The Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau was recently awarded Campaign of the Year by The Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association.

The Tourism Bureau's new program, Butler County Service Excellence Award, was given the designation at the PRLA Awards and Installation Gala Reception and Dinner Monday at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh, which honors exceptional members for their leadership, commitment and service to their industry and community through the Spirit of Hospitality Awards, according to a press release from the organization.

Jack Cohen, president of the tourism bureau, said Wednesday that the Butler County Service Excellence Award program is a great way to “share the good things that are happening in our community.”

“This program is a great way to talk about the people here and the tourism industry in the area,” he said. “There's a lot of bad news right now, and we want to share the good things that people are doing right in our backyard. We're lucky to live in such a wonderful community where people care about each other.”

The Campaign of the Year celebrates a member destination marketing organization, restaurant, hotel or allied business that has executed a particularly creative campaign to highlight the many reasons why their area or business is a great place to visit, according to the release.

The Tourism Bureau developed the Butler County Service Excellence Award to acknowledge those who enhance visitors' experiences by providing exceptional customer service. The overall goal is to cultivate an environment where excellent customer service is recognized and rewarded in Butler County. The program is ongoing and separated into two assessment periods: Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter, according to the release.

Cohen said secret shoppers make unannounced visits around the county to “see where people are doing great things.”

He said nearly 50 different submissions were made by those secret shoppers regarding exceptional service, and the top 3 locations will be announced at the bureau's general membership meeting at the Hilton Garden Inn in Cranberry Township on Nov. 16.

“We want to celebrate all those folks and thank them for their exceptional service,” he said. “We are very fortunate to live here, we have great people and we want to talk about them.”