Award Winners

Congratulations to South Point Arena and Equestrian Center in Las Vegas, NV.

Congratulations to the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, TX, the first winner of our Facility of the Year award.

The Facility of the Year Award is based on operational excellence as well as professional development, safety and security, and service to one’s community. The Will Rogers Memorial Center exemplifies those attributes.

The City of Fort Worth and the management and staff of the Will Rogers Memorial Center have put great thought and planning on the long-range design and renovation of their facilities to transform a historic stock show-focused facility into a world class equestrian event facility and destination. They relied upon the insight of many of their past, present and potential clientele in the development of their renovation plans which helped them create facilities and amenities ideal for almost any breed or discipline show.

Their sales strategy paralleled the long-range renovation schedule to develop a diverse annual schedule of equestrian and livestock shows with a greater potential for economic impact and revenue than was ever previously attainable. The transformation of their center and calendar of events has coincided perfectly with the economic and growth surge of Fort Worth creating a destination to complement their equestrian facilities for national and international competitions.

We are grateful to have their membership in The League of Agricultural & Equine Centers and pleased to have selected them as our first Facility of the Year. Congratulations the Will Rogers Memorial Center!

Bill Chambers is an experienced executive with high level management expertise. He is a proven leader and has impressive collaboration skills. Bill is able to initiate and manage large multi-level programs utilizing public and private partnerships. Bill is a visionary who was a founding member of The League, an organization that has a mission which includes education, networking and advocacy for the facility management industry.

There is likely no one who has had as much involvement with The League as Bill. In 1997, he, along with two other individuals, was a founding member. He was instrumental in forming and incorporating the organization in 1999. He has been a member of the Board of Directors since the organization was officially created. Bill served as Chairman of the Board from 2004 to 2012. During that time, The League grew substantially and many of the benefits enjoyed by the members today were created.

Over the years, Bill has made numerous presentations at The League’s Annual Symposium as well as served as moderator for several of The League’s bi-monthly Forums. Bill was a driving force behind the consulting services offered by The League, created the brochure to promote the program and continues to be the primary liaison when such services are needed. There are very few Annual Symposiums that Bill missed over the years.

Due to his vast experience, Bill has been an invaluable resource when looking for advice from both the facility perspective as well as for issues concerning The League.

Bill left his position with The Show Place Arena and Prince Georgia’s Equestrian Center six years ago, but due to his passion for both the industry and The League, Bill remains active in the organization and serves as an Ex-Officio member of the Board of Directors.

It is no exaggeration to say The League is what it is today as a result of the involvement, leadership and vision of Bill Chambers. There would be no better person to receive the first ever Hall of Fame Award, another League program created by Bill!

Congratulations to the Georgia International Horse Park, Conyers, GA, winner of our first Best Marketing Award.