As part of our 30th anniversary celebration, we’ve launched a series of interviews we’re calling “30 Stories for 30 Years.” We’ll be speaking with former board members and others who have had a hand in developing tourism with us in Ottawa. Our second entry stars Scott Struchen. He got us started by explaining a bit about his background.

“So, my name is Scott Struchen. I was the founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Tangled Roots Brewing Company. And so we built one of our first breweries in Ottawa, Illinois, and I actually moved to Ottawa and fell in love with the town. And I was asked to join the OVC Board. It’s always been amazing, to see through the lens of tourism for Ottawa.” 

 Next, he gave us some opening thoughts looking back on the Ottawa Visitor Center’s 30 year anniversary.

“I love looking at Ottawa because of its rich history. All that it brings, the people, the community, the city itself, the surroundings, how beautiful it is. It’s such an asset, a tourism asset, to the state of Illinois,” Scott said.  “So, I look at tourism through the lens of economic development, and I look at how you guys are centrally located, in the center of the Illinois Valley, between four points right between the city of Chicago, Joliet… the Quad Cities and Bloomington.” 

“But I look at it through the lens of economic development, and what I mean by that, is we’re so sensual, located with such beautiful assets, that when people come to Ottawa, they are in wonder. They are in an awe because of the natural beauty. The history of the town, the people, the assets that it has through the restaurants, to shopping,” Scott said. 

Ottawa is the Middle of Everywhere for a reason! Scott exemplifies it perfectly here. Ottawa is a town of multitudes, whether it’s the nature, shops, history, arts, or something that else that catches your attention. We thrive at such an exciting intersection of aesthetics and ideas here. You never know what you might find next! Scott continued.

“The stores that are there, the retail, and the care that people put into the town. It is just amazing to see. And so what I mean by economic development is, I always look at how do we draw people here to see the great assets that we have, and hopefully they walk our streets,” he said. “They shop, and then they say, ‘I want to open a business here, I think I could be successful. I want to move here. I love it. I want to raise my kids here. You know, great schools.’”

“And for me, it truly is what hometown USA is all about.. Ottawa is the ultimate destination location, not only to visit not only to stay, but to ultimately move, live, and work. It is like the most amazing place,” Scott said.

“So, when you think of a storybook and you open it up and you think of small town USA and you think of a place that makes an impact in its community, an impact in its surroundings, and impact to the state, all roads point to Ottawa. It’s amazing.” 

“You have the assets of Starved Rock at your back door. You have the assets of the Illinois River. You have a town that’s based on the Illinois River with a great history from the ‘Great West’ of the I&M Canal coming through all the way too. Now, you have one of the largest schools for [Skydive Chicago], that’s an amazing asset, and it’s all right there,” Scott explained.

Scott also told us about the fulfilling sense of community and sharing it with tourists.

“The reason I love the OVC so much is because it gave us the opportunity, as I was sitting on the board, not only to work so closely with the city, so closely with the chamber, so closely with local businesses too, and worked with our staff, worked with the state of Illinois to bring attention to Ottawa,” he said. “To look out and say, ‘Hey, look at us over here, and come and visit.’ And when you get people to stay long weekends, and you get people to visit your town, and come into your business, and they tell you how wonderful Ottawa is, it’s the best feeling in the world.”

It truly is a heartwarming experience to work together with community partners to share the Friendly City with others. Next, we discussed what the relationship between tourism and Ottawa means to Scott.

“I take so much pride in knowing that I was a little bit of a piece of bringing attention to that great city. To me, there is nothing better than seeing people come into the city of Ottawa, inspired, and leaving and saying to others, ‘You need to go see this place. It’s amazing.’ And I heard that story over and over and over again,” he said.

Scott also mentioned meeting with our partners in tourism, like Illinois Tourism and Bob Navarro at Heritage Corridor. “And they would say, ‘Do you know how many people mentioned Ottawa to us, because it is such a wonderful place to visit?’”

“I take so much pride in knowing that I had a little bit to do with that and sit on a board that was so great to influence people to visit our great city,” Scott said.

“I believe that the future for Ottawa is bright. I believe that what is coming down the pipeline for the city and for its people, are so wonderful, because there’s so much attention that has now been brought to Ottawa that we’re going to see, through the lens of economic development,” he said. “Tourism is a big piece of that, And we’re going to see such change, in such a good way that I’m excited for the future.” 

After a bit of looking ahead, we asked Scott his thoughts on how tourism in Ottawa has evolved over the last 30 years.

“I was on the board for a long time, and I’ve seen the baby steps that it’s taken to bring attention to Ottawa into the full pattern growth of us becoming an economic engine for tourism. And it’s just been amazing to see us going from little flyers, to billboards, to have a national recognition on WGN Radio almost every day of the week and seeing the connection to people from internationally to nationally, to multi-state to regionally,” Scott said. 

