March is Women’s History Month. This year’s theme is Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories. The City of Roseville is recognizing influential women who are doing exceptional work and bringing positive change to the community.
In just two words, Visit Roseville CEO Julie Wearn and her team have brilliantly summed up with makes Roseville a premier destination: Perfectly Positioned.
“We are perfectly positioned to anything you want to do in the Twin Cities,” said Wearn, explaining her organization’s newest tagline and marketing campaign.
”We are the ideal hub to your Twin Cities vacation. We are the only first tier suburb that touches both Minneapolis and St. Paul on their northern borders. We have hotels at every price point. We have shopping, dining, entertainment, and we have complimentary parking.”
Wearn has led Roseville’s primary destination marketing organization for 17 years. In February, Wearn was named the Tourism Professional of the Year at the Explore Minnesota Tourism Awards for her contributions to the state’s travel industry including her work promoting Roseville.
Wearn grew up on the East Side of St. Paul. She started her career in tourism working as a hotel front desk clerk and manager. She climbed the ranks holding a variety of sales positions at the Embassy Suites Saint Paul, Ramada Inn, and Radisson Hotels. She served as the Vice President of Convention Sales and Marketing for the Saint Paul RiverCentre Convention and Visitors Authority (RCVA) before coming to Roseville.
As CEO of Visit Roseville, Wearn’s primary mission is to promote the city to travelers, including day trippers and overnight guests, so they eat at one of Roseville’s 80+ restaurants, stay at one of the city’s 12 hotels and shop at hundreds of stores. Rosedale Center alone draws 14 million visitors annually.
Another aspect of Wearn’s role is to raise the profile and value of the visitor industry so community stakeholders and legislators understand what she calls the ‘new money multiplier effect.’
A vibrant tourist industry helps non-tourism industries, she said. It creates jobs and provides a healthy tax base. Plus, many of the amenities that make Roseville an exciting place to visit also make it a great place to live. 
“Anything that we do to enhance our city for visitors enhances it for residents as well," Wearn said.
Visitors have always been an integral part of Roseville. While many suburbs are bedroom communities that struggle to attract businesses, Roseville, with a resident population of 36,000, nearly doubles in size during the day as workers and visitors stream into the city.
In 2020, Wearn and her team launched “Roseville in Bloom,” an outdoor art exhibit meets scavenger hunt. Twenty 6-foot-tall rose sculptures were personalized by a diverse group of local artists and then positioned throughout the city. Residents and visitors can download a map to see each work of art while taking a tour of the city.
Visit Roseville’s next big project, in collaboration with the City of Roseville, is wayfinding, or adding new signage directing visitors to the city’s attractions including Roseville’s nationally recognized parks and recreational facilities.
“We are always thinking: What is the next thing we do? How can we sell the city better?”
Wearn’s influence extends beyond Visit Roseville. Wearn currently serves on the Roseville Police Foundation, Roseville Rotary Club, and the University of Minnesota Tourism Center Advisory Committee. She is also on the executive board of the Minnesota Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus, chairing that group’s education committee.
Click here to learn more about Visit Roseville