,352,947 against a $7,656,345 budget. 56% came from industry bed tax and 44% from operations; 79% of spending went to sales, marketing and client event support.5
  • The FY2024 990 shows revenue of $7,939,955 and a net loss of $265,263.8
  • The bureau receives 72% of Summit County room taxes; the county lodging excise tax is 5.5%.624 Gross county bed tax collections were $5.48M in 2023.31
  • In the 2023 state audit, the bureau’s own segment took in $4.10M and spent $1.63M. The Knight Center segment lost $2.51M on operations, against a $1.88M loss in 2022.31
  • Advertising and promotion was $376,000 in 2021, $705,000 in 2022 and $769,000 in 2023.31
  • Professional fees were $303,453 in 2023, against $142,865 in 2022.31
  • The City of Akron pays $138,000 a year.31
  • Media budget: not published.

Who decides?

Runs marketing

  • Stephanie Berry, Vice President of Marketing & Brand Management; media contact220
  • Ty Johnson, Marketing & Social Media Manager; contact for the Summit Brew Path213
  • Jim McConihe, Senior Graphic Designer2

Leads the bureau

  • Gregg M. Mervis, President & CEO since 2012; joined as Director of Sales in 19954
  • Morell Mendiola, Chief Financial Officer2
  • Ren Camacho (Akron-Canton Airport), board chair. The 15 seats are appointed 7 by the City of Akron, 7 by the County of Summit and 1 by the Tri County Labor Council.1431

Titles from the staff page, the history page and the Year in Review. Contact details are on their staff page.

Who do they work with?

  • Website: Simpleview; new sites for the bureau, the Knight Center and Greystone launched in April 2024.236
  • Visitor measurement: Arrivalist, implemented in 2025.5
  • Research: Tourism Economics with TourismOhio; STR for hotel data.1031
  • Digital passport: LoyalBrew, for the Summit Brew Path.22
  • Visitors guide: the 2026 guide is on the “greatlakespublishing” Issuu account.21
  • Creators: Brandy Gleason (Ohio Road Trips) and Dina’s Days.5
  • Agency of record: not found on the 990, the website, the 2024 and 2025 Years in Review or the 2023 audit. The FY2024 990 lists no contractor paid over $100,000.15631

When do they buy?

  • The fiscal year ends in December.8
  • The next board meeting is 19 November 2026, at noon at the Knight Center.3
  • The county lodging tax contract runs to 31 December 2030.27
  • Grants are announced in late January or early February; the Tourism Economics report comes out in July, followed by the Year in Review.111210
  • No procurement or vendor RFP page was found on the site.7

What they’re running

  • Summit Brew Path, 10th year: 1,729 completed passports and 1,618 at the Bash in 2025.5
  • The Drip Drive, 7th year: 22 coffee shops from 28 February 2026. 2025 had 28 shops and more than 630 passports, the largest to date.165
  • Summit Sweet Stroll, 2nd year: 21 stops from 13 June 2026.15
  • Treasure Trail: launched November 2024 with 20 stores; creator Dina’s Days drew 685,000 views.65
  • Tourism Drives Us: an advocacy campaign launched in 2025, citing $758 in tax savings per household.518
  • Savor the Scenic in Summit: a 2024 campaign, with a national TV commercial in July 2024 through the Kaulig Companies Championship.6
  • Sports Alliance of Greater Akron: 120 sports events in 2025, and a new logo.5

Worth knowing

  • 2025 sales results: 157 RFPs (124 in 2024), 56 site visits (33) and 52,254 room nights (50,938).56
  • Website users rose from 154,116 in 2024 to 278,551 in 2025.65
  • Three venue staff are on the FY2024 990 but not on the staff page: the head electrician and the VPs of food and beverage and of operations.82
  • The 2023 audit says management “anticipates a flat revenue stream and will continue to contain costs”.31

Footnotes

  1. 5

    2025 ASCVB Year In Review, 2026-07, pp. 1-17.

    2025 ASCVB Year In Review (flipbook, 20 pages; page refs are the printed page numbers)

    ASCVB · published 2026-07 (page assets stamped 2026-07-22; cites Tourism Economics July 2026)

    ↩
  2. 6

    2024 ASCVB Year In Review, 2024, pp. 2-13.

    2024 ASCVB Year In Review (flipbook, 16 pages; printed page numbers)

    ASCVB · read 2026-10-12

    ↩
  3. 10

    “New Report Shows Tourism Continues to Fuel Summit County’s Economy”, ASCVB blog, 2026-07-23.

