Chief Officer |
|
 |
Susan Blizzard - CEO & Owner Susan Blizzard is the CEO, owner and co-founder of Blizzard Internet Marketing, Inc. Susan graduated from Phillips Andover Academy, earned a BA from Duke University and an MBA from Columbia Business School, graduating with honors at each school. After Columbia, Susan spent 5 years working on “Wall Street” as an investment banker for Prudential and then Oppenheimer & Co. During this time, Susan developed an expertise in corporate finance and management that serves Blizzard well. In addition to all the various roles any small business owner must perform from time to time, Susan’s primary role was Chief Financial Officer from 1997 to 2008. Susan volunteers as the Chairman of the Board for Junior Achievement of the Roaring Fork Valley, and sits on the Colorado Mountain College Advisory Board. She enjoys tennis, skiing and spending time with her 2 kids in the gorgeous Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado. |
Sales & Marketing |
|
 |
Brian Ramsey – Director of Business Development
Brian’s role is to help facilitate new sales and growth of the company. He holds a BS degree in Education with an emphasis in Sport Management from The University of Kansas (Rock Chalk!) and prior to joining Blizzard was a high school teacher and coach for several sports in Eastern Oregon. Raised in the beautiful beach town of San Clemente, California, Brian has traded the surf for the mountains. Though he misses the sun, sand and palm trees of Southern California, he enjoys living in the Colorado Rockies and hanging out with friends and family, and spending time in the great outdoors. A sports and music junkie, Brian likes to attend as many sporting events and concerts as possible, often taking field trips to the major sports venues in Denver, Red Rocks and Belly Up Aspen. Around the office and town, Brian can be found wearing his signature KU hat with his loyal companion, Angelina, by his side.
|
 |
Dan Leifeld – Business Development Manager Originally from Petersburg, Nebraska, Daniel Leifeld started with Blizzard in January, 2012. He graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2008 and moved to Colorado. Daniel did audio and video production and sold radio advertising before coming to Blizzard. He enjoys spending time with his wife Erin and their dog, Summit. Daniel enjoys officiating football, basketball and baseball. His hobbies include his motor cycle, cars, music, country dancing and watching sports-especially the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Chicago Cubs. |
Marketing & Design Services |
|
 |
Joe Carpenter – Marketing Manager Joe Carpenter is a Minnesota native and a 25-year veteran of sales, marketing and management. During his career, Joe has held a variety of management and executive positions in real estate, financial services and the capital markets, followed by five years in commercial banking. Regardless of the product or service, Joe believes that the key to success for any company is developing long-term client relationships anchored by quality products and superior customer service. In addition to professional interests, Joe enjoys aviation, travel, golf, hiking, biking, skiing/snowboarding and riding motorcycles. |
 |
Diana Andrews- Assistant Marketing Project Manager Diana has a BA in Psychology, an AA in Aviation Electronics graduating top of her class, and later became an elementary school teacher in Iowa. She worked at Motorola as a production analyzer, supervisor and customer service rep. Diana has also provided enrichment and prevention programs to at-risk children, families and the community. She earned the Aerospace Educator of the Year Award for the Iowa Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. Diana plans to provide a high level of customer satisfaction in project management by combining her technical skills with her ability and desire to help people.Diana enjoys spending time with her husband, keeping up-to-date on their 20 nieces and nephews and 7 great nieces and nephews, being outdoors, organic gardening, and teaching yoga. She hopes to learn how to fly fish. |
 |
Heather Austin – Marketing Project Manager Originally from Illinois, Heather earned a Bachelor degree at Western Illinois University with a Parks and Recreation major. She soon moved to Colorado to live in the mountains. Heather has worked extensively in the travel industry, handling the front desk for the Silverthorne Lodge, managing the opening of the Breckenridge Hilton, managing reservations for Krystal Hotels of Mexico’s central US office, working for Incredible Journeys and a timeshare group, and handling overflow reservations for Villa del Palmer hotels in Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. Coming from the hotel and lodging sector, she completely understand her customer’s goals. After living in California, Heather moved back to Colorado and began working with Blizzard in February of 2000. Over years at Blizzard, she has held multiple positions, but feels most productive as a Project Manager, overseeing her customer’s internet marketing plans and securing their success online web. She enjoys camping and rafting the Colorado River with her husband and two teenage daughters as well as being a soccer mom! |
 |
