Steamboat 20 under 40: Loryn Kasten

Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp. senior communications manager Loryn Kasten, 37, is in the perfect job: she loves Steamboat, and she loves promoting it so others can experience it as well.

"I've found my dream job and dream home," she says. "Nothing beats being able to promote a world-class resort like Steamboat and its incredible community."

If anyone knows first-hand how great we have it here, it's Kasten. She moved to Steamboat in 2008 from Durango, where she worked in public relations for Purgatory Ski Resort. That followed a PR stint at West Virginia's Snowshoe Mountain Ski Resort, where she moved after graduating from the University of Colorado.

She left town briefly in 2013 to head the PR department at Northstar, California, but it didn't last long. "The Yampa Valley Curse brought me back," says Kasten. "I tried to move away, but it didn't work. What brought me back was Steamboat's community. There's just nothing like it."

Kasten gives back to this community she so loves every chance she gets. She joined Durango's Rotary Club in 2006, and in 2010, joined Steamboat's Ski Town USA Rotary Club, where she chairs the Red Ball Express fundraiser and served on the Ski Town Golf Classic fundraiser committee. She's also president-elect, set to take the reins in 2018.

"Loryn's dedication to this community spreads across many different areas," says Steamboat Springs Resort Chamber Association CEO Kara Stoller. "She's an incredible asset to our community."

As for her involvement with Rotary, Kasten says it was natural after joining the club in Durango.

"I like the way Rotary connects me with a variety of community members," she says. "And I love being able to contribute back to the community with fundraising efforts that help provide local scholarships and support local nonprofits."

Her volunteerism doesn't end there. She serves on the Steamboat Springs Resort Chamber Association marketing committee, is a founding member and former board member of the Young Professionals Network and is a nine-year board of directors member for Partners in Routt County. "I love being involved in an organization that provides important youth services in town and that emphasizes the need for mentoring," she says.

For her, it's all part of paying it forward by giving back to the town she loves. "The sense of community here is really what sets Steamboat apart," she says. "I haven't found a better one anywhere else."