Radius Indiana boosts tourism effort with new team leader

BEDFORD, Ind. (Oct. 8, 2021) — Misty Weisensteiner joins the team at Radius Indiana as the first Chief Operating Officer of Discover Southern Indiana, the regional tourism marketing arm of Radius. Weisensteiner will lead regional tourism efforts and help grow the relationship with industry members and partners in southern Indiana. 

Weisensteiner returned to her southern Indiana roots when she joined Radius Oct. 4. In her new leadership role, she will work to elevate the Discover Southern Indiana brand, collaborate with the numerous regional counties and their ongoing tourism efforts, and help to further increase the impact of tourism as a vital component of the regional economy. 

“I am very excited to be back home and working in southern Indiana,” Weisensteiner said. “Leaders in this part of the state understand the importance of tourism and quality of place, and together we will work to strengthen and build Discover Southern Indiana.”

Weisensteiner has over 20 years of experience in hospitality and tourism management. Prior to joining Radius, she served as Director of Core Strategy Implementation for the Indiana Destination Development Corporation. She also worked as the executive director of the Indiana Office of Tourism Development, Orange County Economic Development Partnership and Visit French Lick West Baden.

While serving at the state level, Weisensteiner served on several regional, state and local boards, and built connections at both the state and national levels. This experience allows her to build on the already-existing regional tourism brand and expand the reach of its target audiences.

“The state has done a great job of making Indiana a destination and getting visitors here,” Weisensteiner said. “The new approach and strategy of the Indiana Destination Development Corporation aligns nicely with the missions of Radius and Discover Southern Indiana. I am looking forward to the continued partnership”

Tourism is a key factor in the overall economic prosperity of the region. In 2018, more than $300 million in tourism spending was accounted for in the eight Radius counties alone, with $157 million in total economic impact, according to Rockport Analytics. Additionally, ongoing improvements in quality of place and tourism efforts are anticipated to help attract businesses and workforce to the region and help retain current residents.

In addition to hiring Weisensteiner, Radius has made an internal staffing change. Blaine Parker, former director of tourism and quality of place, is now the Director of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Support, helping communities develop and support diverse, locally-owned small business sectors.

“With the READI program in mind, Radius is hopeful that there may be significant funding to help augment our engagement in tourism branding in years to come,” said Jeff Quyle, president and CEO of Radius Indiana. “We are grateful for the opportunity to have Misty lead our region’s team and we cannot wait for so many people to discover Southern Indiana.” 

Follow Discover Southern Indiana at Discover Southern Indiana on Facebook and @DiscoverSoIn on both Instagram and Twitter.

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ABOUT RADIUS INDIANA: Radius Indiana is a regional economic development partnership representing eight counties in Southern Indiana: Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Orange, and Washington. Formed in 2009, Radius Indiana also serves as a point of contact in Indiana for Naval Support Activity Crane and leads regional collaboration by leveraging the diverse assets of Southwest Central Indiana to drive attraction, retention and expansion of business, thereby increasing employment and investment opportunities and quality of life within the region.