    New Report Shows Tourism Continues to Fuel Summit County's Economy

    ASCVB blog · published 2026-07-23

    ↩
  4. 11

    “2026 Destination Development Grants Fuel Tourism Growth Across Summit County”, ASCVB blog, 2026-02-03.

    2026 Destination Development Grants Fuel Tourism Growth Across Summit County

    ASCVB blog · published 2026-02-03

    ↩
  5. 12

    “2025 Destination Development Grant Recipients”, ASCVB blog, 2025-01-28.

    2025 Destination Development Grant Recipients

    ASCVB blog · published 2025-01-28

    ↩
  6. 27

    Resolution No. 2025-300, County of Summit Council, adopted 2025-11-10.

    Resolution No. 2025-300 (five-year lodging tax contract, 1/1/26 to 12/31/30)

    County of Summit Council · introduced 2025-10-27, adopted 2025-11-10

    ↩
  7. 13

    “Summit Brew Path Raises a Glass to 10 Years”, ASCVB blog, 2026-01-07.

    Summit Brew Path Raises a Glass to 10 Years of Craft Beer in Summit County

    ASCVB blog · published 2026-01-07

    ↩
  8. 22

    Summit Brew Path, ASCVB, read 2026-10-12.

    Summit Brew Path

    ASCVB · read 2026-10-12

    ↩
  9. 1

    Destination Pulse org page, roster captured 2026-10-07.

    Akron Summit Convention Visitors Bureau org page (roster captured Oct 7, 2026; FY2024 990 summary)

    Destination Pulse · published 2026-10-07

    ↩
  10. 8

    Nonprofit Explorer, EIN 34-1131390, FY2024 990 filed 2026-03-24.

    Akron Convention And Visitors Bureau Inc, EIN 34-1131390 (FY2024 and FY2023 990 summaries)

    ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · FY2024 990 filed 2026-03-24; FY2023 990 filed 2024-11-13

    ↩
  11. 24

    Lodging Excise Tax, Summit County Fiscal Office, read 2026-10-12.

    Lodging Excise Tax

    Summit County Fiscal Office · read 2026-10-12

    ↩
  12. 31

    Regular Audit for the Year Ended December 31, 2023, Ohio Auditor of State, 2024-11-20, pp. 5-11, 21-23, notes 1, 10.

    Akron/Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc., Regular Audit for the Year Ended December 31, 2023

    Ohio Auditor of State · published 2024-11-20 (report date)

    ↩
  13. 2

    Staff Directory, ASCVB, read 2026-10-12.

    Staff Directory

    ASCVB · read 2026-10-12

    ↩
  14. 20

    Media, ASCVB, read 2026-10-12.

    Media

    ASCVB · read 2026-10-12

    ↩
  15. 4

    Our History, ASCVB, read 2026-10-12.

    Our History

    ASCVB · read 2026-10-12

    ↩
  16. 14

    “Summit County Tourism Industry Celebrated at 2026 Zenith Awards Luncheon”, ASCVB blog, 2026-05-11.

    Summit County Tourism Industry Celebrated at 2026 Zenith Awards Luncheon

    ASCVB blog · published 2026-05-11

    ↩
  17. 23

    visitakron-summit.org page source, read 2026-10-12.

    Home page HTML source

    ASCVB · read 2026-10-12

    ↩
  18. 21

    Akron/Summit County Insider Guide 2026, Issuu.

