Vail to bring in own people to lead Stowe | Vermont Business Magazine

Submitted by tim on Fri, 04/28/2017 - 05:45

Vermont Business Magazine The following statement was issued by Vail Resorts Friday morning on behalf of Blaise Carrig, Vail Resorts Mountain Advisor: "As a result of the pending acquisition of Stowe Mountain Resort by Vail Resorts, and in coordination with AIG, the resort’s operations are being divided between the Mountain Operations, Real Estate Development and Lodging segments. To that end, the employee rosters were reviewed to determine which employees would be part of Stowe Mountain Resort’s Mountain Operations segment that Vail Resorts will hire as part of the resort team.

"In conclusion of this review, Vail Resorts has completed its review of the employee rosters and AIG notified the nine employees earlier this week who will not be hired by Vail Resorts (some of whom may be retained by AIG for ongoing real estate operations); however all impacted employees will remain in their current roles until the acquisition closes. Importantly, all remaining active Stowe Mountain employees will be hired by Vail Resorts on the day the acquisition closes. This includes all active Regular Full Time (RFT) employees and any active seasonal employees at the time of closing. Future summer seasonal staff members will be hired on their applicable future start date to support the upcoming summer season.

"As part of these changes, it was concluded that what is best for the resort operations going forward is to appoint established Vail Resorts leaders into business critical roles to ensure alignment and consistency during this important transitional time. As such, Barry Pius and Mike Colbourn will be leaving their respective roles at the completion of the acquisition.

"Both Barry and Mike have each contributed significantly to the success of Stowe over the past 20+ years and I appreciate their commitment to the resort, the local community and the industry as a whole. Please join me in thanking both Barry and Mike for their contributions to the resort and wishing them the best in their future endeavors.

"Effective at acquisition close (pending Vermont approval and conclusion of current ski season), Bobby Murphy, a longstanding leader with Vail Resorts and the current Vice President of Vail Mountain Skier Services, will assume the role of Stowe’s General Manager. Bobby is a 30-year industry veteran and brings extensive leadership to the guest experience and ski area operations.

"We will communicate with Stowe employees as we approach the expected early June acquisition close regarding business operations and Human Resources (benefits, payroll, etc.) updates. In the meantime, any employee question or concern should be directed to your Manager or to [email protected] and, for your reference, here are the Frequently Asked Questions that we distributed at the time of announcement.

"Thank you for your support and commitment during this transition period. We are looking forward to the approaching and expected acquisition close and creating an Experience of a Lifetime for our employees and guests this summer and beyond."