Julia Baldwin - Web Designer Julia joined the Blizzard team in 2006, and has completed and launched over 50 hospitality websites. Julia holds a bachelor’s degree in graphic design from Towson University and has over 8 years of experience in graphic design and web design. It is Julia’s goal to create all of her websites with a balance of artistic appeal and usability, while achieving current SEO design standards. She loves making her clients shine through use of her creative and technical talents.Julia also teaches web and graphic design as an adjunct faculty member at Colorado Mountain College. She enjoys sharing her skill set and experience with community members and aspiring graphic designers. She spends her free time traveling, skiing, mountain biking and camping. She also enjoys painting and drawing. |
 |
Jacqueline Binion – Paid Advertising Manager Although she grew up in the Midwest, outside of Chicago, Jackie has called Glenwood Springs home for the past 15 years. She attended the University of Illinois and studied Speech Communications with an emphasis in Business and Organizational Communication. She joined the Blizzard Team in 2004 and has served many roles with the company. Drawing on experience in the hospitality industry and a strong customer service background, she strives to deliver results to our paid advertising customers. She is certified both by Google AdWords and by Bing AdCenter. In her spare time, Jackie loves dancing, camping, biking, hiking, music, reading and cooking for her family — her husband Shawn and their two daughters, Madeleine and Ruby. |
 |
Tammy Caughlin – SEO Expert A native of the Northeast, Tammy was born and raised in New England; graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a BS in Environmental Design and ultimately ventured on a whim to Colorado. Tammy’s love of adventure, sunshine and outdoor activities made the mountains of Colorado the perfect place to work and play. Tammy has had wide range of administrative experience; she has run an equine therapy program, operated as a personal assistant, functioned as the onsite office manager for an international construction company, and most recently was integral in helping some friends open a local Brew Pub. For fun, Tammy, her husband and their six “kids” (three dogs/ three horses) spend a great deal of time traveling, hiking, camping, hunting and working on their newly acquired home. Whenever possible, Tammy adds teaching horseback riding, rafting, skiing, and trips on her motorcycle to her activity list. |
 |
Nicole Heisig – Social Media & E-Mail Marketing Expert Nicole moved to the Roaring Fork Valley from Michigan in 1995 with her family. Nicole worked for Blizzard, the first time, from 2006 to 2009 as Email Marketing and Website Maintenance Manager. Nicole attained a graphic design degree from Colorado Mountain College in 2010, then served as assistant manager of a local brewery and restaurant, handling social media marketing and graphic/web design for the restaurant’s sales. Nicole has now rejoined the Blizzard Team in 2013, rekindling friendships and bringing hands-on expertise to her new position. While not at work, Nicole enjoys arts and crafts, gardening, staying active outdoors and spending time with her husband Paul, their sons Alexander and Maxx and their dog Leo. |
 |
Kathy Kappus – Marketing Project Manager Kathy applies her experience in on-line tourism marketing, graphic design, technical support, and travel adventures to help clients improve their presence on the web. Having owned a small business, she understands the challenges our clients overcome every day. “Project Management is about the big picture, finding solutions and reaching goals.” Kathy has many outdoor hobbies related to living in Colorado where she enjoys spending time with family and friends as well as volunteering in our community. |
 |
Anna Kaiser - Marketing Project Manager Originally from Bowling Green, Ohio, Anna holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Management and Marketing, from Mesa State College. Anna has been featured as a guest speaker at industry trade shows including the National Vacation Rental Managers Association Conference. In her spare time, Anna enjoys many outdoor activities with her husband, two sons and three yellow labs, including snowmobiling, rafting, camping, and mountain biking. |
 |
Jessamy Pressler – Reporting and Analytics Manager Originally from New Castle, CO, Jessamy earned her Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree, with a concentration in Management from Mesa State College in 2005. Jessamy originally worked as a Marketing Project Manager and now she is working remotely, heading up reporting and analytics from Montrose, Colorado. Jessamy’s experience as a Project Manager gives her a unique advantage to report accurate and useful statistics to our clients to help them with their business decisions. Keeping up with the ever-changing field of online marketing, Jessamy has obtained Google Analytics Individual Qualification as well as completing the Web Analytics Practitioner Training course through Market Motive. When not at work, Jessamy enjoys reading, traveling, camping, and spending time with her husband Kevin and their two little boys. |
 |
Danielle Rozga – Paid Advertising Manager Originally from Dillon, CO, Danielle holds a degree in Marketing from the Leeds School of Business at CU-Boulder. Prior to starting work as a Project Manager at Blizzard, she completed marketing internships in the corporate restaurant and non-profit sectors. Danielle uses her knowledge of search engine marketing to deliver successful results to her clients, and strives to deliver excellent customer service. When not at work, Danielle enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, and spending time with her husband, Levi, and their two dogs, Mollie and Laramie. |
