Gay W.

Chief Operating Officer

Gay came to the Carolina Mornings team in July 2012 as the Director of Sales and Marketing, assuming the role of Chief Marketing Officer in 2015 followed by Chief Operating Officer in 2019. He started his business career in the hospitality industry with Hilton Grand Vacations Club in 1998, serving as the Operations Manager for their west coast call center. Following the tragedy of Sept 11th, 2001, Gay left the Hilton family to serve in the United States Navy as a network administrator onboard a fast attack submarine. In 2007, he resumed his marketing career by joining Festiva Hospitality Group in Asheville, NC as their Director of Marketing Systems.

Gay's role at Carolina Mornings includes overseeing all departments for performance, compliance, and guest experiences. He is excited to lead an amazing team and is continuously working with each department head to design new strategies and programs that will help take Carolina Mornings to the next level.

Gay loves Western North Carolina with a passion and enjoys spending his free time experiencing the mountains through his mountain bike, golf bag, fly rod, and tent. He is active in the local community, including activities such as Asheville Toastmasters (President, 2017-2018), Leadership Asheville (Class 36), Asheville Sailing Club (Secretary, 2019), and Homeward Bound of WNC (Co-Founder of Bus Pass-It-On program, 2010-2015).