Leroux, Big Player In Ullr Concept

May 28th, 2007 at 12:36pm Vanessa Pierce 8

Michelle Leroux, 30, is the PR and communications manager at Whistler/Blackcomb. She was one of the key players responsible for creating one of the biggest girls contests to come to the ski and snowboard industry ever. If Ullr Was a Girl was born in April 2006 and culminated with a three-tier contest in Whistler/Blackcomb in April 2007. She loves working and living in Whistler, and here’s why …

SheJumps: What makes you the most happy?
Michelle Leroux: That moment when I am riding on the mountain or biking on a trail and I suddenly stop and notice how beautiful everything around me is. There are these moments when it just hits me – the silence, the way the sun is slanting through the trees, the smell of cedar in the air. That moment when beauty has enough critical mass to break through the complacency that inexplicably seems to creep in when you spend every day in the most beautiful place in the world. When that sudden realization and awareness washes over me I just have to stop, breath and be so grateful the work I love to do brought me to such an amazing place.

SJ: You seem so passionate about getting women “on stage” to show what they can do. Expand on that a little more and how the Ullr contest helped.
ML: Working in the public relations department here at Whistler/Blackcomb exposed me to so many amazing female athletes. Whistler is home to the world’s best and getting to know these talented ladies as athletes and friends was really inspiring. People like Priscilla Levac, Annie Boulanger, Maelle Ricker, and Sarah Burke not only kill it on the mountain, they are really good to work with, too. I know how hard they work and as a business person I really appreciate the professionalism with which they approach the sport. Every contest out there emphasizes the guys and their talents – which is amazing – but if you want to see progression now, women are improving in leaps and bounds and proving they can put on as good a show as the boys can. It was extremely gratifying to see the Ullr contest go off in the way that it did and reward someone with a prize purse ($25,000 to Grete Eliassen) befitting the talent women are bringing to the mountains!

SJ: What was it like being part of this huge idea, and then bringing it to fruition?
ML: It was amazing to be a part of this project. I have to admit that sometimes it felt like we were flying by the seat of our pants but the passion that the Ullr contenders and the Whistler/Blackcomb team brought to the project really gave us wings. It was a massive year-long project and sustaining the momentum and enthusiasm was sometimes difficult but in the end seeing the girls together at each event and especially at après tells me that we did something right here.

SJ: We heard you fought to make this a real competition versus a model shoot or something like that? Explain.
ML: The Ullr Girl concept came from a guy that worked in the marketing department and initial ideas were leading towards something that looked very different from what we finally ended up with. The girls on the marketing team got their hands in the mix and I called in the opinions of some of Whistler’s pro girls. We put our heads together and were able to come up with a concept that achieved the goals of the marketing campaign while creating something that women would be really stoked to be a part of.

SJ: What are your goals for this contest?
ML: My personal goal for this contest was to recognize the incredible athletic talents that women have with a worthy cash prize. The surprise outcome was the friendships that developed and that community and support is something that I want to see live on.

SJ: Tell us a little about how you got into resort marketing/PR.
ML: I grew up in the Crowsnest Pass, on the Alberta border to B.C. smack in between Fernie, B.C., and Castle Mountain, AB. My hometown had a little ski hill with night skiing called the Pass Powderkeg. My friends and I ruled that ski hill and got up whenever we could skiing seven days a week for most of the winter. My best friend and I became junior ski instructors at Fernie when we were 14 and we also started a ski school program at the Powderkeg called the PowderPuffs for kids ages 3-5. Growing up teaching skiing in Fernie and the Pass and then teaching snowboarding and skiing at Castle Mountain and Canada Olympic Park made me love the resort lifestyle and being involved in the ski and snowboard industry, but I knew that I wanted to do more.
I attended Mount Royal College and got my Communications Degree specializing in Public Relations. Through my studies I centred projects around the ski industry whenever I could and dreamt of one day doing PR for a ski hill. Serendipitously I heard about a Public Relations Coordinator position at Panorama Mountain Village, B.C., just as I was graduating and made the move out there. After two years there I made my next move to Whistler/Blackcomb where I have moved from Senior PR Officer to PR Supervisor to Public Relations & Communications Manager is just over three years! It has been an exciting journey and Intrawest and Whistler/Blackcomb have given me so many opportunities and essentially created the platform that has launched me in my career within the ski and snowboard industry. Sometimes it feels like people have this perception that Intrawest and Whistler/Blackcomb is this cold corporate company but the whole organization is made up of young passionate people that love the mountains and put their lives’ energy and focus into making this resort the best in the world.

SJ: What advice do you have for women trying to get into your field?
ML: It is common for women to be in the role of sales, marketing, and public relations. However, when I am hiring people for my department I am looking for someone who is genuinely interested in the industry and has authenticity. Being knowledgeable about the industry, reading the magazines, blogs and watching the snow vids is key. If girls out there are interested in this kind of role at a resort, try to get resort experience even if you are working with another department at first.

SJ: What’s your favorite thing to do?
ML: One of my favorite things to do is read a good book while drinking tea and eating nice chocolate in bed with my cat Bookcase. Drinking wine with my best girlfriends would be a close second here!

For more about women going after their dreams, visit SheJumps.com.

Entry Filed under: Whistler-Blackcomb, SheJumps