EAGLE-VAIL — Just about as soon as she arrived in the Vail Valley, Holli Snyder knew this was where she wanted to raise her family. That showed some forward thinking, given that she didn’t yet have a boyfriend, much less kids at the time.
Snyder — who now has a husband and two daughters — this week was named the new advertising director of the Vail Daily. It’s a return to familiar territory.
Snyder came to the valley nearly 25 years ago on the invitation of her college roommate, whose parents once owned The Red Lion. With a job in radio advertising dangled as part of the “come out here” pitch, Snyder moved from her native Kansas.
In the radio business, Snyder moved from sales into management of AlwaysMountainTime Media. It was there she soon discovered her talent for creating and promoting successful events. Remember the giant cowboy boots that once decorated downtown Eagle? That was her idea.
Snyder in 2017 was named the events manager for Colorado Mountain News Media, the Vail Daily’s parent company. In that role, she led the way in creating the Colorado Outdoor & Sportsmans Expo. She also led the company’s effort to create the Rocky Mountain Golf Card, the Longevity Project and the town of Avon’s Playhouse project.
In her role with Colorado Mountain News Media, Snyder learned first-hand about the potential impact of advertising in the print, online and magazine formats of the Vail Daily and its sister papers.
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“I know how effective it all is,” she said.
Snyder said Colorado Mountain News Media will hire another events manager to handle the company’s growing portfolio of events. But, she added, she’ll continue to stay involved with the Vail Daily’s events.
Moving to her new job at the Vail Daily gives Snyder “an opportunity to focus more on the Vail Valley,” she said. “That’s where my heart is, and where I can be effective.”
Vail Daily Publisher Mark Wurzer said he’s happy to have Snyder on the team.
Wurzer said he sees the Vail Daily as a service business, serving staff, readers, advertisers and the community.
Snyder, he said “really fulfills the mission” of serving those groups. She cares about customer success, Wurzer added, and has a “good grasp of how to use all the assets we have to build our clients’ businesses”
Wurzer said Snyder will share that enthusiasm for service with the Daily’s advertising staff. And, working with Patrick Connolly — whose new role is now focused on real estate, key accounts and marketing — Wurzer expects bigger and better things from that group.
As she starts work, Snyder’s face and voice will be familiar to many in the Vail Valley business community. But, she said, she’s excited to meet the business owners she doesn’t know yet.
“I’m excited to be with a full-service media agency, especially being someone who’s used every single one of them,” she said.
Snider can be reached at hsnyder@cmnm.org.
Vail Daily Business Editor Scott Miller can be reached at smiller@vaildaily.com or 970-748-2930.
