A strategy meeting with the Alamosa Economic Development Board, then a quick callback to the State of Colorado’s Tourism office. Moments later, shared data with the San Luis Valley Tourism Association, and a bright idea from the Alamosa Dark Sky Coalition.
Welcome to the friendly and sometimes frenzied world of Kale Mortensen, Class of 2015 and 2019, whose phone calls and fist bumps have helped Alamosa and the surrounding area grow tourism consistently since he became executive director of the destination-marketing organization Visit Alamosa in 2018.
That year, he was nearing completion of his second degree from Adams State University, an MBA in public administration that followed his bachelor’s in marketing. Today, alongside a close-knit team at Visit Alamosa and a slew of community and business leaders, Mortensen attracts visitors to the region by highlighting its diverse activities, cultural heritage and natural wonders.
His professional role mirrors his personal passion. To Mortensen, an Alamosa native, the more people who visit the area to enjoy its remarkable cycling, running, climbing, sandboarding and stargazing, the better. His efforts have turned the San Luis Valley’s unique virtues into economic value.
“At Adams State, I learned that everyone has something special to contribute, and that’s certainly true in my job now,” says Mortensen, a proud recipient of the university’s 2023 Outstanding Alumnus Award. “We get to take our passion and love for the San Luis Valley and share it with visitors from all over the world.”
Mortensen will be recognized at the 2023 Alumni Awards Banquet on September 22, in the Student Union Building. Visit 2023 Homecoming for reservations; 719-587-8110; or alumni@adams.edu.
Deep-rooted Grizzly pride
Mortensen hails from a family closely tied to Adams State. His father, Larry Mortensen ‘88, was the school’s longtime director of athletics and its head men’s basketball coach for 11 years. His paternal grandfather William Fulkerson was university president from 1981 until 1994.
Growing up in the shadows of campus, the younger Mortensen was extremely familiar with the institution, but eager to chart his own path to success. After considering other options, he decided to stay close to home, join the Adams State golf team and “get an education right in my backyard,” he says.
Looking back on pivotal moments during his time at Adams State, Mortensen is quick to acknowledge the university’s role in shaping his life’s trajectory. In a music class, he met the woman he would eventually marry and raise a family with. In a marketing class, he met Professor Liz Thomas Hensley, who recognized his business sense and inspired him to major in the field.
“A big part of Adams State was being able to connect with not just your peers, but also the staff, the professors. Everyone on campus has that community mindset, and they all care about each other,” Mortensen says. “The books and the learning were great, but the deeper connections we made with each other, with people who wanted to help you throughout life, that’s the true story of this place.”
Connecting visitors to the Valley
That same sense of community has guided Mortensen’s success at Visit Alamosa. Last year, he brought together stakeholders from around the Valley for a collaborative marketing campaign called “Million Dollar Shot,” which encouraged people to take and share photos of landscapes and moments unique to the San Luis Valley.
Collaboration has also been key to the “We Love Our National Park” initiative, which launched in 2021 to celebrate the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, one of only four national parks in Colorado. The annual community-wide celebration, now in its third year, involves the combined efforts of local retail shops, lodging properties, RV parks and restaurants. For the project, Visit Alamosa recently won the Governor’s Award for Outstanding Community Tourism Initiative from the Colorado Tourism Office.
“Visit Alamosa’s entire marketing strategy has been revolutionized, and our office now is an industry leader on the cutting edge of marketing innovation,” says Savannah Schlaufman, director of marketing for the Alamosa Convention & Visitors Bureau. She credits Mortensen for the organization’s modern, integrated marketing approach, which blends digital advertising, social media, printed guides, in-market mobile ads, public relations, an e-newsletter and more.
Mortensen and his team now use digital marketing and data analytics to understand how and why people are visiting the Valley, and which prospective travelers are likely to arrive during certain times of the year. In addition to an uptick in visitors from nearby states, the team has learned the area is increasingly popular to outdoor enthusiasts in the UK, Australia and Germany. Many of them use Alamosa hotels as a home base from which to explore nearby attractions.
“It’s all a collaboration and a partnership that we’re trying to develop, because the reality is, the traveler doesn’t know county lines,” Mortensen recently said during an interview on the The Valley Pod, published by the Alamosa Citizen. “They don’t come in and say, ‘I’m only going to go to Alamosa County. I’m never going across this line right here.’”
Visit Alamosa measures and tracks the quality of travelers’ tourism experiences using what’s called the Tourism Sentiment Index (TSI), which is akin to a digital word-of-mouth score. Mortensen’s goals for boosting TSI include trying to attract more visitors to the region during the fall, growing popular events such as the Rio Trio triathlon race and the Rio Frio ice festival, and working with artists and community groups to beautify the Sixth Street corridor.
Giving back and helping others
Mortensen’s dedication to community and education extends beyond his professional responsibilities. As an adjunct professor at Adams State, he imparts his marketing expertise and real-world experiences to the next generation of marketing professionals.
Emphasizing a hands-on, collaborative approach to teaching, he prepares students for their future careers while fostering the same sense of belonging he enjoyed in the classroom.
“I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to continue the tradition of giving back and give my experience to students,” Mortensen says. “I want to share that passion for marketing and help them along their path. It needs to be continual, passed on, that legacy and torch of giving back.”
Meanwhile, Mortensen has strengthened the bond between Visit Alamosa and the university, which have collaborated on recent efforts such as “Discover Alamosa” during Adams State’s Welcome Week. Also, he was instrumental in launching the partnership between the Colorado Welcome Center and the university’s hospitality class, allowing for students to gain real-world experience.
Through it all, Mortensen hopes his appreciation for Alamosa and the San Luis Valley becomes infectious, leaving visitors and others with a spark of curiosity to explore the wonders of the region. He wants everyone to experience what he has known his entire lifetime — the unique magic of a place that thrives on heartfelt connections.
“It’s the collective success and the work that we’re all doing that I really enjoy,” he says. “Being recognized for it is just amazing.”
