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Steamboat Springs Chamber names new CEO

Teresa Ristow
Jim Clark, CEO of the Steamboat Springs Chamber Resort Association
John F. Russell

— The Steamboat Springs Chamber Resort Association has named Jim Clark, the former president and executive director of the Fort Collins Conventions & Visitors Bureau, as its new CEO, effective Oct. 1.

Clark resigned from his position in Fort Collins in August and applied for positions in Steamboat Springs and Estes Park, citing a desire to move to a more rural mountain town.

“I reached that point where I was really looking to go to the mountains,” Clark said. “I’m very hopeful that this is my last job — my final destination.”



Clark is replacing current CEO Tom Kern, who submitted his resignation in June, effective Sept. 30, after three years on the job.

Clark, 59, first visited Steamboat more than 30 years ago and said he’s always dreamed of living here.



“I’ve always wanted to work and live in a mountain destination. I came here on a ski trip in 1979 and swore I’d live here someday,” Clark said. “It’s a dream come true. It’s everything I could want.”

Chamber officials offered Clark the job Friday afternoon, and he arrived in town Monday to meet with staff, he said.

The president of the Fort Collins Conventions & Visitors Bureau since 2005, Clark abruptly resigned in mid-August but was reviewed positively by the organization’s board in April and did not leave because of any wrongdoing, according to an article in The Coloradoan after his resignation.

Clark is also the chair of the Colorado Association of Destination Marketing Organizations and has worked in the hospitality industry for more than 30 years, including in positions up and down the Front Range, he said.

Chamber Board President Kerry Shea said Clark stood out in a field of experienced applicants.

“We have full confidence in his potential to integrate into the Steamboat Springs community and carry on the positive momentum the organization has achieved,” Shea said in a release.

Clark said he doesn’t have any preconceived notions of what he might do in his new position and said his goal right now is to absorb information.

“My job right now is to learn,” Clark said. “I just want to continue to build on the work that Tom has done.”

Clark said he is looking forward to finding a residence in town and getting settled with his wife, adding that they are both from small, rural towns originally. In his spare time, Clark said he enjoys hiking, camping, skiing and fly fishing.

“We’re really looking forward to moving here. I really want to wrap my arms around the town,” he said.

To reach Teresa Ristow, call 970-871-4206, email tristow@SteamboatToday.com or follow her on Twitter @TeresaRistow


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