40 Under Forty

January 31. 2012 3:17PM

Kaleena Guzman is working her ‘dream job'

Staff Report

Kaleena Guzman

Kaleena Guzman, 21

Home: Concord
Birthplace: Concord
Family: Mother, Eileen Guzman; father, Jesus Guzman; sisters Marisela Guzman, Gabriela Guzman, Anabella Guzman.
High school: Concord Senior High School
College/post grad degrees: NHTI Concord Community College, certified in conference and events management
Current job: Office and events manager at Red River Theatres
Volunteer activities: Senior mentor for the Friends program; marketing chair for the Concord Young Professionals Networking group; committee member of Be Local Concord, Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Ambassador, and committee member of the Gostlight Society.
Most admired person (outside your family): There is not just one person. I admire everyone around me and am constantly learning from them.
Key current professional challenge: managing a transition between an outgoing and incoming executive director – maintaining positive, productive office and business relations through a period of flux.
Last major achievement: 2011 Champion of NHTI Concord Dancing with the Stars
Biggest problem facing New Hampshire: There are too many young people leaving the state.
Favorite place in New Hampshire: Downtown Concord
What book are you reading now? “Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob” by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill
How do you relax? By stimulating the economy!
What websites do you visit most often? www.facebook.com
Favorite TV show, radio station or musical artist: “The Big Bang Theory”

CONCORD - The youngest member of this year's class of 40 Under Forty is Kaleena Guzman of Concord.

Just 21, Guzman is the office and events manager at Red River Theatres — her “dream job,” she calls it.

She started at the newly opened theater in 2007 while still in high school; even then, she didn't let her youth hinder her. When she interviewed for the job, she was told they were only hiring those 18 and older since they would be selling wine and beer.

No problem, Guzman told the facility's then-director; she wouldn't have to sell any alcohol. “Why can't I just do the box office?” she asked.

Good idea, the director agreed, and hired the young woman with the brilliant smile. “She said, ‘I want you to be the face of Red River,'” Guzman recalled.

After graduating from Concord High School in 2008, Guzman attended New Hampshire Technical Institute, where she earned certification in conference and events management.

Meanwhile, she was making her mark at Red River; she suggested the nonprofit organization could earn even more by hosting special events. “They took my ideas and said, ‘OK, we are willing to give this to you.'”

Guzman has organized such gatherings as a royal wedding watching party, a “Big Lebowski” night with bowling and White Russian ice cream, and a “Casablanca” evening complete with Moroccan food and decor.

But her favorite event, she said, is the annual Red Carpet Awards benefit held on Oscar night. “We have the paparazzi, people come in ball gowns and we have two real Oscars people can have their pictures taken with.”

Guzman said she can't imagine life without movies. “It would be so boring.”

Red River Theatres, she said, is more than a movie house; patrons typically linger after a film to talk about what they've seen with friends and strangers alike. “It is a gathering place,” she said. “The kind of place where you meet new people all the time.”

Guzman is unreservedly enthusiastic about her job. “I love that it's different every day,” she said.

“Being able to be in a position where I'm not stuck to a desk all the time and I can get out in the community, meet new people and see the smiles on people's faces when their event is perfect: That's what makes me smile.”