This is a familiar story. Bright-eyed young people come here to ski and eventually stay in Utah. But not all ski enthusiasts grow up to become the chief cheerleader of Salt Lake City. Kaitlin Eskelson is the new CEO of Visit Salt Lake. She came to Utah from Wisconsin at the age of 22 and turned her love of the mountains above the city into a career, inspiring the world to discover SLC.

And, in another familiar story, she accepted the job in March 2020 (yes, March of that year) and started a new job whose main purpose was to gather conferences and tourists to Salt Lake City . 

"The pandemic has forced us to turn on behalf of the business community and truly focus on providing support services to small businesses that rely on the tourist economy," she said. 

To this end, Visit Salt Lake becomes a resource that helps members browse the red tape for help to get through the blockade, and provides webinars and advice to the local business community. 

Eskelson said: "We went from looking 100% outward to looking inward, trying to understand and help the community in depth."  

"We have a rich history and a forward-looking future."-Caitlin Eskelson

Eskelson is a leader in making lemonade from lemons. For most of her career, she has been honing her skills, receiving education and preparing for her visit to the top spot in Salt Lake City. She received a master's degree in public administration from the University of Utah. She is passionate about Utah and the people who call it home. She is a tireless advocate. She has dedicated many years of research to the promotion of Salt Lake City and Utah as collective gems as tourist destinations.

"I think what happened was about 10 years earlier than planned," she said. "Meetings and conferences have moved to a hybrid configuration with face-to-face and virtual components."

To speed up the transition, VSL used the downtime to establish a media center in Salt Palace to facilitate virtual meetings. Ongoing projects continue at full speed, including the construction of a controversial conference hotel near the Salt Palace and a comprehensive reshaping of the city's image. The new slogan "West of Conventional" tends to contradict Utah.  

"We are a juxtaposed community," she said. "We have a rich history and a forward-looking future. For many times in the past, we have always apologized for who we are. We are celebrating these intersections and respecting our diverse culture and history."

As Eskelson continues to navigate the ever-changing waters, she likes to remind people that she can deal with challenges. why? 

"I have twins. I'm not afraid of anything."   

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