Rotary Club bids Ogren goodbye

Former Marianas Visitor Authority managing director Jonas Ogren advised the Commonwealth to continue cultivating a good relationship with businesses and the community to ensure the success of many tourism-related programs.

In a speech before members and officers of the Rotary Club of Saipan Tuesday at Hyatt Regency Saipan, Ogren stressed that this partnership plays a vital role in getting things done, particularly on the side of the government.

“Saipan is such a small island that it is surprising that many activities are happening here. Like the 60th anniversary of the World War II Battles of Saipan and Tinian, the partnership of many individuals had made many activities here a success,” he said.

Ogren said that in his eight years in the CNMI—six years on Rota and two on Saipan—he learned that one important priority to consider is to cultivate and maintain partnerships not only with the Saipan Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club of Saipan, and the Hotel Association of the NMI, but also to travel markets that help bring in tourists to the CNMI.

“During my last two years at the MVA, we rebuilt many of these relationships that resulted in fruitful projects. This is something that I have not seen in the past. The value of partnership sets so many examples,” said Ogren.

He said his best years were spent working on Rota and Saipan, adding that he learned a lot during his stint with the MVA. “It’s been a great eight years. I will be going back to Sweden and move on to the next adventure. The CNMI will be forever in my heart and I will be back to visit in the future,” said Ogren.

Ogren became the MVA’s top executive in June 2002. The MVA rehired Ogren in 2003 for another one-year term. Before becoming MVA managing director, the Cornell University alumnus had a six-year stint with the Rota Resort and three years of membership with the MVA’s Public Relations and Ad Committee.

His keen understanding of the CNMI’s tourism industry helped the MVA on its sales and marketing for the resort, including its participation at trade shows, design and development of collateral materials and its Internet presence.

Previously, Ogren held the position of training manager of Radisson SAS Hotel in Beijing.

MVA chair David Sablan described Ogren’s leadership as one that “tremendously contributed to the success of the MVA.”

The MVA chairman credited Ogren’s efforts in promoting the CNMI as a tourist destination to Japan, Korea and China. As MVA managing director, Ogren ensured that the three major islands—Saipan, Tinian and Rota—received proper promotional recognition, according to Sablan.