Local Color

Brent Giles

Lovingly referred to as “Papa Bear” by Dorothy, his wife of 36 years, or “Mr. Green Jeans” by his co-workers, Park City Mountain Resort’s Director of Environmental Affairs Brent Giles has devoted his life to loving the outdoors.

A fifth generation Heber Valley native, Brent grew up hunting, fishing, hiking and helping his grandfather use horses to operate farm machinery. “He didn’t believe in tractors,” Brent laughs. As soon as Brent was old enough to drive and get himself into the mountains, he did. “I’m most happy when I’m sitting under a pine tree watching the grass grow.”

In an impressive 30-year career that started as a vehicle mechanic in 1979, Brent has worked his way up the ranks at Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) until he was named director of operations in 2004 and then director of environmental affairs for Powdr Corporation (PCMR’s parent company) in 2007. “I don’t pay much attention to the years. They just go by. As long as I have a mailbox here, I’ll keep coming to work.”

When it comes to discussing global warming, climate change and carbon footprints, Brent has become a recognized face and voice for our community and the ski resort industry at large. He’s given presentations all over the country on the subject because he takes his job personally. “When you’re seeing glaciers shrinking and ice sheets melting, pretty soon you realize that it’s not a far stretch that climate change will have the same effect on our lives. I’ve driven back and forth from Heber to Park City all my life. The air quality used to be crystal clear. Now it’s polluted to the point where there are inversions. I have two grown kids and seven grandchildren. It drives me up the wall when the TV says ‘Stay indoors — it’s not healthy to breathe the air.’ That breaks my heart.”

Brent’s job is to reduce the carbon footprint at all Powdr Corp. mountain resorts. He’s happy with the results so far. “Our entire staff has embraced this movement, because our management believes in what we’re doing. Since 2005, we’ve reduced our carbon footprint at PCMR by almost 5,000 tons of CO2 production.”

Perhaps Brent’s most publicized move yet was to use grazing goats last summer (instead of pesticides) to eliminate noxious weeds at the resort. “We sure got a lot of ink about the goats — people loved them — but in retrospect, we had too many goats on too small of a patch. They shut down the alpine slide three or four times because they’d break out,” he laughs.

Brent’s guiding principle? “I have to feel right about what I’m doing. I have to feel that I’m doing the best I can. What matters at the end of the day is that what I’ve done and how I’ve lived has been with integrity.”

Leslie Webster, M.D.

Many locals will recognize the effervescent “Dr. Leslie” — she’s held your babies, cajoled your toddlers and swabbed your teenagers’ throats — all with a huge smile on her face.

This California-raised girl has deep roots in Park City — her uncle was born in the Miner’s Hospital and her grandparents lived in Old Town and remember sheepherding days here. After she attended the University of California, Leslie joined her family, who had moved to Maryland. She worked for a cardiologist for three years and then went to medical school at Georgetown. When interviewing for pediatric residencies, the lure of her grandparents living in Salt Lake City and her longtime dream of “being a ski bum at Alta” beckoned. She did her residency at the University of Utah and trained at Primary Children’s Medical Center. “Once I got here, I knew I fit,” she says.

Leslie set up her own pediatric practice in Park City in 1990 (and since has joined with other doctors to form Summit Pediatrics). “I wanted to be a community physician. I love this mountain town.

I love watching our local kids grow up.”

Why did she choose pediatrics? “Kids make me laugh. They make me smile. They are so fun and they are real — they’re honest. You get to be an educator, a psychologist and a support for families — it’s very rewarding. Even if you do a small thing like reassure a new Mom that she’s doing something right — helping other people feel better makes me feel good.”

Classic pediatric moments: “Every day there’s something fun, whether it’s kids who draw me a picture or give me a hug, or the kid who comes in with his own stethoscope bag, or the 6-year-old who comes in dressed as a doctor and tells me that his birthday party is going to have a doctor theme and wants me to give him tongue depressors and gloves and prescription pads and any accessories I have that will make his birthday party a smashing success.”

Leslie and her husband Doug have two sons, Calvin (11) and Kyle (10). She loves “keeping up with my kids skiing,” camping (they have a funky 1979 Winnebago they purchased on ebay), being around the ocean, country and bluegrass music, biking to work, snowshoeing, hiking and any kind of socializing. “I’m lucky that I was born with an optimistic personality. If the first part of the day goes by and I haven’t laughed or smiled, I notice it about myself. I get a lot of happiness by interacting with people.”

She says that when life slows down someday and the kids are grown, she’ll do medical mission work. “I want to combine my passion for travel and my passion for medicine. I want to simplify ... get a backpack and go to Africa.”

Dr. Leslie says her guiding principle is to “Live well, laugh often and love much.” That was her late father’s motto and now it’s hers — emblazoned on a necklace she wears daily to remind her.

Noah Cohen

Remember the name Noah Cohen — because someday you might say, “I knew him when …” This Park City eighth grader has his feet firmly on the ground but his head in the stars as a gifted actor.

Talk to Noah about his hobbies, and he sounds like a normal 14-year-old boy. “I love hiking and biking and skiing. I love summer when you can do what you want. I’m always outside, having fun, jumping on the tramp. My brothers and I and our neighbor Amy, who’s basically our sister, we make movies all the time. Sometimes it’s horror movies, or funny movies, or stuff-blowing-up movies.”

Noah enjoys his family, parents Trudy and Scott and little brothers Nate and Zeke. “Last summer, we went to Disneyworld. We conquered Disneyworld! We rode the Tower of Terror six times. After that I was so nauseous, but it was so worth it.”

Noah’s personal passions are Egyptian lore (his room is full of Egyptian paraphernalia) and collecting snakes, frogs and turtles. “My friends and I go out in the swamps, build forts and catch frogs and snakes in the mud. I really enjoy re-creating natural habitats for them in my aquariums.”

But delve a little deeper and the true talents of this modest young man start to reveal themselves. Noah acts, dances and sings. Really well. He performed in his first professional play two years ago, when he had a role in “Seussical the Musical” at our Egyptian Theatre. He has since starred in the Egyptian’s “Wiley and the Hairyman” and “Peter Pan,” as well as five Taylor Productions musicals.

Noah’s a member of a Salt Lake City film agency, too. He recently tried out for “High School Musical 3” and says, “Whenever I audition for anything, I get so committed to it — so when I don’t get it — it’s missing out on something really, really fun. I get disappointed. But there will always be another chance. That’s what I go by.”

He’s already been in a few commercials and has modeled for an anti-drug and drinking campaign. “My picture is on the side of garbage trucks in Salt Lake City,” he laughs. “It has me sitting on a pile of garbage and it says, ‘Alcohol will trash your kid’s brain.’”

Noah’s dream is to someday be on Broadway. “But, if acting doesn’t work out, I’ll still work as a stage tech, lighting designer, prop designer — I like all of that stuff. I like everything that goes around acting. I just love being at a theater. I like the ambiance. And the people I’ve met in theater — kids my age and older equity actors who have taught me a lot — are so nice. By the end of a show, at closing night, you’re really good friends.”

Noah’s guiding principles? “Live every day and always smile, which I learned from my mom. Know your dreams and dream big so you can look up to them and hopefully they’ll come true. Be a happy person and care about others. I think if we all did that, the world would be a better place.”