ARDA 2019 Trustee Directory - 26

G O LD KE Y | PHR
300 32nd Street | Suite 500 | Virginia Beach, VA 23451 | 757.491.3000 ph

www.phrinc.com

Bruce L. Thompson
President and Chief Executive Officer
brucet@phrinc.com

A Hampton Roads native recognized as a philanthropist, business,
and civic leader, Bruce L. Thompson is the founder and Chief
Executive Officer of Professional Hospitality Resources (PHR), one
of the largest privately held hospitality and real estate companies
in the Mid-Atlantic. PHR's portfolio of world-class restaurants,
hotels, and resorts generate annual revenue exceeding $100
million, employ over 2,000 associates and attract nearly a million
guests to the local economy each year. In 2017 PHR opened one of
Coastal Virginia's most distinguished hospitality properties with the
completion of the Hilton Norfolk The Main hotel and conference
center and in 2018 completed the highly anticipated restoration of
the grand Cavalier Hotel in Virginia Beach.

in 2012 by leading trade publication, Perspective Magazine. In 2017,
Thompson was inducted into the Hampton Roads Hall of Fame by
the Junior Achievement of Greater Hampton Roads, honoring his
lifetime of achievements as one of Hampton Road's most visionary
business leaders.
Charitable efforts define Bruce Thompson as much as his many
business and civic accomplishments. In 2008, he organized the
largest Walk to Defeat ALS effort in that organization's history,
raising more than $5 million to support the ALS Society, patient
care, and medical research. In 2009, he designed and secured
funding for the world's first fully accessible oceanfront park for
the disabled, JT's Grommet Island Beach Park and Playground for
EveryBODY, which opened on the Virginia Beach oceanfront in
May 2010. Thompson received the 2009 ARDA Ace Philanthropic
Award, the 2009 Outstanding Community Visionary Award from
Amerigroup Foundation, the Virginia Center of Inclusive Committees
Humanitarian Award and Gold Key Resorts (a company piloted by
Bruce Thompson) received the 2010 ARDA Ace Community Service
Award. After many years in support of the Virginia Beach Neptune
Festival, Thompson was crowned King Neptune XXXVIII in 2010. He
is a member of the Hampton Roads Chapter of the National Multiple
Sclerosis Foundation. In April of 2012, Thompson received the
Lenora B. Matthews Lifetime Achievement Award from Volunteer
Hampton Roads, recognizing his continued commitment to the
community.

Thompson has been an ardent supporter and advocate of the
travel and tourism industry, serving as a director of the American
Resort Development Association (ARDA) and on the boards of
tourism and development organizations-including seven years on
the Governor's Travel Advisory Committee, Resort Area Advisory
Commission, Resort Leadership Council, Virginia Beach Festivals
Committee, and the Virginia Small Business Financial Authority.
He was chairman of Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell's Transition
Team for Film and Tourism and was appointed to the Governor's
Economic Development and Jobs Creation Commission. In July
2010, Thompson was appointed by the Eastern Virginia Medical
School (EVMS) Foundation Board of Trustees to serve on the EVMS
Board of Visitors. In recognition of his accomplishments in the
timeshare industry, Thompson was awarded "Best Industry Leader"

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http://www.phrinc.com
ARDA 2019 Trustee Directory

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