June Morris started her travel-related career by herself in an office with one telephone and with hard work turned it into the largest woman-owned business in Utah and the 33rd largest woman-owned business in the United States.
For her efforts, Morris received the Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau's Tourism Achievement Award Thursday evening at the Red Lion Hotel during the group's annual meeting. Kathleen Barnes, chairwoman-elect of the bureau's executive committee, gave a large plaque to Richard Frendt, Morris Air chairman, because Morris was in Dallas.Morris, chief executive officer of Morris Air, started her business in 1970 and later founded Morris Travel Corp., that became one of the largest in the nation. In 1984 she founded Morris Air, a no-frills airline offering low fares to many cities.
Several weeks ago, Southwest Airlines announced it was purchasing Morris Air.
"The Salt Lake hospitality industry is strong today because of June's contributions. Morris Air provided attractive travel options in 22 cities to skiers, visitors and convention delegates considering a trip to our area," said Rick Davis, bureau president.
Davis also announced that 270 meetings and conventions were booked in 1993, most in the bureau's history. Ski groups, motorcoach tours and international group bookings also were nearly double initial projections. He said nearly $198 million in convention business is scheduled for the remodeled Salt Palace Convention Center through 2002.
As a surprise, Frank Jones, city manager for Avis Rent A Car, gave Davis the company's We Try Harder Award for his work in continuing to book meetings and conventions during expansion and remodeling of the Salt Palace. Jones said the rental car business is up 26 percent, much of it due to Davis' work.
It was announced that Kenneth Y. Knight, president of Little America Hotel Co., will be chairman of the executive committee. William G. Gibbs, a Salt Lake attorney, is past chairman; Barnes, co-owner of Sample Salt Lake, is chairwoman-elect; and James Butler, a Salt Lake attorney, is secretary-treasurer.
New members of the executive committee are Rep. Afton Bradshaw, R-Salt Lake; Boyd Christensen, chairman of visitor services for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Lynn Dougan, owner of Dougan & Associates; Wm. James Mortimer, publisher of the Deseret News; David Nelson, general manager of the University Park Hotel & Suites; and Steven Romney, president of Wallace Associates Co.
Outgoing board members honored were R. Thayne Robson, director of the University of Utah Bureau of Business and Economic Research; Jack Adamson, former president of the Major Market Radio Group for Bonneville International; Truman F. Clawson, owner of Clawson Travel Service Inc.; Jerry O'Brien, Salt Lake Tribune publisher; Fred H. Rollins, district sales manager for Delta Air Lines; and Dr. Burtis R. Evans, who died in December.