Each year the Wyoming Hospitality and Travel Coalition is proud to present the BIG WYO Award to a private sector individual who has done an outstanding job promoting hospitality and tourism for the State of Wyoming.

The awards committee, made up of past BIG WYO winners and members of the WHTC Executive Committee, selects the winner. Nominations for the 2023 award are currently being accepted.  Just send an email with a brief paragraph of why you are nominating the individual and include some of their accomplishments. Nominees do not have to be employed in restaurants, lodging properties, destination marketing organizations, etc. but can be any person who has made significant contributions to the tourism and hospitality industry in Wyoming.


Congratulations to the 2023 BIG WYO Award Winner Tim O’Leary!

1970’s1980’s1990’s 2000’s 2010’s2020’s
1977 Harry Smith 1980 Duane Von Krosigk 1990 Pat Self 2000 Trudy McCraken 2010 Gov. Dave Freudenthal2020 Darren Rudloff
1978 Marv Harshman1981 Peter Hassrick1991 Paul Smith2001 Gene & Carol Kupke2011 Steve Meadows2021 No Recipient (Conference Cancelled-Coronavirus)
1979 Bob Dohse1982 Ralph McMullen1992 Pat Sweeney2002 Ted Blair2012 Rex Brown2022 Renee Penton Jones
1983 Norm Parker1993 Jim Hearne2003 Jeff Heilbrun2013 Chuck Coon2023 Tim O’Leary
1984 Dorris Stalker1994 Carol Waller2004 Edna Kennell2014 Kari Cooper
1985 Bill Bragg1995 Clay James2005 Manuel Lopez2015 Clay Miller
1986 Gov. Ed Hershler1996 Don & Doris Bunn2006 Claudia Wade2016 Jerry Blann
1987 Clarene&Creed Law1997 Wayne Worthen2007 Dave Rader2017 John Johnson
1988 John Olson1998 Gene Bryan2008 Chuck Box2018 Doug & Kathleen Campbell
1989 Quin Blair1999 Bill Sniffin2009 Jim McCaleb2019 Rick Hoeninghausen

Please join all of us here at the Wyoming Hospitality and Travel Coalition in congratulating Tim O’Leary, the 2023 BIGWYO Award winner! Tim has been the Chief Financial Officer for Blair Hotels for the past 28 years, and during his tenure, he has worked tirelessly to benefit and better the Wyoming hospitality and tourism industry.

In his nomination letter, former BIGWYO Award winner Ted Blair described Tim as someone who prioritizes “getting it right” over “being right.” Tim is a critical thinker and a thoughtful listener, making him an excellent ally for the Wyoming Hospitality and Tourism Industry. His unique blend of ingenuity, integrity, and determination embodies what makes Wyoming and its tourism industry great. Tim’s commitment to his craft, his loyal staff, and the advancement of tourism in Wyoming make him an incredibly deserving recipient of the Big Wyo Award.

For more than a decade, Tim has been an indispensable member of our Board of Directors and Health Insurance Trust Board. Throughout his tenure, he has held every leadership position, including President. As he prepares to retire at the end of this year, we would like to express our deep gratitude for his outstanding service. We wish him, his wife Peggy, and their wonderful family all the best in their future endeavors.

Congratulations Tim. We appreciate you so much!