Pats Peak Management Promotions
Pats Peak introduces five new additions to its management team. Brodie Coughlin is the new Facilities Director and Nadia Healy is the Lodge Manager. Joe Duford joins the Pats Peak management team as the Assistant Chef. Pat Horgan is a new member of the Pats Peak team as the Race Director and Aaron Jenness is the Assistant Race Director.
Brodie Coughlin is new to the Pats Peak management team as the Facilities Manager. Brodie will be handling the maintenance, upkeep, and cleaning of the base area buildings. Originally from Massachusetts, Coughlin now lives locally with his fiancé Kathy and two children, Jamison, and Rowan.
“We are so excited to welcome Brodie to the Pats Peak family. His expertise in many aspects of maintenance is an important asset to keeping these buildings maintained to the standards that we expect for our guests,” remarks Brigid Howell, Pats Peak Director of Guest Services.
Nadia Healy has six years of service at Pats Peak. While at the mountain, she has been an assistant to the Lodge Manager overseeing the daily routine of lodge maintenance. Recently Nadia accepted a full-time year-round position as the Lodge Manager. Nadia graduated from John Stark High School and lives in Henniker, NH. She enjoys hiking, painting, and drawing.
“We are delighted to welcome Nadia to our year-round management team. Her expertise in our operations is crucial in maintaining the cleanliness of our lodges and ensuring our guests' satisfaction,” says Sarah Demmons, Pats Peak Director of Services.
Throughout Joe Duford's career as a chef, he has honed his skills at several esteemed restaurants, such as the Puritan Backroom and the Purple Finch Cafe. During his tenure at the Purple Finch, they were awarded the “Best Breakfast Place of the Manchester, NH Area” according to New Hampshire Magazine in 2022. Furthermore, under his leadership, the Purple Finch cooking staff was honored with the "Hippo Best of 2022" Reader's choice awards for both the best breakfast and best brunch. Duford embarked on his culinary journey nearly 12 years ago, and his path took him from humble beginnings at the Puritan Backroom, where he performed a range of tasks from dishwashing to line cooking, ultimately ascending to the position of sous chef.
“We are excited about the opportunity to have Joe demonstrate his knowledge and skills in the food industry, as we elevate our banquet and ski season, to provide quality and excellent service across all platforms. He demonstrated his knowledge of the culinary industry over the 2023 ski season at Pats Peak and has earned the position of Assistant Chef”, stated Pats Peak Director of Culinary, Guy Pelletier.
Pat Horgan has been named Race Director for Pats Peak for the 2024 season. After a career in both education and real estate finance, Horgan has taken up the snowsports life full-time. From 2011 until 2018 Horgan taught and coached both students and racers at Wachusett Mountain, while also working as a High School Teacher. He also was Head Coach of the Cushing Academy Race Team for many years. While at Wachusett, he was the Head U14 Coach and was the Co-Race Director in 2020. Moving on from Wachusett, Horgan worked full time at Berkshire East Ski area in Charlemont, MA where he was assistant Race Director on one of the busiest race hills in Tri State, collegiate and masters racing. Last season Horgan worked full-time at Mount Sunapee as on hill race staff and as a U16 Coach. Horgan has held a level one PSIA Certification in the past and is a current Level 200 USSA Coach and Referee.
Aaron Jenness is the Assistant Race Director. He learned to ski at Pats Peak and continues to be an avid skier and racer. During his youth, Jenness ski raced at Pats Peak and recently has coached high school racing. Jenness has been a member of the Pats Peak Race Department for four years, where he learned all the intricacies of running the Pats Peak high school and college races and our adult/corporate racing series. In addition to the Race Department, Jenness will continue to be on the snowmaking team for Pats Peak.
“Pat's extensive experience and expertise in both youth and adult racing, acquired through years of race coaching, racecourse management, and 15 years of active participation in Wachusett's adult league, represents an invaluable asset to our race department. Aaron’s familiarity with the operations of Pats Peak is a crucial addition to our management team, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of how the Pats Peak environment contributes to the success of our race department. The thriving racing community at Pats Peak is fortunate to benefit from their knowledge, which is instrumental in maintaining the excellence of our racing program,” commented Snowsports Director, John Pawlak.
“I am excited to welcome these employees to our management team. They all possess exceptional leadership qualities, and I am confident that they will play a pivotal role in elevating Pats Peak's level of service even further,” comments Kris Blomback, General Manager of Pats Peak.