    Akron/Summit County Insider Guide 2026

    Issuu account "greatlakespublishing" · read 2026-10-12

    ↩
  19. 3

    About the ASCVB (2026 board schedule), read 2026-10-12.

    About the Akron/Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau (incl. 2026 board meeting schedule)

    ASCVB · read 2026-10-12

    ↩
  20. 7

    visitakron-summit.org sitemap, read 2026-10-12.

    Sitemap

    ASCVB · 1,582 URLs, lastmod up to 2026-10

    ↩
  21. 16

    “The 2026 Drip Drive is Here!”, ASCVB blog, 2026-02-27.

    The 2026 Drip Drive is Here!

    ASCVB blog · published 2026-02-27

    ↩
  22. 15

    “Summit Sweet Stroll Returns for a Second Year”, ASCVB blog, 2026-06-12.

    Summit Sweet Stroll Returns for a Second Year

    ASCVB blog · published 2026-06-12

    ↩
  23. 18

    Tourism Drives Us, ASCVB, read 2026-10-12.

    Tourism Drives Us

    ASCVB · read 2026-10-12

    ↩

Researched from public sources. Something wrong? Tell us.

Changes

0 changes

No staff-page changes recorded for this organization yet.

Current leadership

3 leaders

Top leader

Gregg M. Mervis

President & Chief Executive Officer

Executive

Morell Mendiola

Chief Financial Officer

Vice president

Stephanie Berry

Vice President of Marketing & Brand Management

Team

10 people

Team by function

  • Sales & convention services5
  • Marketing & communications2
  • Finance & administration2
  • Other1

Sales & convention services

5 people

  • Autumn Ritchie

    Destination Sales Associate

  • Cindy Coontz

    Director of Sales

  • Kari Pekar

    Destination Sales Manager, Sports Alliance of Greater Akron

  • Lydia Oravetz

    Destination Sales Manager

  • Sean McAllister

    Destination Sales Manager

Marketing & communications

2 people

  • Jim McConihe

    Senior Graphic Designer

  • Ty Johnson

    Marketing & Social Media Manager

Finance & administration

2 people

  • Diane Miller

    Administrative Assistant

  • Jazmyne Powell-Johnson

    Payroll & Human Resources Manager

Other

1 person

  • Nicole Clough

    Accounts Receivable Specialist

3 in leadership and 10 grouped by function. Captured Nov 11, 2026 from the official team page.

From the IRS Form 990 (FY2024)

Revenue $7,939,955

Contractors (0)

None listed on the filing.

Officers and directors (21)

NameTitleCompensation
GREGG MERVISCHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER & PRESIDENT$225,778
ROBERT CZUPHEAD ELECTRICIAN$157,674
RONALD DORSEYVICE PRESIDENT OF FOOD & BEVERAGE$146,801
MORELL MENDIOLACHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER$137,093
KEITH POMERANINGVICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS$128,254
STEPHANIE BERRYVICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING & BRAND MANAGEMENT$102,079
RENATO CAMACHOCHAIR—
MAUREEN M SCHNEIDERVICE CHAIR OF THE BOARD, DIRECTOR—
JEFFREY LYNCHTREASURER OF THE BOARD, DIRECTOR—
SHARON REAVESSECRETARY OF THE BOARD, DIRECTOR—
DAVID LIEBERTHDIRECTOR—
ISMAIL AL-AMINDIRECTOR—
JACK DELEODIRECTOR—
SANDRA HAMADDIRECTOR—
CHRISTINE WIEDIE HIGHAMDIRECTOR—
SHIRLENE KRAMERDIRECTOR—
JEANNINE MARKSDIRECTOR—
DON PADGETT IIIDIRECTOR—
DAVID E PRENTICEDIRECTOR—
BOB PURDYDIRECTOR—
MARCO SOMMERVILLEDIRECTOR—

As reported on the organization's IRS Form 990 for tax period 202412. Compensation is shown only where the filing reports an amount above zero. View the filing on ProPublica.

Contact details

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