Ski in-Sell Out!

Nathan Rafferty has seen a lot of the world. He’s raced motorcycles across deserts, traveled extensively, spent decades inside Utah’s ski industry and built a life in Park City. And after all of it? Utah is pretty damn good. Nathan started at Ski Utah as an unpaid intern, worked the front desk, moved into PR and eventually became President and CEO. We talk about that unlikely path, how Utah skiing...

Being local isn't about how long you've been somewhere. It's about what you do once you're there. Andy Beerman came to Park City in 1995 without much of a plan beyond finding a way to stay in the mountains. Before that there was Ohio, NOLS, Alaska, mountaineering, a climbing accident and a Salt Lake climbing gym. Then came White Pine Touring, couch surfing in Park City, buying a house he could bar...

What does a county clerk do when she’s not being a county clerk? In Melina Stevens’ case, quite a bit. This week, Max and Lauren sit down with Melina to talk about the road from California’s Central Valley to Summit County, with stops at BYU, a semester studying in China, and nine years working as a victim advocate with the Park City Police Department. A move to Florida that never happened somehow...

Aldy Milliken’s path to Park City makes almost no sense until you hear the whole thing. He started college studying economics, found photography, chased the art world to New York, drove a baby-blue Volvo into the Utah desert to see four giant concrete tubes, bought a one-way ticket to Southeast Asia, became an elementary school teacher, opened a gallery in Stockholm, reconnected with his future wi...

Bob Peek came to Park City in 1981 for what was supposed to be a semester off. Then he got a job parking cars and shoveling sidewalks during Deer Valley's first season, started painting houses with his brother, made about $20,000 a year, skied roughly 50 days and figured he had things pretty well dialed. His dad wasn't so sure. Nearly 40 years later, that painting company is still here. Except Bob...

Chris Conabee’s résumé makes almost no sense until you hear him tell the story. He grew up in Newark, landed at Brighton High School with a Jersey accent, went back east to work on Wall Street, earned his MBA at Columbia, left it all to care for his mom, came back west, worked Sundance, guided the Grand Canyon and eventually found his way into development and building in Utah. Chris describes life...

What happens when your life never really follows the plan? Charlie Johnson moved to Park City for his senior year of high school after growing up around Pittsburgh, and almost immediately found something here that would shape the rest of his life: community. From Park City to Montana, New York City, rural courtrooms, San Francisco and the renewable energy industry, Charlie’s path has been anything...

Jennifer Wesselhoff has spent much of her career thinking about what makes a place worth visiting. But this conversation became much more about what makes a place worth calling home. Jennifer is the President and CEO of the Park City Chamber & Visitors Bureau, after spending two decades with the Chamber in Sedona, Arizona. Her path to Park City, though, is anything but a straight line. She gre...

Some people stumble into the life they have. Others choose it—again and again. Steve Angerosa first came to Park City for the 2002 Winter Olympics, thinking it would be a temporary stop. More than two decades later, after moving away four different times, he keeps finding his way back. We talk about growing up in New York, his Italian immigrant grandparents, why a simple shoeshine kit means so muc...

Most people think success is about climbing. Todd Coleman chose to dig. He grew up in Park City, left to explore the world, discovered outdoor education, spent years helping teenagers change their lives, learned farming in New England, and eventually came home to grow food on the same property where he grew up. That isn't just a career. It's a life built with intention. One of my favorite parts of...

Katie Wilking grew up in Park City, left for college and Washington D.C., then found herself coming home. In this episode we talk about old Main Street, Park City's early days, Mileti's, skiing as kids, commercial real estate, entrepreneurship, community, and why the people—not just the mountains—keep drawing us back. It's a conversation about growing up, leaving, returning, and appreciating a pla...

Jonathan Crosswhite has lived several lives. The son of an NBA player, Jonathan grew up moving from city to city before finding his way to Division I football at the University of Utah and eventually the Arizona Cardinals. In this episode, we talk about sports, ADHD, parenting, pressure, sales, real estate, and what happens when your childhood dream becomes your job. We also dive into why some ath...

