This is the August edition of Snow People, where we highlight happenings to prominent people in the mountain resort industry.

Sunday River, Maine

Sunday River has made a variety of staff changes, elevating several members of its team to new positions.

Jim Largess was promoted to executive director of the Sunday River Community Fund. Largess joined Sunday River Resort nearly 30 years ago. Most recently, Largess was vice president of food and beverage and community relations, and was responsible for growing resort revenue and developing relationships with culinary partners and industry stakeholders. In his new role, Largess will work for the Sunday River Community Fund Board of Directors and will continue to foster resort and community relationships in addition to attracting new ones.

Peter Fallon has been promoted from director of human resources to the newly created role of chief engagement officer. He started with the resort's snowsports school in 2006, and has also worked in guest services. As director of HR, Fallon was responsible for staff recruitment and retention, as well as risk and safety programs. In his new role, he will be responsible for team member and guest engagement as well as guest services.

Amanda Gallant has been promoted to director of human resources. Gallant started at Sunday River as an intern, and returned after graduation to work in the marketing department full-time. In 2015, Gallant received Sunday River's President's Award. In 2018, she joined the HR department and focused staff on recruitment and retention efforts. She is now in charge of human resources for the resort.

Jonathon Pasternak was promoted to risk and safety manager. Pasternak has been with Sunday River for nearly 20 years, most recently as lift operations foreman. In his new role as risk and safety manager, Pasternak joins the resort's human resources department and will oversee all risk control measures for Sunday River's 1,800 employees.

Dean Stowell is now lift operations manager, taking over Pasternak’s previous responsibilities. Stowell started at Sunday River back in 2012 and served in roles including lift operator, lift foreman, and most recently lift foreman manager.

Karolyn Castaldo was hired as director of communications. She started at Sunday River as a snow reporter in 2014 before transitioning to the role of communications coordinator. In 2016, Castaldo became the communications and marketing manager for Ski New Hampshire. In her new role at Sunday River Resort, she will oversee all internal and external messaging, and serve as spokesperson.

Kirk Borodaeff, Jay Peak, Vt.

After spending last winter managing the terrain park program for Genting Secret Garden in China—one of the hubs for the 2022 Winter Olympics—Kirk Borodaeff has been hired as the new terrain park manager at Jay Peak, Vt.

Borodaeff worked on the park crew at Okemo, Vt., for several years, where he learned to operate snowcats and build parks. He then spent time on the park crew and grooming staff at Sugar Bowl, Calif. At Jay Peak, Borodaeff will be responsible for all terrain park operations and staff.

Kat Jobanputra, Alterra Mountain Co.

Alterra Mountain Co. has appointed Kat Jobanputra to the position of senior vice president of retail/rental. Jobanputra has more than 30 years of experience in resort retail and rental. Previously, he was Vail Resorts retail COO, responsible for overseeing all of VR’s retail businesses.

In his new role, Jobanputra will be responsible for leading the retail and rental teams across Alterra Mountain Co. and its family of destinations. He will focus on vendor relationships, partnerships, and margin growth strategies, in addition to developing retail and rental programs and best practices for merchandising operations, visuals, replenishment systems, supply chain management, licensing, store leases, mergers & acquisitions, store branding strategy, as well as rental systems, processes, and flows.

Dave Kulis, Windham Mountain Resort, N.Y.

Industry veteran Dave Kulis has joined Windham Mountain as director of sales and marketing. Most recently, Kulis was vice president of sales and marketing at Okemo, Vt. He will assume the new role on Sept. 10, 2018.

“I’m looking forward to all the opportunity being so close to the metro New York market brings,” said Kulis, who began his industry career in 1995 at Ascutney Mountain Resort, Vt. He later served as assistant vice president and director of sales and marketing at Camelback Ski Resort and Camelbeach Waterpark in Pennsylvania. In 2006, he became director of sales and marketing at Schweitzer Mountain Resort, Idaho, before moving to Okemo in 2013.

Chip Seamans, president and GM of Windham, said he is “excited to have Dave join the team. He is an excellent fit for our resort, and his vast experience in the ski industry will be valuable in many ways.”

Rabbit Hill Snow Resort, Alberta, Canada

Derek Look was promoted to general manager. Look has nearly 20 years of ski industry experience, starting in 2000 as guest services manager at Snow Valley Ski Club near Edmonton. In 2005, he became guest services and ticket sales manager at Silver Star in British Columbia, and was then property manager at the resort. He started at Rabbit Hill in 2009 as director of business operations, and was most recently director of business services before being promoted to GM.

Doug Pettigrew has been promoted to assistant GM at Rabbit Hill. Jocelyn Wetterberg is now the marketing manager. Jim Sutherland will remain as president, but will be stepping back from daily operations.

Panorama Mountain Resort, B.C.

Panorama has also made several recent management moves. Ryan Stimming has been promoted to mountain operations manager, and CJ Matthews Dickson is now the risk & safety manager. New members of the management team include: Guy Paulson, who has been hired as global sales and business development manager; Patrick Fournier joins the team as director of resort & mountain operations; and David Auer is the new director of food & beverage.

Caitlin Furin, Ski Utah

Caitlin Furin is the new communications manager for Ski Utah. Before starting at Ski Utah, Furin was communications manager and press officer for U.S. Ski and Snowboard. She was born and raised in northern Minnesota and holds a degree in journalism and strategic communication University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Mary Bozack, MountainGuard

After 20 years in the role of vice president of claims and loss control for MountainGuard, Mary Bozack has been promoted to director of risk management and education. In her new role, she is responsible for the development, coordination and execution of enhanced loss control plans to benefit MountainGuard’s clients with proactive pre-loss risk management services.

Bozack is a licensed ski industry claim specialist, handling insured accounts in western U.S. and Canada. She has been a speaker, trainer, and educator at several national, regional, and area seminars during her career.

Jesse Whitcomb, MountainGuard

Jesse Whitcomb has joined MountainGuard as a claims and loss control specialist. Whitcomb spent the last six years as a claims and loss control specialist with Safehold Special Risk for its ski and recreation programs.

Prior to Safehold, Whitcomb was the director of operations for the Appalachian Outdoor School. He also worked for Zurish/Foremost Insurance where he adjusted property claims and performed loss control inspections.

Doug Irving, Gunstock, N.H., 1950 - 2018

Gunstock Mountain director of operations Doug Irving died unexpectedly on July 24. He was 67.

Irving worked at Gunstock for more than 44 years. He had a hand in all the improvements the resort has experienced since the early 1980s.

Gunstock GM Greg Goddard said of Irving: “He was a tireless advocate for the resort and its guests, and had an unmatched passion for his work. He was an outstanding role model, mentor and coach for countless managers who worked for him. He was firm but fair, serious but fun-loving, tenacious but tender-hearted. He knew every inch of Gunstock like the back of his hand. We spent many a night together fixing things before the guests got here the next day, and I know he spent many more without my company. Day or night, weekend or holiday, it didn’t matter to Doug. If the resort needed him, he was there.

Mostly, Doug was just a great guy. He had a huge heart and a warm soul. He was truly one-of-a-kind and irreplaceable. It would be impossible to have a better friend than Doug. He will be sorely missed but fondly remembered by all of us.”