Longtime Northwest suburban tourism leader dies at 91

Tom Rivera, a marketing and tourism chief in the Northwest suburbs in the 1980s and 1990s, has died. Courtesy of Kathy Rivera

The founder of the convention and visitors bureau covering the Northwest suburbs is being remembered for his influence and impact across the region and state.

Thomas Rivera, who led the Greater Woodfield Convention and Visitors Bureau for more than two decades after its launch in 1983, died July 30. The Deer Park resident, formerly a longtime resident of Roselle, was 91.

With the encouragement of hotel developer Bill Walsh, Rivera started the nonprofit Schaumburg-based marketing organization with an $83,000 budget. By the time he retired as president in the mid-2000s, the bureau was helping generate $50 million a year in tourism revenue for the region.

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