Kenneth Riege, a veteran of the U.S. Air force and general manager at Comfort Suites on Gallup’s east end, is a finalist for the 2016 New Mexico True Hero award.
Four individuals will be chosen for the honor, and the four honorees will be announced Nov. 29 at 1:30 pm at a ceremony at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, acting city tourism and marketing manager Jennifer Lazarz said. The ceremony will be hosted by Gov. Susana Martinez and state Tourism Secretary Rebecca Latham.
A New Mexico True Hero is someone who was chosen for his or her contributions for making New Mexico a better to live, work or raise a family, Lazarz said.
“We sincerely hope that (Ken) is selected for this fantastic honor, and we thank him not only for his service to the hotel, but to our community and our country,” Lazarz said.
Comfort Suites has a small veterans museum located in the lobby of the hotel that was started by Riege. Originally from Ohio, Riege nominated Gallup for the Most Patriotic Small Town in America designation in 2013. There are signs that have been erected around the city alerting folks to the designation.
By Bernie Dotson
Sun Correspondent
