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Her efforts at reeling
Last Lift in sponsors, and keeping
them on board, are legend-
ary, and she has maintained
critical relationships with
NSAA’s Iconic Director of Sponsorships, key industry sponsors. From
Amy Steele, Goes Out in Style early NSAA champions like
Cawley Company and CWA
to the likes of Doppelmayr, Leitner-Poma, MountainGuard,
PistenBully, Prinoth, SE Group, SMI, and Snomax, no
BY DAVE BYRD, NSAA DIRECTOR OF RISK & REGULATORY AFFAIRS
major player in the ski industry could escape Steele’s “ask.”
(Notably, she insists on listing suppliers alphabetically: “As a
AFTER NEARLY 27 YEARS of tenacious and vocal support for mother of three, all of my kids are totally different and I love
underwriting NSAA’s pivotal role in promoting ski area devel- them equally,” Steele explains.)
opment, education, and industry camaraderie, Amy Steele, Prior to joining NSAA, Steele was an art teacher,
NSAA’s iconic director of sponsorships, is retiring. having received her degree in art education from Skidmore
After NSAA was reorganized in 1992 following the College in New York. If anyone knows Steele, they know she
organization’s separation from the United Ski Industries has a unique flare for creativity; she even trades haiku poems
Association (USIA), Steele was one of the four original with Bo Adams at MountainGuard, an influential industry
staff members to kick off NSAA’s rebirth, along with vendor, when she wants to push a key sponsorship. In addi-
then-president, Michael Berry; then-director of technical tion to being active in local Denver women’s choir groups,
services, Sid Roslund; and longtime meetings and conven- one of Steele’s novel personal passions is felting—believe it
tions director, Tom Moore. or not—creating scarves, jackets, vests, and hats from felted
Over the past three decades, Steele has been a dominant wool and fine silk. (Her automobile vanity license plate
force for good and a fierce advocate for industry vendor mem- boldly reads “Hats4U.”)
bers. She innovated the extraordinarily successful model of Steele has long been dedicated to the underlying collective
creatively funding conference and convention sponsorships goals of trade associations and the inherent values they provide
and creating cross-promotional opportunities for key indus- to their members. Prior to joining NSAA, she served as the
try suppliers—a win-win-win strategy for NSAA, the suppliers director of conventions and meetings for the International
and, most importantly, the broader industry. Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association in Boston, Mass.
In fact, during her tenure, Steele has raised millions in But Steele also was able to think outside the box. She excelled
sponsorships and sales. This eye-popping amount has criti- at creating unique gala events for NSAA conventions. And she
cally helped underwrite NSAA’s non-profit budget, and—as pushed the envelope beyond boring parties: her ideas included
Steele cleverly reminds her suppliers at every turn—is directly having dancers on platforms suspended from a ballroom ceiling
reinvested back into the ski industry to fund NSAA education in San Francisco, bringing in a Tarot card reader in Savannah,
efforts and the exchange of ideas. staging buckets of squirt guns on tables at the outside gala in
“Amy’s tenacity, her backbone, her directness—not Scottsdale, and even having food trucks brought indoors when
to mention her charm—makes her an extremely hard per- the convention returned to San Francisco. She was insistent on
son to say ‘no’ to, especially when it comes to supporting encouraging gala attendees to dance, and did so herself with
our broader industry,” stressed Kelly Pawlak, NSAA presi- joyful abandon. Steele also developed a unique elevator-pitch
dent. “Her sales pitch promoting NSAA is honest and format for the convention, called the “Innovation Showcase,”
effective, and as a sport and an industry, we are far giving vendors a brief, 3–4 minute window to deliver a fast-
better for it.” paced and clever product or service pitch.
Steele was instrumental when NSAA began producing Apart from her role at NSAA, Steele is passionately
the NSAA Journal, first a black-and-white newsletter that devoted to her family: her husband, Andy, a longtime physi-
eventually evolved into a full-color glossy magazine, and cian, and their three accomplished kids, George, Allison, and
that now serves as the authoritative voice of the ski indus- Suzanne. She is going out at the top of her game.
try. Steele’s role in creating the Journal’s unique advertising “It’s no longer about making a living,” she says, noting
concept—bundling conference sponsorships and magazine that all of her kids are finally through college. “Now it’s about
advertisements together—was hugely important. making a life.”

48 | NSAA JOURNAL | CONVENTION 2019