Rippetoe’s retirement

Clifford “Rip” Rippetoe’s list of professional accolades goes on longer than a CVS receipt. The San Diego Convention Center Corporation CEO is retiring after 10 years on the job and 45 years in the hospitality industry.

One of his most memorable community contributions occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the world got sick and in-person meetings were prohibited, Rippetoe oversaw the conversion of the convention center into a mega-shelter for local individuals experiencing homelessness.

Operation Shelter to Home began on April 1, 2020, and lasted 11 months. Right after facing the challenge of creating a safe social distancing area that sheltered and fed 7,000 unhoused folks, another curveball came Rippetoe’s way.

When residents were moved to reconfigured city shelters, Operation Artemis began. The convention center became a federal emergency intake site to 500 unaccompanied migrant children for three months. 

“Rip told the team we had to mobilize quickly,” SDCC Executive Director of Marketing & Communications Maren Dougherty said. Rippetoe hired Dougherty in January 2020. 

“It was a transition for me and for everyone,” she said. “But Rip steered the ship. He told us our job was to be an economic engine for the city, but when we couldn’t, we still had to be of service.”

Rippetoe has been a steady hand at the helm. The SDCC regularly ranks nationally for customer service and venue excellence. San Diego has successfully hosted the major hospitality industry conventions. In 2025, the center generated $38 million in city tax revenue and an estimated $1.6 billion in regional economic impact.

Dougherty will miss her boss. “He always knew the pulse of the team,” she said. “And he believed San Diego shouldn’t just be known as a sunny, picturesque destination on the waterfront. We had to provide a high level of service.”

In both good and trying times.