Estes Park EDC Investor Spotlight: Tom Carosello

Tom Carosello was born and raised in northeast Ohio. He graduated from Ohio State University in 1994 with a degree in Journalism and minor in Marketing and Public Relations. Upon graduation he began working for a newspaper reporting on sports and local government in Flagstaff, Arizona. There he pursued his love of sports, coaching little league baseball and football.  After five years, Tom moved to Pagosa Springs, where he transitioned to working on grants to support the community. In 2005, he worked in recreation administration and became the Recreation Director in 2007 for eight years.

Tom moved to Estes Park in 2016, assuming a new role as Recreation Director for the Estes Valley Recreation and Park District. Its mission is to enrich lives with quality recreation. Their vision of accomplishing that mission is to facilitate and support healthy, active lifestyles for all ages, abilities, and income levels. They maintain strong and effective relationships with business partners for the Town of Estes Park, the Estes Park School District and the Bureau of Reclamation. While COVID-19 impacted the community center (including a half million dollar loss), it boosted outdoor facilities like the marina and golf course with record numbers.

Tom’s favorite part of Estes not only encompasses the stunning mountain views, but the tight knit community. Local residents have a knack for resiliency, whether its flood recovery efforts to wildfires, he appreciates seeing the town come together for the greater good. He builds strong relationships with both visitors and the local community. His presence on the Estes Park Economic Development Corporation (Estes Park EDC) Board of Directors creates more awareness of local issues and how to support the town.

He sees economic development as a way to cultivate a balanced community and address fundamental matters such as limited childcare and housing availability. Broadband is a strong step forward in attracting young professionals and new families to the area as remote work surges in light of COVID-19. Tom wants to highlight his gratitude to the community during the pandemic as locals continued to utilize outdoor facilities to support the district. Even though they are a tax based district, 70% of their income is reliant on fees and services. Tom wants to hear from the community on how the District is doing; he is available by cell phone at 970-382-1356 for comments or concerns.