MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.– After a nationwide search by the executive recruitment firm Searchwide Global, the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce (MBACC) and Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) has named Stuart Butler Chief Marketing Officer of the CVB. Butler, a 20-year resident of Myrtle Beach and former chamber board member, joins with an immediate understanding of the organization.

“We met and interviewed some truly impressive candidates from across the country, and Stuart rose to the top as someone with the marketing skills and technology expertise to lead our division. We are fortunate to have found an outstanding candidate in our own backyard, who has a deep knowledge and love of our destination, our Chamber and CVB, and a wealth of knowledge to share with our CVB partners,” said MBACC President and CEO Karen Riordan, who served on the selection committee with MBACC Board of Directors Chair Billy McGonigal, Past Chair Steve Mays and Marketing Council Chair Alex Husner.

Butler will be leaving his current position as the Chief Operating Officer at Fuel, a Myrtle Beach-based software provider and hospitality industry marketing agency. He earned a degree in Rocket Science from the University of Kent at Canterbury in England and has a background as an Adobe ColdFusion programmer and project manager.

Beginning in late April, Butler will lead the marketing division for the CVB and its destination management organization Visit Myrtle Beach. In this position, Butler will oversee all aspects of the CVB marketing division from brand strategy, advertising, media planning and buying to public relations, social media and data analytics. In addition, Butler will oversee the Tourism Investment Program (TIP) a collaborative marketing effort between the local tourism industry and the CVB.

“I am honored to be selected as the Chief Marketing Officer for the Convention and Visitors Bureau. Along with my knowledge of the Grand Strand and MBACC, I bring to the position a multitude of marketing and technology skills that I intend to use to further drive the destination marketing organization forward,” Butler said.

Along with spending time with his family, Butler enjoys coaching and playing soccer.

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About Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce

Since 1938, the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce has stood as the unified voice of the Grand Strand's business community. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has awarded the MBACC its five-star accreditation--one of only a few chambers in South Carolina to earn this distinction. The MBACC serves Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach, Little River, Atlantic Beach, Garden City Beach, Loris, Conway, Aynor, Murrells Inlet, Litchfield Beach, Pawleys Island, Socastee and Carolina Forest. For more information, visit MyrtleBeachAreaChamber.com.