MEET THE TEAM
The Mountaineer Transit Company team is comprised of a 9-member volunteer Board of Directors from homeowner associations in both Olympic Valley and Alpine Meadows, Placer County, and Olympic Valley and Alpine Meadows communities at-large, advisors, and a part-time Executive Director.
Board of Directors
Mike Martin, Board Chair
Palisades Tahoe Vice President Base Operations
Originally from Montana, Mike Martin’s first job of his professional career was at Palisades Tahoe (formerly Squaw Alpine) as a lift operator. He then headed off to college to obtain his Engineering and MBA degrees, which forced him to make midnight drives to both Olympic Valley and Mammoth to get his powder fix. After working (and skiing) all over the world for decades with several global Fortune 500 companies, such as Northrop Grumman, Best Buy, VF Brands, Gap Inc., he returned to Tahoe and Palisades Tahoe following the big winter of ’16-17 to help put the place back together, leading the Building Services, Capital Construction, and Snow Removal teams. Since then, he’s taken on several other departments within the operations group including Transportation Operations, Regulatory Compliance, and Vehicle Maintenance Operations. When you can’t find him working or chasing fresh tracks in the Sierras, he’s out exploring the beauty of the wilderness, usually with a fly rod in hand.
Keith Fountain, Vice Chair
Palisades Tahoe Lodge Owner Association Board Member, Olympic Valley HOA Forum Moderator
Keith Fountain has skied at Palisades Tahoe (formerly Squaw | Alpine) since 1973 and has been an owner at the Squaw Valley Lodge since 2001. At the Lodge he is a board member and since inception has chaired the Village Development Committee to represent owners interests in the Village at Squaw Valley redevelopment plan. He founded and moderates the Olympic Valley HOA Forum which is dedicated to the sharing of information and ideas on topics of mutual interest and concern to owners within Multi-Family Residences (condos) located in Olympic Valley. He chaired the Olympic Valley Alpine Meadows Micro Mass Transit District Steering Committee which lead to the formation of the Mountaineer Transit Company and he chaired Mountaineer Transit Company Board of Directors from its inception through September 2022.
Rick Pendleton, Board Treasurer
VP of Operations at Granite Peak Management
Rick Pendleton moved to Olympic Valley in 1990 to experience the “Ski Lifestyle” for a season. Three decades later, Rick manages the operations at Granite Peak Management a local property management firm specializing in community association management and vacation rentals. Rick has enjoyed a diverse career with stints as an entrepreneur, sales and marketing executive and finance professional. Utilizing the broad range of experience, Rick enjoys collaborating with associates to develop long term solutions. Rick holds a real estate brokers license and has a degree in Finance from California State University, Northridge. With both of his daughters out of the house Rick and his wife Linda are enjoying their newly adopted empty nester lifestyle and like to spend their days skiing and hiking. Rick lives and works in Alpine Meadows and is excited to help with the transformational change that the Mountaineer experiment has brought to the region.
David Stepner, Board Secretary
Olympic Valley resident, OVMAC Member & Friends of OV Steering Committee Member
David Stepner has been a property owner in North Tahoe for more than 40 years, of which the last 20 have been in Olympic Valley, and the last 10 as a permanent resident, having moved after retiring from the Silicon Valley entrepreneurship treadmill. For the past 13 years, he has been a volunteer ski patroller at Palisades Tahoe. He got involved in Olympic Valley politics with the first Specific Plan for the expanded village, and formed the Friends of Olympic Valley with several other Valley residents to lobby for development moderation. As chairman of the County appointed Design Review Committee much was achieved in creating standards to make the proposed Village more open and inviting. Four years ago, he was also appointed to the Olympic Valley Municipal Advisory Council, and now serves as Chairman. He was an early member of the Olympic Valley Alpine Meadows Micro Mass Transit District Steering committee which led to the formation of Mountaineer Transit Company. He also serves as Treasurer of the Olympic Valley Municipal Water Company.
Jacob Estrada
Everline Resort & Spa, Director of Front Office Services
Jacob Estrada was born in Truckee, CA but grew up in rural farm town in Illinois. He spent a lot of summers in North Lake Tahoe and relocated permanently to the area in 2015. Jacob has been with Everline Resort & Spa since 2015 and has held various roles throughout his time with the property. Jacob spends his free time golfing, playing in the Tahoe City Softball League, and hiking with his dog Elliot. He also looks forward to the spring and fall months when he travels to Peru with my wife Maria to visit her family.
