Hello to all of you and I hope this finds you in good shape after a great season. I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to all for helping us have one of our most memorable seasons ever. After getting open a bit late by our standards, things kicked in right quick. January, February, and March were all solid months for enjoying the mountain with just the right amount of snow at just the right times. I, myself, had a blast and although I missed the startup of the season recovering from minor knee surgery, I was still able to get the most skiing in I have ever done in a season. Most definitely the most uphill, which I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend to anyone looking for a different take on things.
Of course, this entire experience of ours is only possible due to the hundreds of our employees that band together to make our little circus go. Each year our Executive team receives nominations from departmental managers and supervisors to receive the coveted Monarch “Golden Butterfly” award. These are individuals who have been identified as going beyond the high standards we already set for each of us. This year we received over forty nominations, which of course only seems natural. I’d nominate all of 300 of them if I could. So without further ado the GB awards went to:
Alex Stiedler from Ski Patrol. Alex is a very talented patroller, but you would never hear that from him. He is very quiet and does most of his talking with his actions. As such he is a great leader. In the end I can’t think of anyone more deserving. He personifies what we all hope to be someday … someone who is caring, hardworking, dedicated, selfless, and humble.
Hannah Poffenberger-Twomey from Lift Operations. Because Hannah works solely at the Tumbelina Lift she is hardly recognized by many of our staff and season pass holders because this lift is mostly for those learning to ski for the first time. Precisely because of that Hannah has proven that she is exactly the type of person our beginners love to engage with. She is compassionate and empathetic. In the end Hannah above all others has the single greatest impact on getting our beginners to want to come back and keep trying. On top of that she is simply a fantastic person.
Kate Olsen from Ticket Sales. Kate has been around the industry many years and she wears her enthusiasm for the sport on her shoulder … or both shoulders for that matter. She brightens everyone’s day with her positive energy. Me included. Whenever I see her, I know it is going to be a good day.
Taylor Wieczorek from Lift Maintenance. Being a lift mechanic carries a lot of responsibility. It is one tough job ensuring that all of you sitting on a chair dangling from the lift are confident that we have taken every precaution to ensure you arrive to the top safely. Because of this necessary attention to detail Taylor is a prime candidate for being singled out from the rest. He is a cool customer, a dedicated family man, and one our favorite family members too.
In addition to our GB winners, I select one or two special people who because of their management level or stature may never be singled out. This year the Monarch President Award winners are Ski Patrol Director Zach Moore and Lift Maintenance Manager Lance Wait. Over the last two seasons Zach had been thrust into leading our COVID pandemic response. He never asked for it, he simply had to absorb that responsibility on top of all the other responsibilities he already had. No one has been more thorough and thoughtful than Zach, and as a company we are deeply indebted to him for his dedication to this less than enviable task. In a similar light Lance Wait was left trying to figure out how to install this elaborate RFID Gate system that we implemented this season. It was a monumental task that he never asked for, but took in on full force, nonetheless. We couldn’t be happier with the results … all due to his steadfastness and determination, which is a well-known family trait.
Lastly the Department of the year went to the Malcolm Wilber and his Base Area Services department who went way beyond the call of duty this season. This department generally is one of our top operations departments, but this season was something even more special than all the previous ones. In charge of organizing our parking and transportation needs, this department has faced greater challenges than ever before with reduced ridership per car causing a significant increase in the number of cars fighting for parking spots. Without their dedication to the task, which begins as early as 5am in the morning and ends well after 6PM during peak times, we simply could not function. On one of our busy Saturdays one of the staff recorded over 18 miles of walking in one day racing from one end of the lot to the other. So anyone who thinks this crew is not accommodating, I say take a hike.
Thank you all too for contributing to our season. It has been quite a ride and I look forward to seeing you on the slopes come November.
