"We skied all day, ate saltines for lunch and went back out to ski at night," says Susie English of her Park City childhood. "It was a magical way to grow up." Now Deer Valley's VP of Marketing, "I didn't realize how lucky I was until I left Park City for college in Denver," she recalls.
For Susie, marketing, Deer Valley, and downhill runs fit together like boots, poles and skis. She is the daughter of long-time Deer Valley mountain operations director Chuck English, and Susie's mom worked in the cafeteria while pregnant with her. "Now, I'm passionate about telling the Deer Valley story so others may enjoy it as well," she says.
After graduating with marketing and finance degrees, Susie quickly learned, "Finance was not for me. Right out of school, I went to a few interviews and even bought a suit I never wore again." Her marketing skill and love for the mountains snagged great positions at Rossignol and Ski Utah. "When the opportunity came up at Deer Valley, I just couldn't say no."
Happily thriving in her hometown, today Susie imbues her children with her love of the outdoors. "We get them out as much as possible," she says. "Two or three runs, and then it’s hot cocoa time. Having my two little ones chase me around the mountain is the best feeling in the world." When skiing without kids, "I gravitate to the trees,” Susie smiles. “I love Triangle Trees, Sunset Glades, and Ontario Bowl.”
“With a family of my own, I see our community differently now," she avers. "I love that it still feels small, and I run into people I know whenever I grocery shop."
Gazing at the spring landscape, she concludes, "I love what I do and where we live. I hope I can always work in the community I am passionate about, in an industry I love.”
