Ashlee Ciora had spent two decades marketing and promoting travel destinations in the hospitality and tourism industry when she made a career-shifting discovery.
She had worked for L.A. Tourism, promoting destination travel to Los Angeles, Scottsdale, Arizona, and the Palm Springs, California, area. Ciora knew those markets as well as anyone, but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and travel screeched to a halt, she lost her job.
Ciora headed home to Minnesota to figure out what was next, believing she would stay in the travel industry when the public felt safe again to explore.
The time away gave her a chance to think about aspects of her industry that she had enjoyed most. In analyzing past work assignments, she began consulting former travel industry associates.
“Many of my clients were in Scottsdale, and one of my focus areas was in the golf market,” said Ciora, who plays in the Minnesota Metro chapter of the LPGA Amateur Golf Association. “Every time I had worked with them, we were putting together …