The Resort Executive of the Year recognizes a resort executive who has demonstrated �superior management ability, a commitment to staff training and motivation, active participation in lodging industry association activities, support of legislation beneficial to the resort industry and community leadership.� James is the 28th individual to be honored as Resort Executive of the Year. Previous winners have included Michael Glennie of the Boca Raton Resort & Club, Stephen Bartolin, Jr. of the Broadmoor, Ted Kleisner of the Greenbrier and Jack Vaughn, Sr. of the Opryland Hotel.

Clay W. James

As vice president and chief operating officer of Grand Teton Lodge Company, James is responsible for three facilities inside Grand Teton National Park and one just outside. In-park accommodations include the rustically elegant AAA Four-Star, Mobil Four-Diamond Jenny Lake Lodge; 385-room full-service Jackson Lake Lodge; family-oriented Colter Bay Village & Marina; and just outside the park, the Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis Club, an 18-hole Robert Trent Jones, Jr. redesigned course, rated the No. 1 course in Wyoming. 

During his tenure, Grand Teton Lodge Company has hosted numerous dignitaries such as President and Mrs. Clinton, President George H. Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell. In 1989, United States Secretary of State James Baker and Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze met at Jackson Lake Lodge for initial negotiations that eventually led to the end of the Cold War.

James joined Grand Teton Lodge Company in 1971 as manager of visitor accommodations. James left the company for other hospitality positions throughout the country, but he returned to Grand Teton Lodge Company in 1984. 

A native of Missouri, James earned a bachelor�s degree in business from Arizona State University. After working entry-level positions in the hospitality industry in Arizona and Wyoming, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. In 1964, he became assistant manager of the acclaimed Little Dix Bay in the British Virgin Islands. He later held hotel management positions in Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In 1971, he joined Grand Teton Lodge Company as manager of visitor accommodations. His career also took him to Puerto Rico, Washington, Texas and Florida before he returned to Grand Teton Lodge Company, where he has been for the last 18 years.

Highly respected by the National Park Service, James is active in the National Park Hospitality Association, has served on the board of directors for the American Hotel & Lodging Association for 10 years and is active with the Wyoming Restaurant & Lodging Association and the Wyoming Business Council Steering Committee. In 1995 James served as Wyoming�s representative to the White House Conference on Tourism and the following year he represented the state at the Western Summit on Tourism and Public Lands. In 1995 he was named Wyoming Travel Person of the Year. 

James is also very active in promoting Jackson Hole and has served as a board member for the Grand Teton Natural History Association, the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole, the Grand Teton National Park Foundation, the Rotary Club and the Grand Teton Music Festival. He is also a strong supporter of the local school system, St. John�s Hospital and the Chamber of Commerce. 

Under his leadership, the Grand Teton Lodge Company has developed an aggressive recycling program and a focus on environmental issues. The company annually recycles an average of 218,000 tons of materials.

James and his wife, Shay, are parents of son, Scott, and daughter, McKenzie. They have two grandchildren, Emma and Cole.

The Grand Teton Lodge Company is owned and operated by Vail Resorts, the premier mountain resort operator in the United States.