Bekah Stevens came to Park City thinking she’d stay for one winter. Twenty-three years later, she’s transitioning into ownership of Park City Powder Cats — one of the most unique independent ski operations in the country. In this episode of Ski In Sell Out, we talk about: growing up in rural Vermont moving west after college seasonal jobs and ski town survival why so many people stayed in Park Cit...

This week on Ski In Sell Out, we sit down with Ally Dickie — entrepreneur, HOA operator, former consultant, mother, community builder, and unofficial therapist for modern neighborhood dysfunction. What starts as a conversation about Florida roots, consulting careers, and moving to Park City “for one winter” turns into something much deeper about identity, parenting, leadership, emotional weight, a...

Eric Wiener’s story feels almost made up — except it’s real. Born in the Bronx, raised between cultures, working in the New York music industry during the rise of artists like Jay-Z and Britney Spears, Eric eventually left it all behind after 9/11 to become a Marine Corps Harrier pilot. In this episode we talk about: Growing up in New York and finding community block by block Identity, adoption, a...

What actually makes a place feel like home? This week we sat down with Park City Councilwoman Molly Miller for one of our favorite conversations yet — covering everything from growing up as the youngest of five girls in Michigan, cleaning motel rooms in Maine at eight years old, working in news, interning at Saturday Night Live, falling in love over early Twitter, and eventually finding her way to...

Joel Zarrow, President & CEO of the Park City Community Foundation, joins us for one of our favorite conversations yet. We talk about growing up in California before it became “Calabasas,” turning down a job on Seinfeld, traveling through Thailand, education policy, nonprofit leadership, cult-like consulting firms, community building, and the strange emotional tension of living in a place like...

This one is different. No guests. No script. Just Max and Lauren getting honest about what it actually feels like to build something from scratch—when the pipeline is dry, the bills are real, and the confidence gets tested daily. They talk about: The fear that comes with betting on yourself Why “contact roulette” might be the best lead gen strategy right now Financial pressure vs. belief in the lo...

This episode is what real real estate looks like. We sit down with longtime Park City local and development expert Patrick Howell to talk about the path nobody sees—from growing up on a ranch in Northern California to building a career in hospitality, and eventually stepping into the world of development sales in Park City. Patrick got into real estate in 2006… right before the crash. What followe...

Ryan Dickey didn’t plan to become mayor of Park City. Like a lot of people, he came for a winter… and never left. In this episode, we go way beyond real estate. We talk about small-town roots, big life pivots, and what happens when you choose community over everything else. From building a business to stepping into public service, Ryan shares what it really looks like to balance family, work, and...

This one starts earlier than most. Before city council, before housing debates, before Park City became what it is today — this is about how it all begins. Becca Gerber grew up here. Not the polished version of Park City, but the one where you figured it out as you went, worked a bunch of jobs, and stayed because something about this place just sticks. We get into her path — from swimming at the U...

A conversation about how people actually end up in Park City — and why it’s rarely a straight line. Eric Gingras shares his journey from the East Coast to Red Ledges, starting with ski trips, taking calculated risks, buying land before having a plan, and slowly building a life in Utah. What starts as curiosity turns into commitment — and eventually, a full transition into real estate, community, a...

What was Park City like before it became… Park City? In this episode of Ski In Sell Out, Max and Lauren sit down with Max’s dad, Jim Doilney — one of the early builders of modern Park City. From dodging the Vietnam draft to building homes, creating neighborhoods, preserving open space, and helping shape the town we know today — this is a raw, honest look at how it all came together. This isn’t jus...

In this episode of Ski In Sell Out , Max and Lauren sit down with builder Matt Russell , founder of Build Utah, to talk about what really happens behind the scenes of luxury construction in Park City. Matt’s journey didn’t start with blueprints — it started in dental school in Manhattan. After 9/11, a Volkswagen bus, and a cross-country reset, he chose dirt over dentistry and never looked back. We...

Max and Lauren sit down with renowned designer Barclay Butera to talk about creativity, growth, and what it really means to build a business that lasts. From growing up in a family design firm to expanding across Newport Beach, New York, Los Angeles, and Park City — Barclay shares the highs, the hard lessons from 2008, and why relationships matter more than scale. This conversation goes beyond des...