Amy Wise-Coble Named 2025 Van Ness Butler, Jr. Hospitality Award Winner

Amy Wise-Coble’s passion for customer service and building relationships within the Walton County tourism community proves why she’s deserving of the 2025 Van Ness Butler Jr. Hospitality Award.

The award was established in 2003 by the Walton County Tourism Department to encourage and recognize excellence in hospitality service, travel/tourism marketing, advertising, promotion and contributions to the local community.

Wise-Coble was grateful and humbled to have won, naming 2004 winner and hospitality consultant Joann Saucier as an inspiration in her field. “When I think of early on in my career, Joann Saucier was probably one of the most impactful professionals as far as someone that I truly looked up to,” said Wise-Coble. “It's a real honor to have come up through the operation side and see names like hers on that list of winners.”

Previous recent winners include Stacey Brady, director of marketing and communications for Grand Boulevard, Restaurateur Dave Rauschkolb and Chef Jim Shirley.

An Alabama native, Wise-Coble earned her degree from Auburn University and relocated to Walton County in her early 20s when she began her full-time career as a cottage inspector for the Seaside Cottage Rental Agency. After positions at Tops'l Beach and Racquet Resort and Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, she landed back in Seaside as the general manager of Cottage Rental Agency.

Wise-Coble currently owns Vacation Rentals of Northwest Florida, the managing entity for Homeowner's Collection in Seaside, a unique business model where homeowners own the company. It’s an onsite, full-service rental agency that provides amenities like onsite concierge services and personalized service, and it grew from zero properties to 190 in the course of 11 years.

Wise-Coble is no stranger to challenges that arise in the vacation rental business. While serving her first term on the Tourist Development Council, she successfully navigated The Cottage Rental Agency through the BP Oil Spill, demonstrating ingenuity and flexibility in her approach. She’s also working hard to address issues within the vacation rental community.

In her second full term on the Tourism Development Council, she is tackling the issue of unsupervised teens during peak visitation. She also recently collaborated with Dylan Bozarth of 30A Escapes to form the 30A Rental Operator Alliance, aligning the vacation rental managers on 30A to help address the issue.

“What we’re learning is there are so many more issues where we can work together collaboratively and improve everybody’s operation, and this improves the community overall,” Wise-Coble said. “I think we are going to find so many more commonalities, so this is one way we are making an impact.”

Having lived and worked in the area for so long, Wise-Coble has witnessed Walton County’s growth first-hand. “The world here was extremely different when I first moved [to Walton County] than where we are today with the amount of growth,” she said. “There are some pains that have come with that growth, but there's still so much to celebrate in this area.”

Working in the hospitality industry in an area where tourism is the main economic driver, Wise-Coble also recognizes the delicate balance between welcoming growth’s benefits and preserving natural habitats and resources. She acknowledges the balance is something everyone needs to pay attention to.

“There's still a lot of undeveloped land, and it won't be developed, like when you look at our state parks and other resources and assets Walton County has,” she said.

Having just been re-appointed to the TDC and with her leadership skills and passion for customer service driving her, Wise-Coble plans to continue her work in Walton County’s hospitality industry and her support for the tourism industry with the Tourism Development Council.

“I try to be a positive ambassador and deliver the ideal guest experience,” she emphasized, adding, “and I’m hoping to help the TDC on tourism-related issues and be a positive voice.”

Wise-Coble’s community work extends beyond tourism and hospitality. She is also the co-founder and president of the non-profit Northwest Florida Dreams, which promotes basketball to area youth and allows them to work on their athletic and teamwork skills in a safe and positive environment. Her three children have all been active in the organization, and her daughter, Allee, is a coach with the program, while also serving as the head varsity girls’ basketball coach at her alma mater, South Walton High School. Her daughter Catherine a junior at Louisiana State University, and her son Will is a junior at South Walton High School and a member of the varsity basketball team.

With her contributions to the local tourism industry and community, Wise-Coble is a shining example of the ideals the Van Ness Butler Jr. Hospitality Award represents, and she will continue to be an important partner of Walton County Tourism.