JULY 2008: AROUND THE STATE
Sales
decline prompts Mt. Bachelor shakeup
BEND As the final
days of last winter’s ski season wound to a close, Powdr
Corp. — which runs the Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort —
took the dramatic step of firing the majority of the
resort’s top management: general manager Matt Janney,
along with the directors of marketing, food and beverage
services, and operations. The 2007-2008 season saw record
snowfall and attendance at ski areas around Oregon — but
not at Mt. Bachelor, which experienced a 7% drop in ticket
sales.
The firings were intended to do one thing: revamp a resort
plagued by maintenance, chairlift and community relations woes.
But many of those problems pre-date Janney’s 10-month
stint in the driver’s seat. Less than a month
afater Janey was fired, Dave Rathbun — the previous
director of marketing at Killington Resort — took over as
GM. It’s unclear how much much can change before the
first snowflakes start falling this winter.
Over the course of this summer, Powdr Corp. will dump $3.4
million into the resort, which is one of the major players in
Central Oregon’s $500 million-a-year tourism economy.
Repairing lifts that routinely shut down because of ice
problems is at the top of the fix-it list. Repairing a
disconnect between the resort and the community will be equally
important, says Powdr Corp. spokesman Justin Yax.
“Any large corporation has a responsibility to the
community. That has not been as prevalent as it should have
been,” he says.
Whether involvement means corporate sponsorships or directors
serving on civic boards, both of which Yax offered as
possibilities, the company clearly hopes to have some good news
to announce for the 2008-2009 season. It would be a birthday
present of sorts: This winter is Mt. Bachelor’s 50th
anniversary.
ABRAHAM HYATT
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