“It’s been an amazing journey to see the growth and the leadership that has come through in every step of the way. We’ve just grown and become stronger and better, and our message has been clear. And I just I’m so proud of that. It’s amazing!”

Thirty years down and we’re just getting started! Ottawa has been home to a wide array of exciting events throughout that time span. We asked Scott if he had any favorites.

“There’s several events that I absolutely loved, that the City of Ottawa and the Ottawa Visitors Center were a part of. I absolutely loved the magic of the original Chris Kringle Market, when we were seeing 30,000 people come through the town,” he explained. 

“I absolutely loved the Wine and Jazz event that had lobster, that was around a couple years ago, and how big that festival was and the attention that it brought. The Kites in Flight, seeing the kids faces, and people enjoying that, there’s been so many. I love the fact that our community is very proud of these events that we put on and participating in it,” Scott said.  

“The Scarecrow Fest is another memorable event. When we had it on multiple streets and watching the community come together, and bring their children through, and seeing the different scarecrows on that in front of the different businesses. It’s really a sense of hometown USA and really brings it to life,” he said.

“So, there’s been several events that really spark a memory that I love. And I would like to see those events come back stronger than ever, with strong leadership. Because they brought so many people to our town, and they were fun, and they were caring. I think that Ottawa’s due for a new another big festival.” 

It’s undeniable that Ottawa’s exciting events and small-town feel go hand-in-hand when cultivating the cozy feeling that permeates the area. Ottawa’s attractions and locations are absolutely essential in this equation as well. We asked Scott his thoughts on any favorite attractions throughout the years. And these locations just wouldn’t be what they are, without the hardworking people behind them.

“I’m going to tell you the truth. I have so many fond memories of different businesses. Different interactions with businesses. I’m so in love with some of the history that comes through the I&M Canal,” he said. 

“I think that for me, there’s nothing better than grabbing a hot cup of coffee in Jeremiah Joe and sitting there, talking to DeWayne Cronkright, and watching all the guests in the community come through the door, and saying ‘Hi’ to all the different business owners. I love Iconic and walking down the street. I love B.A.S.H., and Cody, and what they do. I have an affinity for all of the people from Tangled Roots that had so much impact in my life.” 

“And the mansion, I love Cat’s Eye and what’s there, and all the people. There’s so many different businesses that I can mention that I probably failed to mention, Tom and the history that he gives us through [Awesome Ottawa Tours],” Scott said.

He spoke more on the people that help make Ottawa special.

“And, I’m just so proud to know all of the different characters that make up Ottawa.  Everything from Robb Hasty, to Mayor Eschbach, to Mayor Aussem, each one with their different personalities and the different strengths that they bring. Everybody from Donna at the OVC, to all of the different restaurants.” 

“There’s so many places that I can mention. There’s a list that goes on and on, and I’m sure that I didn’t mention people, but I have an affinity for all of them, in a special place in my heart. Because Ottawa is that impactful to people’s lives”

“You won’t find another city that you have such connections to people. I’m telling you, it is amazing. Lifelong friends. Another thing, even Heritage Harbor’s in the impact. I lived in Heritage Harbor for a while for a number of years, and I loved it. I loved every second of it, because truly that’s a reflection of how tourism impacts Ottawa,” Scott explained. 

The people of Ottawa are its strength, and events or attractions really wouldn’t be the same without them. We next asked Scott if he had any thoughts on bringing back or revitalizing events and attractions/locations from the past.

“I would love to see the Wine Festival come back, stronger than ever. I would love to see the Kris Kringle Market come back in the right way, stronger than ever. I would love to see the impact of the I&M Canal and the history. Why it’s there, who built that, and why. There’s so much history there,” he said.

“I would love to see a really developed riverfront. Something special. Now that the land is there, I have big aspirations for an amphitheater and a hotel downtown, and building some residential with mixed use underneath it. I think that the future is promoting the riverfront and everything that can happen there.” 

There is so much rich history behind Ottawa and so many exciting possibilities to look forward to! We’re excited to see what the next few years have in store for the city, and we can’t wait to share it. Scott gave us some closing thoughts, looking ahead.

“It’s been an honor to serve on the Ottawa Visitor Center Board, and what the organization has accomplished over the years, is nothing short of just remarkable. And they built a sense of identity, pride in a connection for the entire community to be proud of,” he said. “The awareness of Ottawa is larger than ever, and that’s all due to the leadership that we have in the Ottawa Visitors Center,”

“The relationship with WGN has really opened the doors to a whole new group of millions of listeners and people. That is amazing, And I think that the future is very bright. We have to capitalize on our assets, and we have to make sure that people are aware of how great the city of Ottawa is. I don’t think it’s time to shy away from who Ottawa is,” Scott said. 

“It’s time to bring Ottawa to the future and let it shine and grow.”