By David F. Rooney
Rod Kessler, the man who oversaw the opening of Revelstoke Mountain Resort, has resigned from his post as chief operating officer and is returning to the United States.
He and his wife, Brenda, are moving to Maine where he will join the management team at the LL Bean Outdoor Discovery School.
“The big bonus for us is that we have kids close by,” Kessler said in an interview.
The personable and hard-working Kessler said he is leaving behind “a really good team” in charge on the hill.
“Getting the resort open in just seven months and having a successful opening day” was one of the real high points of his career, he said.
The couple will be renting an 1840s farmhouse near Freeport, Maine, just minutes from the Atlantic Ocean.
“This town is second to none,” he said. “Where else can you go for a run in the morning and encounter a 200-pound bear, then… go mountain biking on world-class trails or head to the Akolkolex and pop a dry fly on gin-clear water?”
Kessler said he and Brenda were especially touched by the way she was welcomed into the community when she arrived.
Although they leave on October 18, Kessler said “we’ll be back and we’ll be happy to purchase $76 lift passes.”
