What you need to know: A former senior executive with almost two decades at The Limited, Paula Damaso has the kind of drive and determination that can only be topped by her stamina. From the boardroom to the closing table, this former corporate executive brings the same work ethic and boundless energy to Aspen real estate. Paula first came to Aspen for business in 1994 and loved it so much that she bought her first condo in 2000, even though she was traveling 200 days a year to far-flung places like Hong Kong and Korea for her job. “I’d stop in Aspen when I was on my way somewhere to rejuvenate and find some peace. It became my happy place,” she says. She left the Limited in 2008 but continued working in big retail, commuting from Aspen to Boston, New York, and Florida until she finally left the retail business for good and moved to Aspen full-time in 2016. “I was going to buy a retail store in Aspen but a friend of mine said, ‘Go get your real estate license.’ My skills as a former corporate executive translate well. I have people skills, negotiating skills, and a global perspective,” she says. “But most of all, I love the Aspen lifestyle. I live, walk, talk, and breathe our culture. It is a very inspirational place.” Paula prides herself on building personal relationships and possesses a keen ability to work with a wide variety of clients and properties, from a $200,000 fractional to a $20 million Aspen estate.
What she brings to the table: “A friend of mine once said, ‘You have the highest level of intellectual curiosity I’ve ever seen.’ I think that’s what enables me to build personal relationships with my clients and to really be able to pinpoint a customer’s needs, how I can best serve them, and how I can help them find their happy place in our valley.”
On a personal note. Paula says she doesn’t have a dog of her own because she dog-sits for so many of her friends. “I am literally walking with a different dog every day because my friends know their dogs will get the royal treatment at my house.” She also keeps two Arabian horses, Wally and Major, and Vera, a quarter horse, at Lazy L in Snowmass.