VALDOSTA — Donald Poor has accepted a position as director of the Ocean Center, an $80 million multi-purpose convention center and entertainment complex in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Poor, 61, has served as executive director of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Conference Center and Tourism Authority for the past three years. Prior to that, he spent more than 20 years in Atlanta in convention center management, as well as consulting work.

Poor said his colleagues “have all been very genial and accommodating” about his leaving.

"They wish me well. My three-year contract with the Valdosta-Lowndes County Conference Center and Tourism Authority is coming to a conclusion, so it's a natural time to do that. I've tried to keep them informed about my job search.”

Poor said Charlie Phelps, personnel manager for the City of Valdosta, sits on the Tourism Authority board and will no doubt coordinate the search for his replacement.

More than 60 people applied for the Ocean Center position, which became vacant last year when Rick Hamilton stepped down after 18 years at the helm. Hamilton's resignation followed an investigation into complaints of a hostile work environment, according to a June 10 article on News-JournalOnline.com.

Poor may have been selected for the job because he’s the only one of the three finalists who actually spent a lot of time in the area. The other two finalists were working in Wisconsin and Arkansas, respectively, at the time and had spent less time in the area than Poor, according to the article.

During the interview process, Poor said his family vacationed in Daytona Beach often when he was a child and that he spent a lot of time there.

“I feel almost like a native,” he said.

The Ocean Center opened on Oct. 5, 1985. Christian pop singer Amy Grant performed the first concert there on Oct. 3, 1985, singing to 2,938 people. John Denver was the grand opening act two days later, performing to a crowd of 7,368. Since opening, the Ocean Center has hosted more than 2,800 concerts, performances, trade shows, conventions and sporting events, drawing millions of visitors to Volusia County, according to its Web site.

A $76 million expansion in 2003 expanded the Ocean Center to approximately 200,000 square feet of indoor exhibit and meeting space. The facility is booked more than 300 days a year with events ranging from health care conventions to sporting events and has presented many of the world's most famous entertainers, including Faith Hill, Trisha Yearwood, Cher, Britney Spears, Kenny Rogers, Travis Tritt, Willie Nelson, Alabama, the Beach Boys, Hootie and the Blowfish, Barbara Mandrell, Tanya Tucker, and AC/DC.