GULF SHORES, Ala. – When Mike Foster came on board at what was then called the Alabama Gulf Coast Visitors and Convention Bureau, President and CEO Herb Malone had a strategy.

His game plan was aimed at using the pairs’ individual talents to promote tourism on Pleasure Island.

“I’ll have to salute Herb Malone because he’s the guy who said: ‘Here’s the deal. I’ll handle the politics, you do marketing.’” Foster said. “And he’s never forgotten that.”

Foster, the vice president for Marketing at what is now called Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism, but still retains the official name of the CVB, recently announced he was retiring after 12 years with the group. On Dec. 19 in was honored by the Gulf Shores City Council followed on Dec. 20 with similar honors from the Orange Beach City Council.

Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft said Foster’s contributions to the area are not only important to the area now, but will continue to pay dividends in the future.

Part of the Gulf Shores proclamation reads: “He has helped improve our quality of life in Gulf Shores and has established relationships that will be beneficial to this area for many years to come.”

“For those of you who didn’t have the privilege to work with him in the years that we’ve had him, he’s done a tremendous and we’re going to miss him,” Craft said.

“It has been a great, great, 12 years,” Foster said. “We’ve had a lot of fun. We worked really, really hard.”