TripAdvisor also Lauds Battleship Museum for Strong Consumer Reviews
L.A. WATERFRONT, CA (June 10, 2014) – Pacific Battleship Center, the nonprofit that operates Battleship IOWA, was recognized as the 2014 “Business of the Year” in an announcement by the region’s leading business association.
According to Elise Swanson, President/CEO of the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce, the historic naval ship museum was recognized for its “…successful launch of a major tourist attraction and its contributions to the economy of the LA Waterfront.”
In just two full years at the Los Angeles Waterfront, Battleship IOWA has indeed made an impression. “We have paid more than $10 million in local wages and payments to small businesses,” said Jonathan Williams, President/CEO of Pacific Battleship Center, “Hundreds of thousands of visitors have boarded IOWA—many of whom were first-time visitors to the LA Waterfront.”
Mr. Williams, who ran several companies as a small business entrepreneur before taking the IOWA’s helm in 2012, has generated buzz in the area for his relentless focus on regional marketing. “We love his energy and his ideas!” exclaimed Ms. Swanson.
The award will be presented during a luncheon at the 2014 Annual Business Awards & Installation Luncheon slated for Thursday, June 12, 2014 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Los Angeles Harbor Hotel in San Pedro.
Apparently the market backs up the Chamber’s take on IOWA’s success: In May, the ship was named Number 13 on the list of “Most Popular Things To Do in LA”, by TripAdvisor. IOWA’s ranking outpolled Universal Studios and the Hollywood Bowl! The ranking earned Battleship IOWA a “Certificate of Excellence” from the online consumer service.
About Battleship IOWA: Entering service more than 70 years ago, USS Iowa was immediately deployed to the South Pacific in the uncertain early years of World War II. The iconic battleship served with distinction in that war, and later during the Korean War. In the early 1990s, USS Iowa concluded her active duty as the Berlin Wall crumbled. Battleship IOWA now serves as an historic naval ship museum. Forged in war, guardian of the peace, the proud ship keeps watch as the stately sentinel of the LA Waterfront.
IOWA’s teak decks and steel bulkheads echo the words and deeds of history: three U.S. Presidents, six of the nine American five-star military leaders, countless foreign dignitaries, and most importantly thousands of her own heroic IOWA sailors. Visitors are awed by IOWA’s proud legacy as one of the fastest and most powerful ships ever to sail the world’s oceans. Battleship IOWA is open to the public daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.