Director of Competition and Events

Sunday River Resort, Maine

Six-word bio: "Work hard. Play hard. No regrets.”

Director of Competition and Events

Sunday River Resort, Maine

Six-word bio: "Work hard. Play hard. No regrets.”

Running local events at a resort is one thing—the complex logistics, finicky weather and risk management—but as most people know, running national, international or other recognized events is entirely another.

A busy resort will often have someone dedicated to the task, but few are probably as young and ambitious as Jacob Treadwell, or Jake, as he's known to his friends.

Treadwell is director of competitions and events at Sunday River in Maine. In his role, Treadwell oversees over 30 competitions a year, including NORAMs, the TD Bank Eastern Cup race series (the signatures series for the New England Nordic Ski Association) and two years ago, the Visa U.S. Snowboarding World Cup. He also oversees all of the Sunday River-hosted competitions for recreational athletes and weekend warriors alike.

Nominated by John Jacobs of Reliable Racing Supply and Nick Lambert, VP marketing and sales at Sunday River, Treadwell's approach to leadership is what makes him stand out in the crowd.

“Jake's ability to execute and lead is well known in the ski racing community and often in high demand,” Jacobs said in his nomination, noting that Treadwell was also volunteer chief-of-race at the 2011 USCSA National Championships at Sun Valley this year.

It's a skill set that Treadwell did not come by accidentally. He holds an undergraduate degree from Springfield College and a Master's degree in Sports Management, and has been racing and helping execute races since he was in high school.

He didn't skip a beat after graduating from his Master's program, accepting the director's position at Sunday River right out of school and settling into helping Sunday River achieve its vision of being one of the nation's best four-season resort by 2015.

Sunday River has become known for its high profile events schedule, but what makes a great event isn't one person, one course or the mountain itself—it's the well-oiled machine and intimate dynamics that make a great events department, says Treadwell.

“The things that really put it above the top are the teamwork and the people,” says Treadwell. Because events work is dependent on so many factors coming together at one very specific point in time, teamwork is crucial. His goals every day, he says, are to ensure everyone is doing their best work, but that they are also having fun. While the approach keeps the vibe more enjoyable on the day to day, he says, the return comes on events days, when you have to ask your team to work until midnight, or go above and beyond when the weather is at its worst and everyone has already had a long day.

“The first goal in my department is do the best job that we can and to make sure that the event is run as professionally as it possibly can be and everyone is happy. The second rule is that we always have fun. You need to have fun—if we're not having fun, then it's not worth it.”

—Katie Bailey

SEE ALL YOUNG GUNS 2011