While he isn’t the first person to have their life altered by a seasonal job, Bill Berg is the original CoolWorks Kid. One summer journey from Minnesota to Yellowstone National Park to pump gas and explore Wonderland led to many years as a Yellowstone resident, a stint as an NPS backcountry ranger in Alaska, a term leading students as a NOLS instructor, a career in human resources, and finally, a creative spark that blossomed into a website that would provide that same opportunity for thousands of others seeking meaningful work in America’s greatest natural environments.
Bill has always sought an active role in improving the world around him. Since leaving CoolWorks, he now focuses his efforts on serving his community as a county commissioner in Park County Montana. He also continues to diligently participate in efforts to protect our wild places as an active advocate of public lands. He continues to be our biggest fan and our greatest inspiration for continuing the mission of changing lives with Jobs in Great Places.
Bill Berg Founder
After 15 years working seasonally in and around Yellowstone, (which included living in a tepee during one early winter and then moving from there to her next seasonal job at a place called, ironically, Pahaska Tepee) Kathi graduated from MSU with enough credits for two undergrad degrees. This shows both an insatiable curiosity and the inability to decide what she wanted to be when she grew up. Thankfully all that curiosity opened the door to signing on with her friend and CoolWorks founder Bill, during a ride in a VW Bug in Mexico in 1996.
So grad school never happened but figuring out what she wanted to be when she grew up did. Kathi consults and strategizes one on one with employers to make sure their recruitment messages are comprehensive, visual and exciting so that they get qualified and targeted response that will lead to the best seasonal staff EVER. And be forewarned, curiosity has not killed this cat, so she’ll have plenty of questions for you!
Kathi Noaker Director of Employer Happiness, Compassionate Comadre, Employer Wingwoman
Little did Patty know that one summer job in Yellowstone during college would lead to a Human Resource career hiring literally thousands of summer employees, and that Yellowstone would become the home where she would later raise her two girls. For all you high school sports fans out there, Patty was the itinerant Class C Mom / Bookkeeper who logged many a dark, cold night in a school bus traveling the snowy Montana roads with the Gardiner, MT sports teams. That prepared her well to become the SHRA Queen.
Since 1997, Patty has been the force behind the annual Seasonal Human Resource Association Conference. She plans, preps, and puts on the whole shebang every fall in some wondrous locations. And as our resident Mama Bear, no job is too big or too small for her to tackle, especially in the web recruiting and human resources departments. Whether with CW, as a potter, or a DIY enthusiast, she’s creatively putting pieces together. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with Patty if you need her to sprinkle her special brand of problem-solving-pixie-dust on your issue.
Patty Ceglio Employer Wingwoman, SHRA Queen, CoolWorks Mama Bear
A life-long tech nerd and computer geek, Eric attended MSU Bozeman and by the summer of 1995 graduated with a degree in physics. E got involved with an up-an-coming new thing called ‘the web’ and was a partner in a dial-up ISP (Remember modems? scrrrreeeeech-weeee-wooo-weee-woo-bong-bong-zooop…..connected: 14.4K) Later that same year, Eric crossed paths with Bill Berg just as Bill was looking for a Montana company to host this crazy idea he had: CoolWorks. 20 years later, Eric is still writing the code and maintaining the servers that keeps our website pumping.
Eric Lund Web Wizard, aka Man Behind the Curtain
Electric Peak lured Ker’en west from Pennsylvania, and because of a stint as Keeper of the Sheets at the Yellowstone River Motel in Gardiner, Montana, she can tell you it’s hard to keep whites … well, white. Her summer job led her to becoming not just a Gardiner local but THE Gardiner local as the Executive Director of the Gardiner Chamber of Commerce. Next up, she brought two beautiful shining stars into the world, and being our Keeper of Accounts was the perfect fit for a full-time Earth Mama. Fortunately for us, she knows how to keep us in the black and out of the red.
Ker’en enjoys finding time to create – whether it’s baking, building, or budgeting, KW has the skills to get it done. She’s spent the last few years raising her kids in a “tiny house” she designed and built from scratch, with the help of her dad. No challenge is too great when it comes to taking care of her wee ones with every life-sculpting experience and homeopathic remedy she can find, and no task is insurmountable as she digs in to conquer a design project, a missing cent, or continues to lovingly challenge the CW team.
Ker'en Walters Keeper of Accounts, Reconciliation Ravenclaw, Holistic Earth Mama
From her early days, Kelcy thought construction might be the career she grew up to inherit. From pulling wire in grade school, to delivering material to building sites in high school, to building and selling her own spec homes in the Colorado Rockies during summers home from college, she had the trades in her blood. But everything changed when she discovered CoolWorks.com. Adventure beckoned, she landed a job at one of the two places she’d applied to via CoolWorks, and set out for Grand Teton National Park. One summer gig at a front desk grew into a six year career as a Human Resources and Recruiting Manager, where she reveled in her role of Magic Wand Wielder, helping many others pursue their own “grand” adventure.
Kelcy is a homegrown CoolWorks kid and our Social Media Maven, and when she’s not using it to spread the word, she’s OUT walking amongst our people with her gusto and passion, spreading the word about the life changing power of seasonal job. She also counsels employers with her tried and true HR skills, from job seeker-centric marketing and on-boarding, to employee recreation and recognition programs. She’s been the seasonal job seeker and the HR Manager, and she’s a champion of happiness and joy for all.
Kelcy Fowler The One Who Walks Amongst Our People, Employer Wingwoman, CoolWorks Kid, Owner
A flat-lander by birth, Matt visited the Rockies for the first time as a youngster when his family took a Colorado ski vacation. The impression was permanent, and many years later when he was graduating from business school in North Carolina, he turned his sights West. While his classmates were setting off for the banking and consulting hubs of our nation, Matt found CoolWorks.com and a seasonal accounting job in Grand Teton National Park, and that very summer, set out on a different path. That 6 month job turned into five years living on the shores of Jackson Lake and a career in hospitality management.
Matt is also a homegrown CoolWorks kid. He eagerly joined the team in early 2016, and routinely wears many hats. From strategic planning and customer experience, to writing copy and advising job seekers, Matt’s business and hospitality experience contributes to the CoolWorks mission in a number of different ways. He’s got a true passion for Great Places and inspiring people from all walks to take the first step in finding their different path.
Matt Moore Employer Wingman, Captain of Contracts, CoolWorks Kid, Owner