About

The History Biz helps heritage sites, historic towns, preservation groups, and tourism entrepreneurs thrive. We show you how to uncover your area’s unique stories and transform them into high quality tours and events that people are happy to pay for.

Our step-by-step approach to program development eliminates the crippling feeling of overwhelm, keeps you from inadvertently skipping critical design and logistical elements, and helps you hit a home run, even if it’s your first time at bat.

Of course it doesn’t matter how great your program is if no one knows about it. We help you identify your target audience and find the best ways to reach them. We also take the sting out of buzzwords and present rational, affordable and manageable technology options.  

There are resources on this site to inspire you, help you get started and keep you on track. You'll find dozens of free articles in our library of blog posts. Categories include Program Development, Operations, Marketing, Technology, Social Media, and Mindset.

When you’re ready for an in-depth discussion, check out our books on Tour Planning, Collaboration, and Becoming a Published Author.

I’ve been a front-line travel agent, owned a successful agency in the heart of Washington, DC, escorted tour groups, taught at a travel school and conducted dozens of destination workshops. I was the marketing director of a tour company specializing in Southeast Asia, represented the China International Travel Service, and managed all travel programs, including a full slate of familiarization trips, for ASTA, the world’s largest travel trade association.

After moving to the small town of Marietta, Ohio, I fell in love with the world of local history and hyper-local tourism. In 2007 I started a tour and events company and launched my first program, a ghost walk. Over the next several years I developed and offered dozens of successful tours and events as well as a few that bombed.

The most rewarding part of my local tourism adventure was collaborating with various organizations and community groups. I worked with Main Street organizations, visitors’ bureaus, historical societies, a public library, a downtown merchants’ association, community theater groups, restaurants, a college, several historic attractions, and an old-fashioned riverboat.

My programs in Marietta were so popular, I attracted the attention of The History Press, a traditional publishing house specializing in local interest books. I wrote two books for them. Haunted Marietta: History and Mystery in Ohio’s Oldest City and A Guide to Historic Marietta, Ohio, are available online and from bookstores nationwide. 

In 2016 I moved to beautiful Albuquerque, New Mexico. My history and travel blog about the Land of Enchantment is called Hidden New Mexico.

I am working on a series of how-to books. Create Successful Walking Tours, The Collaboration Kit, and Hometown: Writing a Local History or Travel Guide are available on Amazon. A deep dive on how to develop intelligent, thought-provoking paranormal programs, including ghost walks and haunted house investigations, is in the works. Watch this space.