On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Matt Pivarnik, a community development leader with nearly 27 years of experience across destination development, destination stewardship, tourism marketing, economic development, and legislative success. Drawing on his work in Tulsa, Topeka, and now Myrtle Beach, Matt shares why he sees tourism as an important part of broader community and economic development. We discuss the power of trust and collaboration, the organizational model taking shape in Myrtle Beach, and why communities need to balance the immediate demands of tourism marketing with long-term investments in their people, infrastructure, and future.

What You Will Learn in This Episode:

  • How tourism-related economic development can broaden the way communities think about tourism and destination development
  • Why trust, collaboration, and putting community interests ahead of organizational egos are essential to successful communities
  • How Myrtle Beach is creating a collaborative structure that allows distinct organizations to work alongside one another
  • Why sharing services, resources, and expertise can help community organizations operate more effectively
  • How destinations can balance the pressure for immediate visitation with long-term investments in tourism product and community development
  • What Matt and his colleagues learned from listening to residents as they developed the Collaborate 2031 community strategy
  • Why clear governance and financial "fences" are important for accountability and responsible stewardship of public dollars

From Destination Marketing to Community Development

Matt describes his career as a journey through the many interconnected pieces of community development. While destination marketing is an important part of the work, he believes the industry is increasingly recognizing the connection between tourism, economic development, destination development, and community stewardship. He shares his excitement about the emerging idea of "tourism-related economic development" and what it means to think intentionally about attracting attractions, assets, investment, and opportunities that strengthen a community. 

That broader perspective also changes how Matt thinks about destination competitiveness. In Myrtle Beach, the beach is an extraordinary asset, but he points to the historic communities, cultural experiences, restaurants, waterways, and other distinctive places that surround it. Creating a compelling destination isn't only about promoting the most recognizable attraction. It is about understanding what makes a community unique and finding ways to tell the larger story. 

Building Collaboration Without Losing Organizational Identity

A significant part of the conversation focuses on the collaborative model developing in Myrtle Beach. Matt explains how having multiple organizations working toward economic and community development can create confusion when their roles aren't clearly defined. Rather than putting one organization "under" another, he believes organizations are more effective when they operate alongside one another, maintaining their individual responsibilities while sharing resources and working toward common goals. 

That approach creates opportunities to share services such as finance, human resources, IT, data, and office space while preserving the autonomy of each organization. Matt also emphasizes that collaboration requires more than a new organizational chart. It requires trust and a willingness to set aside egos. He reflects on his experience in Topeka, where organizational leaders ultimately focused less on protecting individual entities and more on asking what was best for the community and its economy. That shift opened the door to deeper collaboration and a more effective way of working together. 

Planning for the Community's Future

Myrtle Beach's rapid growth makes long-term thinking especially important. Matt describes the challenge of balancing the need to generate visitation today with the responsibility to invest in the destination's product, infrastructure, and quality of life for the future. With significant growth in both tourism and the resident population, the community is increasingly focused on understanding resident sentiment and making sure the people who live there have a voice in shaping what comes next. 

That thinking is at the heart of Collaborate 2031, a five-year, community-wide strategy shaped through conversations with residents, focus groups, and stakeholders across the county's 15 communities. Matt explains why the plan is intentionally focused on measurable progress rather than simply creating a long-range vision or using the strategy as a fundraising exercise. Once priorities are established, the goal is to determine which organizations are best positioned to take responsibility and then ensure they have the resources necessary to follow through. For Matt, the ultimate measure of successful collaboration is simple: communities where development organizations work together are better positioned to move their economies forward, while communities where those organizations compete with one another risk falling behind. 

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