Carson City’s Kyle Horvath to become White Pine tourism director

After five years with the Carson City Culture and Tourism Authority, Kyle Horvath has announced he’ll be leaving July 15 to take the position as tourism director of White Pine County.

“The one thing I learned when I first moved here is Nevada is a big state with a tight family,” Horvath said. “That continues to be true. The relationships I’ve built statewide and throughout the West are going to be the same relationships that will benefit the tourism industry in Ely.”

Horvath started as a contractor providing social media services to the Carson City Culture and Tourism Authority in 2013. The following year, he was hired as the marketing manager.

“I started by developing a social media presence,” he said. “It was followed up by a redesign of the website and creation of the Visit Carson City app.”

He also focused on updating photos, videos and stories that represent the community as part of the rebranding efforts spearheaded by then-executive director Joel Dunn.

“If you want to refresh the image of a community, you start visually,” he said. “Then you tell stories that haven’t been told before. Telling those stories allowed me to dive in and gain a greater understanding of the community and the people who live here.”

Over his time in the position, Horvath said, he has seen positive results, including hosting the world-class Epic Rides mountain biking race, the Carson City Off-Road.

“People outside of Carson City are seeing it as a great place to visit,” he said. “Where before it might have been a place you drive through to get where you’re going, now this is a bucket-list place to check off.”

He credits that success to the work of the community.

“We never built a trail, but we supported Muscle Powered as they did,” Horvath explained. “We didn’t create art, but we supported the artists and organizations. We gave small businesses the tools to independently market themselves. Just being a part of this city’s renaissance has been the most satisfying.”

It’s the same formula he’ll follow as he transitions to his new job.

“The cool thing about Ely is even though it’s a small town, it has a ton of marketable assets under the same pillars we’ve built here — outdoors, history, arts and culture,” Horvath said. “Now it’s just a matter of working with local organizations and rolling up our sleeves to get the message out. I’m confident we will be successful if the community comes together the way it did here.”

He said he’ll miss the friends he’s made in Carson City, as well as serving on the boards of Muscle Powered, the Brewery Arts Center and the Downtown Business Association. However, he hopes those relationships continue.

“I invite the people of Carson City to make that pilgrimage across the Loneliest Road in America to come visit Ely,” he said. “It’s definitely a community you need to keep on your radar, if it isn’t already.”