Visit OKC honors Hometown Heroes at 15th annual awards 

Visit Oklahoma City honored Hometown Heroes on Tuesday night at an award ceremony at Meinders Hall of Mirrors in the Civic Center Music Hall. The honorees were chosen for their dedication to OKC, leadership in their industry, collaborative efforts and promotion of the city as a destination.  

"Oklahoma City is a thriving destination that welcomes more than 24 million visitors each year and we couldn’t do it without these partners going above and beyond every day to make our city shine,” said Zac Craig, president of Visit OKC.   

The Hometown Hero awards were presented to 11 individuals and organizations that have greatly supported and promoted OKC tourism. Awards were presented to:  

• Fiestas de las Américas   
• Jake Keyes, Skydance Brewing  
• Angela Smith, Oklahoma City Conventions Center – ASM Global  
• Carolan Bledsoe, Patch Sewer of WCWS  
• Curbside OKC  
• Krystal Yoseph, Konjo Concepts  
• Science Museum Oklahoma  
• Coury Hospitality  
• Aubrey McDermid, City of OKC  
• Heritage Place  
• Michael Byrnes  

Michael Byrnes has been a key figure in the community, serving as president and general manager of the OKC Comets since 2010. Recently, the Chamber named Byrnes the lead for OKC's efforts to stage softball and canoe slalom events at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The Chamber is working with LA28 to coordinate this initiative. 

"Visit OKC congratulates each of our honorees and we are grateful for their continued efforts in making Oklahoma City a premier destination for visitors from around the world,” said Craig.  

Visit OKC’s Hometown Heroes Awards were held during National Travel and Tourism Week, which highlights how travel drives economic growth and improves quality of life across the nation.