 |
Amy Tomasello – Marketing Project Manager Amy moved to Glenwood Springs from Southern California in 1998 where she gained her professional experience working for a large insurance company as a Customer Service Manager and as a trainer for a software development company. As a Marketing Consultant, Amy utilizes her computer business and customer service experience to manage a variety of Blizzard Enterprise and Comprehensive clients. Amy enjoys spending time with family and friends and taking advantage of all the outdoor activities the Rocky Mountains offer. |
 |
Nicolette Toussaint – Design Project Manager A native Coloradoan who has traveled the world and lived much of her life in cosmopolitan cities, Nicolette is an alumna of top-tier ad agencies in San Francisco and Los Angeles. An award-winning copywriter, she created radio, TV and print ads for Sheraton Hotels and the Royal Viking Cruise Line, as well as for multiple high-tech clients. She was United Airlines’ ski resort and Hawaii vacation content expert. Experienced at coordinating advertising across traditional and online platforms, Nicolette has an established social media presence. She writes a popular blog on architecture and the arts, as well as occasional feature stories for a local newspaper. Nicolette has designed websites for an international university, a law firm, a financial expert and a PBS TV series, among others. Nicolette earned twin bachelor’s degrees in journalism and English from CU Boulder. She also holds a master’s degree from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. An able skier and ice skater, Nicolette loves to dance. |
Software Development |
|
 |
Greg Chavez – Database Administrator Greg is a Colorado native and has lived in the Glenwood Springs area since 2000. He has a degree from Mesa State in Information Technologies and over 20 years of IT experience. In his off time he enjoys spending time with his wife Julie, camping, hunting, fishing and hiking. |
 |
Lynn Santomo – BRE Project Manager Lynn Santomo joined the Blizzard team in 2011 and serves as the Blizzard Reservation Engine (BRE) Project Manager. Her role as Project Manager encompasses a comprehensive array of technical assistance and organization of all aspects of the BRE product delivery. Lynn works closely with Blizzard developers and clients to provide program consultation, testing and training. Prior to joining Blizzard, Lynn has had a successful career as a marketing director and consultant in industries ranging from real estate, water park manufacturing and hospitality. With over 15 years of marketing experience, Lynn’s work has focused on building smart, cohesive communications strategies that integrate advertising, marketing, Internet and public relations, with a proven track record of giving sales teams the tools needed to be successful. Lynn prides herself on implicitly understanding the project at hand, listening to the needs of the client and assisting in the timely delivery of BRE products. |
 |
Larry Wainwright – Software Developer Larry originates from Orlando, FL, and has worked as a programmer since 1989 in many varied fields, from defense contractors to litigation management. Being part of the Blizzard Team has been a very enjoyable part of his life and one he wants to continue for a very long time. He has been heavily involved in the software internals of the company since 2000. Larry enjoys shooting, hunting, spending time with his family, skiing, camping, and spending an inordinate amount of time learning new but established technologies to determine usefulness to Blizzard. |
Administrative and Billing |
|
 |
Tish Lockard – Billing Manager Raised in the local Roaring Fork Valley, Tish moved to Fort Collins, CO, to attend Colorado State University. Upon returning to Western Colorado, Tish worked as a Software Support Technician for an analytic software development company from 1994 – 2001 where she gained much respect and knowledge of the trading markets. As a member of the Blizzard Internet Marketing team since 2001, Tish now enjoys the challenges of managing the Billing Department. Tish is a proud mother of four children. She and her husband enjoy the winter seasons coaching the area Buddy Werner Ski Racing Team at the local resort, Sunlight Ski Resort. Their summers are filled with rafting the Roaring Fork, Colorado, and Gunnison rivers. In her spare time, Tish enjoys spending time with her family of six, reading, hiking, biking, and camping. |
Independent Consultant |
|
 |
Trent Blizzard - Blizzard University Instructor and Independent Consultant Trent is a long-time speaker about Internet marketing trends, resources and website solutions for the hospitality industry. An engaging and entertaining speaker, he frequently presents at hospitality conferences. A co-founder of Blizzard Internet Marketing, Trent now speaks in the hospitality industry as an independent contractor to the company, and also teaches at Blizzard University Workshops. In his spare time, Trent loves to go fishing and spend time with children. Trent earned a BA from Kenyon College, an MA from Fordham University, and worked as a high school math and social studies teacher for four years. |
