Oregon Restaurant Association Names Vice President of Strategic Communications

Wilsonville, OR, October 26, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Oregon Restaurant Association (ORA) announced today that John Hamilton has been promoted to the newly developed position of Vice President of Strategic Communications and will report directly to ORA President & CEO Steve McCoid. He will be responsible for creating and managing communications programs that effectively describe and promote the organization and the hospitality industry to the media, staff, board of directors and the general public. John will also be responsible for brand strategy and vision of ORA’s family of brands including new and existing products. John will retain his duties as managing and creative director of ORA’s subsidiary creative agency -- Creative Center.

ORA President & CEO Steve McCoid states "John’s extensive experience in communication and brand management will be a great asset for the association in how it modernizes it’s communication platform to more effectively tell our story, drive brand awareness and value to the membership and hospitality industry."

Prior to joining ORA and Creative Center in 2005, John spent ten years at Nike designing products and involved in brand management for globally visible products for Footlocker, the Brazilian and Mexican National soccer teams, NFL, NBA, the Canadian Olympic Basketball team and numerous Latin and South American club soccer teams. John is a recipient of the Nike Maxim Award for Design.

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The Oregon Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry in Oregon, which is comprised of over 9,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets, a work force of 120,000 employees, and a total economic impact of $9.7 billion - making it the cornerstone of the economy, career opportunities and community involvement. The association works to represent, train and promote the rapidly growing industry.