Northstar veteran at helm of ski resort

By Kathryn Reed

Even though Nadia Guerriero is well versed in event planning, a mega-winter pushing 600 inches of snow to date is one event she didn’t plan for.

“For so many years the conversation was how to keep our trails open, how to make sure we had enough snow. Now it is where do we put all the snow,” Guerriero told Lake Tahoe News.

Guerriero is in her first season as chief operating officer of Northstar. This Truckee resort averages 350 inches of snow a season. In 2014-15, 133 inches fell.

This season she and her crew are figuring out how to get it off roofs, how to dig down to access lifts, and how to maintain safety, as well provide a good experience for guests. All this snow doesn’t just affect life at work. Employees, like everyone in the greater Lake Tahoe area, have had their own struggles this winter, which in turn can have an impact on the workplace.

Guerriero said the massive amount of snow “has accelerated the learning process in a lot of ways.”

It helps that the 43-year-old is not new to the resort. She started at Northstar in 2007 as director of events and conference services. Four years later when Vail Resorts acquired the property she became general manager of the village.

While she didn’t work directly with everyone at the resort in her prior capacities, she at least had an awareness of who they were and what they did. That has helped ease the transition to being the leader.

It is her leadership that helped get her the job.

“Nadia’s leadership and dedication to the Northstar community for nearly a decade prepared her well for the Northstar COO role – it was a natural fit. She executes on her day-to-day responsibilities exceptionally and also dedicates a huge portion of her time to developing high performing teams,” Pete Sonntag told Lake Tahoe News. He is Vail Resorts’ vice president in charge of the three Tahoe area resorts. “It’s this extraordinary leadership and commitment to excellence that is sought after in this industry and will help her raise the bar for Northstar and Truckee/Lake Tahoe.”

Guerriero’s immediate goal is to continue to have Northstar be the No. 1 place in California for families to ski.

She wants to fill in the midweek with more destination visitors. With the recently approved master plan, the resort will be expanding. This could attract more people, too. What the first project will be has not been determined.

Northstar has long struggled to be a year-round destination. Lake Tahoe locales take precedence in the summer. Guerriero knows the lake will always be a priority for summer visitors, but she thinks Northstar can still capture a larger segment of the market. This will in part be accomplished by keeping the village full, having plenty of shopping and dining options, as well as things for kids to do.

“We have available lodging here and need to promote that lodging. We need to make Northstar a real hub to spend a week or two,” Guerriero said. “Another big thing to do is be mindful and thoughtful about programming.”

She also wants to coordinate transit with the town of Truckee to bring people between the two locations.

Development in the region draws the ire of many when it comes to where workers will live and congestion on roads. Guerriero believes Northstar has a role to play in mitigating both issues.

“Regarding roads and traffic it’s been an extraordinary year from weather and visitation standpoint,” Guerriero said. Working on the inflow and outflow of traffic, and educating guests are other things the resort is doing. The resort also helps fund regional transit.

“I believe in affordable housing and workforce housing. We are part of the (Truckee North Tahoe) Regional Housing Council,” Guerriero said. The resort has pledged $30,000 to the Housing Solutions Fund.

While Guerriero’s job is never ending, she does get to spend time on the mountain. She been skiing since she was 10, having learned at Eldora Mountain Resort near Boulder, Colo. Her mom put her and her sister in lessons – at night – and from there she was hooked.

Today she skis with her husband and daughter.

For now, Guerriero is hoping to be in this position for years to come. Even though the last two Northstar head honchos got promoted to other resorts within the Vail Resorts family, she wants to stay put.

“There are a lot of people in the same role, at the same resort. I hope to get to be one of those,” Guerriero said. “I would love to stay at Northstar. I’m passionate about the resort.”