Mr. Beardsley brings a lifetime of experience in a variety of professional disciplines with a particular emphasis on tourism, event management, marketing and journalism to the Knickerbocker team.  He began his career in journalism as a news director for a medium-market AM station in the heart of New York State.  Overseeing operations for one of New York State’s leading tour/cruise boat operators, Mid-Lakes Navigation, he became quickly adept at the public relations and marketing components of the job.  Developing innovative, out-of-the-box promotional materials and brochure formats, Mr. Beardsley broadened the company’s outreach and connected with potential clients at a visceral, personal level.  Combining new approaches with a refreshingly objective “news-style” approach to press release writing, Mr. Beardsley compiled a proven record of success for this company.

Mr. Beardsley cultivated public support for and founded the New York State Tour Boat Association in 1981, allowing common marketing and lobbying initiatives.  Today the Association is an established, effective voice for tour boat operators throughout New York State, and boasts a 60% membership rate of operators statewide.

Mr. Beardsley served as story consultant for a canal history video, narrated by Burl Ives, entitled “Carry On, Oh Erie,” an award winning PBS documentary airing nationwide in 1985.  In 1987, while managing a tour boat operation in Ithaca, NY, Mr. Beardsley launched his own business providing marketing and event management consulting services to companies nationwide.  In this capacity, Mr. Beardsley has produced and managed meetings, as well as event and exhibit programs for multi-national companies.  These projects routinely took Mr. Beardsley throughout the Northern Hemisphere and to nearly a dozen countries in Europe and Asia.

Larger projects managed by Mr. Beardsley include exhibit programs for McQuay Air Conditioning (now the second largest in the world), “At-A-Glance” calendars, and other software, medical device and telecommunications manufacturers.  Mr. Beardsley has also provided trade show organization and management services to the New York State Association of Convenience Stores, and a gift catalog company based in Rochester.

Throughout Mr. Beardsley’s professional career, he has found time for volunteerism in many areas.  He has volunteered his time on projects with New York State Division of Tourism, serving with ambulance and fire companies, helping special market radio stations, organized antique/classical boat shows, and donated his time and talent on a litany of canal and waterway industry-related events throughout New York.

An accomplished writer and speaker, Mr. Beardsley continues to lecture and opine, with a particular emphasis on the Erie Canal’s history, impacts and current and future uses.  His geographical knowledge of the state and the northeast, considerable writing skills, public relations acumen, and event organization/management experience make him a key member of Knickerbocker’s unique team.