ALPINE LODGING - Key Persons
Jenny has been working for Alpine Lodging since September of 2007. She leads our sales team, including setting rates, making reservations, tracking sales progress and meeting budgets. Jenny's hometown is Gavle, Sweden where she graduated from the University of Gavle with a degree in Business Administration, majoring in Marketing and Management. Jenny spent time studying abroad in Haarlem in the Netherlands, and Rome, Italy. In May 2005, she moved to Telluride and loves the quality of life here. Her favorite pastimes are hiking, skiing, and being close to nature. Jenny lives here with her husband, Jim, daughter, Julia, and their dog, Chucky. Chucky loves to come to work with Jenny!
Born in the deep south on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi in the sleepy little town of Pascagoula, Joshua has enjoyed adventure since he can remember. A water lover, Joshua spent his college summers on the Ocoee River in Tennessee, enjoying all the Appalachian Mountains had to offer. Upon graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management, he decided it was time to move west and learn to ski. He caught wind of a small town named Telluride, found an apartment on Craigslist, packed the car and headed west. Arriving well after dark, his first glimpse of the San Juans and this beautiful box canyon came at sunrise, and he was smitten. While only planning to stay in Telluride for a winter season, eight years later he still considers himself lucky to call Telluride home.
Hailing from Michigan, Kate moved west as soon as she held her degree. After leading trips with Backroads and on the cusp of the Great Recession, her brother advised: "move to Telluride for a ski season, it's a good way to kill some time." It's now been over a decade and Kate has since bought a house, met her now-husband, Mike, and allowed roots to grow in the San Juan mountains.
Kate joined Alpine Lodging in 2012 and holds BAs in Hospitality Management and French. Formerly the General Manager of the Hotel Columbia, she brings poise and polish to her role as Director of Operations.
During her college years, Katie fell in love with beautiful Colorado. With her degree in hand, Katie began searching for a job anywhere in Colorado. It was Telluride and the magnificent San Juan Mountains that welcomed Katie to her next chapter of life. With her car packed and her now-husband Andy by her side, they ventured to Telluride in June 2010. Katie had found her new home! In January 2015, looking for a more positive involvement with the community and visitors alike, she joined the Alpine Lodging luxury team and continues to enjoy interacting with guests and the community members through her position as Guest Experience Manager.
Katie holds a BS in Architecture/Environmental Design and an MS in Regional and City Planning both from the University of Oklahoma. When she is not skiing and hiking the San Juans, she enjoys traveling, biking and soaking up the Colorado sunshine at festivals with her husband Andy, and their loving White Shepherd, Buddy.
Ryan joined the Alpine Lodging team in August of 2019. Ryan's background is in ski destination sales and marketing, including past roles with Vail Resorts, Inc and Telluride Ski Resort. Originally hailing from Chicago, he moved to Telluride in 2008 on a whim just out college to pursue his passions of skiing, biking, and life in the mountains "for one season". 11 years later he still calls Telluride home. Ryan spends most of his free time with his wife Zoe, and 1-year-old son Gavin exploring the San Juans and cooking big family meals. He is an avid runner and enjoys seeing live music when he can.
Ryan was born and raised in North West Indiana, about an hour outside Chicago. He attended culinary school at Ivy Tech State College and eventually received a Bachelors Degree from Purdue in Hospitality and Tourism Management. He has spent most of his adult life as a Banquet Chef while teaching culinary arts on the side. Eventually, he gave up the kitchen life to travel and one of his trips brought him to Colorado. In 2016, Ryan visited Telluride to attend the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and a few months later he was a full-time resident of the canyon. Ryan worked for Alpine Lodging in Guest Services before becoming a Sales and Reservations Agent. His hospitality education and customer service skills, Ryan is happy helping customers find the best lodging possible. In his spare time, Ryan loves to cook amazing meals for his friends and family.
Shane graduated high school on the Front Range at Cherry Creek High School. He has degrees in Business Administration and Recreations with an emphasis in Hotel and Resort Management from Western State College. He also minored in skiing. He pursued a career in real estate in Denver for 10+ years. In 2014, after battling the traffic to get to work as well as to go skiing, he decided to move to the mountains, and works where he plays! Enjoying skiing, hiking, biking, and wilderness out his front door, he doesn't see an end to his amazing relationship with Telluride.