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Grateful, energized, and (still) a little speechless.

Executive Director of VisitMO, Stephen Foutes with Aaron Smith.

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Aaron Smith
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Grateful, energized, and (still) a little speechless.

By Aaron Smith

Last week I was honored to receive Visit MO’s 2025 Rising Star award. It recognizes folks who’ve made a big impact in fewer than five years—Sainte Geneviève and I are doing it in under two. We’ve been fixing foundations, aligning partners, and getting to a true starting line where the work converts into feet on the street.

Who I tried to thank from the stage (before my brain hit pause):
• Stephen Foutes and the team at Visit MO — you make our jobs easier and our impact bigger.
• My wife Kate and our tender-hearted, big-emotioned son Levee — you’re my light.
• The people of Sainte Geneviève — thanks for believing in a Louisiana transplant with a lot of hustle. This one’s for you.
• Niamh (Neve) Johnson, our content coordinator — if you’ve seen our socials, you’ve seen her eye.
• Kent Richardson, our videographer — national-TV caliber work, every time.
• Our partners at McDaniels Marketing and Blacktop Sailor — for keeping the big picture crisp and the grants wrangled.

I said earlier this year I was coming for this award. Ask for what you want, then outwork the echo. 🚀
Thank you, truly. Onward.

#VisitMO #SteGenevieve #Tourism #EconomicDevelopment #RisingStar #Missouri #Storytelling #TeamWork

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