Check out this article published in The Colorado Sun:
VAIL — The U.S. ski resort industry started with a bunch of mustachioed dudes focused on uphill transportation.
Sixty-plus years later, resort skiing has transformed from an operation into an experience, with attention paid to safety, snow grooming, speedy lifts, lessons, food and fewer hassles.
The evolution of skiing can be attributed to a more diverse array of captains steering the industry, including a growing number of women. And Vail Resorts, with women at the helm of eight ski areas — including three of its five Colorado resorts — is leading that charge toward diversity, not only by elevating women to top jobs at the Fortune 500 company, but developing a pipeline to identify and foster the next generation of leaders for the 37-resort operation.
“We have shifted toward thinking about what we are doing for people while we produce this experience, and that has opened the industry to a different kind of leader,” said Patricia Campbell, the president of Vail Resorts’ mountain division.
A decade ago, she was among the country’s first female resort managers when she took the helm at Breckenridge, the nation’s busiest ski area.
Having women in charge is about building a diverse workforce that mirrors the guests the company — and, really, all of skiing and the outdoor industry — wants and needs.
“It’s about putting leaders in place who can inspire and ultimately deliver a guest experience. That’s about people, not machinery,” said Campbell, a 35-year veteran of the industry.
“Now, we are working through a lens of, ‘How does this impact the guest experience and not just the operation?’ And because of that orientation, we are seeking a much broader set of leaders who can succeed in these roles.” Read more in The Colorado Sun »