Harold Hutcheson, manager of the Conroe Convention and Visitors Bureau, announced plans to retire Oct. 31 after serving about 10 years at the position.

Hutcheson has served as CVB manager since September 2009, when the city of Conroe took over operations of the organization, he said. Since then, Hutcheson has helped the city attract new events such as the Toyota Texas Bass Classic and increased awareness of Conroe as a birding destination. He has also helped increase the CVB's marketing presence in regional and national publications to attract tourism.

"This is the hardest job I have ever walked away from," Hutcheson said. "It is absolutely been one of the most exciting things in my marketing career, and I am going to miss it, but when I turned 70 years old in July I realized I have to retire or I am never going to retire."

The city has named Shannon Overby as the new manager for the CVB upon Hutcheson's retirement. Overby previously worked as director of the Bryan-College Station CVB and served for about 23 years at the organization.