For the Love of Gatlinburg: S1, E6 — Resilience and Reinvention

Mark Adams, President and CEO of Ober Mountain, moved to Gatlinburg from Atlanta about eight and a half years ago to lead the Gatlinburg Convention Center, Chamber of Commerce, and Visitors Bureau — a move friends back in Atlanta called "career suicide." Just months into the job, the 2016 wildfires hit, and Mark says that's the night he understood exactly why he'd come to Gatlinburg.

Mark's connection to the area actually predates his career move by decades — childhood winter trips with his parents, when nearly everything in town was closed except one place: Obergatlinburg. That early memory would eventually come full circle. The conversation traces Mark's early days as an outsider navigating Gatlinburg's "above the tunnel, below the tunnel" divide with Pigeon Forge — a divide he watched dissolve almost overnight after the fires, as neighboring tourism leaders promoted Gatlinburg as their own.

Mark discusses his proudest professional achievement — not leading through the wildfires, which he calls instinctual, but the deliberate decision during COVID-19 to increase marketing spend rather than cut back, even as other CVBs called the move irresponsible. He also shares the story behind Ober Mountain's rebrand from the 50-year-old Obergatlinburg name, honoring founder Claude Anderson's legacy while introducing new chairlifts, an observation deck, four-across ziplining, lift-supported mountain biking, and an expanded wildlife rescue and education area — including Casper, a rare albino raccoon, and a rescued bald eagle.

• A childhood memory that came full circle. As a kid, Mark visited Gatlinburg in the winter when almost everything was closed — except Obergatlinburg, the very attraction he now leads as Ober Mountain.

• The wildfires dissolved an old divide. Mark says the historic "above the tunnel, below the tunnel" rivalry between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge largely disappeared after the 2016 fires, as tourism leaders from neighboring communities promoted Gatlinburg as their own during recovery.

• Coming in as an outsider was an advantage. With no prior ties to the area, Mark says he had no preconceptions about who was related to whom or old local histories — giving him a fresh, visitor-like perspective similar to a tourist's.

• Doubling down on marketing during COVID. Rather than cut back, Mark's team increased marketing spend during the pandemic — a decision other CVBs called irresponsible — and crafted a "visit responsibly" campaign that encouraged travel instead of discouraging it.

• Authenticity over generic tourism marketing. Mark points to Gatlinburg's 75th city anniversary campaign, which featured raw, emotional interviews with multi-generational local business owners, as a turning point in moving away from generic, interchangeable tourism advertising.

• A deliberate rebrand rooted in nostalgia. Renaming Obergatlinburg to Ober Mountain was a calculated risk — done with all-new branding (since existing photos were tied to the old name) designed to feel nostalgic while being entirely fresh.

• New attractions alongside old favorites. Ober Mountain is adding 12 new chairlifts, a 100-foot observation deck atop Mount Harrison, a four-across zipline bordering the national park, and lift-supported mountain biking — while wrestling with how to eventually replace the aging Alpine Slide without losing its multi-generational appeal.

• A wildlife rescue with real stories. Every animal at Ober Mountain's wildlife area — including Casper, a rare albino raccoon, and a rescued bald eagle — is a local rescue unable to survive in the wild, and each has its own story that staff now actively share with guests.