R/C Theatres chairman J Wayne Anderson and his wife Mary Ann Anderson, vice president and executive director of The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), have been named ShoWest 2007's ShoWesters of the Year.
The pair will collect their awards at the opening ceremony on Mar 13 at the Paris Las Vegas.

Anderson operated the first military base theatre in Da Nang, Vietnam, in 1968. He started his career with Maryland-based R/C Theatres in 1970 by managing the circuit's Stonewall venue and was appointed president of company operations in 1983, rising to president and chief executive officer in 1996 and chairman in 2005.

Mary Ann Grasso (now Anderson) was hired by the National Association of Theatre Owners in 1988 and eventually became the organisation's first new executive director in more than three decades.

'If there is a battle to be fought or a cause to be championed by the industry, you can always find Wayne and Mary Ann on the frontlines,' ShoWest co-managing director Mitch Neuhauser said.

ShoWest 2007 will take place from Mar 12-15 at Bally's and Paris Las Vegas.