Peter Grant
Red Wolf Lodge HOA Board President
Peter Grant is the President of Grant Wolf Incorporated and a 40-year resident of Lake Tahoe. Grant co-developed the Red Wolf Lodge at Olympic Valley and has been the President of the Red Wolf Lodge Board of Directors since 2003. Grant is a graduate of Washington State University in Business and Hotel Administration. In 1980, after two years managing restaurants in the Bay Area, Grant elected to pursue his dream to be a ski bum (“for just a couple years”) where he skied Palisades Tahoe (formerly Squaw Valley) and waited tables at Mario’s Italian Restaurant (what is PlumpJack's today). Grant has spent his entire career in the hospitality industry, primarily in the development and operation of Lake Tahoe based timeshare resorts. Peter and wife Vikki have two adult children and, in 2017, welcomed twin grandchildren to the family. Peter and Vikki still love everything that living in Lake Tahoe has to offer.
Pat Fraser
Palisade Tahoe, Base Area Director
Pat Fraser grew up in Connecticut and developed his love of skiing in the “mountains” all over New England. After college he came out to visit some friends who had moved to the Tahoe area, and the next season ended up moving out for one winter to spend a few months working as a lift operator at what was at the time Squaw Valley. Many years later, he now oversees Palisades Tahoe Base Area Operations. In addition to his primary job duties at the resort, Pat also holds a Board of Directors seat on the Truckee North Tahoe Transportation Management Association, and committee seat on the newly formed North Lake Tahoe Resort Association TOT Committee overseeing funding for affordable housing and transportation projects. When not working or skiing at Palisades, you can find Pat out in the woods on his mountain bike or somewhere on or by the lake. Pat is very excited to join the MTC group and continue to build upon the successes of pioneering microtransit in the area.
Danielle Poret
General Manager, River Ranch
Danielle Poret joined the MTC Board in May 2023, just as the biggest winter on record was turning into a still-snowy spring, and the potholes were apocalyptic. Originally from Santa Cruz, Danielle ventured to the Great Lakes where she graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 2005, flew home, packed her trusty old Volvo, and drove to Tahoe sight-unseen. Since 2005, Danielle has worked in Tahoe's tourism and hospitality industry. In 2018, she stepped into the role as River Ranch's Lodge Manager and is now the General Manager for the iconic establishment at the corner of Highway 89 and Alpine Meadows Road. Danielle is excited about being a voice for Alpine Meadows at-large with the opportunity to help continue improving transportation and connections in the Olympic Valley and Alpine Meadows resort community.
Lindsay Romack
Management Analyst, Placer County, Tahoe CEO Office
Lindsay Romack serves on the Board as the Placer County representative. Through her position with the Placer County Executive Office in Tahoe, she has worked on the TART Connect pilot program to help expand microtransit service outside of Mountaineer, the very successful service that was started by SATCo. While Lindsay now resides in Truckee, she previously was a resident of Olympic Valley for many years and during that time, she served on the Municipal Advisory Council in Olympic Valley and worked in the Village at Palisades Tahoe. Lindsay enjoys exploring the great outdoors with her partner Corey and young son Finn. Lindsay also serves as an elected member of the Truckee Town Council.
Board Adviser
Evan Benjaminson
Founder & CEO, Granite Peak Management
Evan Benjaminson is co-founder and CEO of Granite Peak Management, a local company servicing a portfolio of properties in the North Lake Tahoe and Truckee area. Evan graduated from University of Arizona with a degree in Accounting. After a short stint in Public Accounting and with college degree in hand, Evan moved to Tahoe in search of the endless winter and found a coveted bellman position at Palisades Tahoe Lodge (formerly Squaw Valley Lodge). Evan worked his way up from bellman at Palisades Tahoe Lodge in 1992 to owning and recreating the management company with his now retired partner in 1998, thus expanding Granite Peak Management to what it is today. Evan and his wife Shawn have two daughters, Kacey and Riley. All enjoy skiing, boating, paddle boarding, mountain biking and hiking in Tahoe.
Executive Director
Joy M. Doyle
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Joy has lived in Carnelian Bay since 1990 and became MTC's part-time executive director in September 2019. From 2011 to 2019, Joy served as the executive director of North Tahoe Business Association (NTBA) and under her leadership, the non-profit organization’s membership, financial stability, reputation, and professionalism grew immensely. Prior to working for NTBA, Joy worked for 10 years as the advertising manager for Northstar-at-Tahoe and Sierra-at-Tahoe ski resorts. Joy has experience in community and economic development, events, and in the outdoor equipment and apparel manufacturing industry. Joy and her husband Brian have two adult children, Clayton and Allie, and they all enjoy skiing, hiking, standup paddling, boating on Lake Tahoe in their 1962 Century Resorter, and whitewater rafting.