By Karen D. Lorentz
posted
Sep 26, 2012
Mike Solimano is the new president and general manager of
Killington Resort and Pico Mountain, a position he assumed on
September 24.
The former director of finance and revenue, Solimano assumes the
duties of Chris Nyberg who has been named president and chief
operating officer of Powdr Corp.'s new resort division.
Former Powdr COO Herwig Demschar has been named senior vice
president of business development for Powdr.
In an official Powdr Corp. press release, CEO John Cumming
commented, "One of the key factors of any successful company is
hiring and retaining amazing people. Herwig, Chris and Mike have
been instrumental to the success of our company, and I am excited
for the opportunities that lie ahead as we continue to provide the
best experience to our guests and grow participation in the
sport."
Powdr Corp. has become the largest U.S. private owner-operator
of mountain resorts (based on annual skier visits) and action
sports camps in North America over the last several years.
Headquartered in Park City, Utah, Powdr currently owns and operates
eight mountain resorts and also owns and operates Woodward Camps in
four U.S. locations. Other top-ten ski area owners either are
public companies (i.e.,Vail Resorts) or are corporations that have
an array of ownership forms such as real estate investments trusts
(REITS).
With its expansion and growth in recent years, which includes
Outside Television and more recently the addition of Woodward Camps
- Camp Woodward in Pennsylvania; Woodward West in Tehachapi,
California; Woodward Tahoe at Boreal Resort in California; and
Woodward at Copper in Summit County, Colorado - and in addition to
its resort growth, Powdr has restructured to create a more formal
structure with three divisions. The resorts division is the largest
with Woodward Camps and Outside Television the newest
divisions.
Demschar will pursue special projects and growth opportunities
for all divisions. Demschar was a key figure in the international
sporting world prior to joining Powdr and working with Cumming.
Chris Nyberg has assumed the COO duties previously held by
Demschar, who also joined Powdr in May 2007. As COO, Demschar
visited Powdr's various resorts for two or three days at a time
several times a year, checking in on how mountain operations were
going and communicating with various people or town boards as
needed - including SP Land President Steve Selbo, about the
proposed village at Killington. His responsibilities included
implementation of Powdr's business model and best practices and
assisting managers with strategic planning.
Nyberg will have more expansive duties than those previously
held by the COO. As president of Powdr resorts, he takes
responsibility for all aspects of the resorts division, including
oversight of day-to-day resort operations, which will allow John
Cumming to "focus on growing the other two Powdr divisions and the
other businesses that the Cumming family is involved in," Nyberg
explained.
Cumming will work in a newly created office space where "he and
Demschar and others will focus on growing Woodward Camps and
Outside Television. There are some good opportunities out there,"
Nyberg continued. This is an indicator that Powdr Corp is a company
to watch as it generates interest among a younger demographic which
is needed to re-energize and bolster the ski industry.
In assuming these duties, Nyberg will continue to work with
Killington and Pico, as well as with all the other Powdr resorts,
all of which will benefit from a team approach and his broad
experience in the industry.
Nyberg joined the Powdr team in May 2007 when Powdr Corp
purchased the two eastern ski areas from ASC and he was appointed
president and GM of the newly formed Killington/Pico Ski Resort
Partners, LLC.
During his tenure at Killington, he oversaw more than $20
million invested in resort improvements. A true "mountain man"
Nyberg enjoyed exploring both mountains on foot. When he came to
Killington, one of his first goals was to "fix what was broken" and
to upgrade the entire guest experience, from arrival and restroom
stops to snow conditions.
The Skye Peak Express Quad, major snowmaking infrastructure and
efficiency improvements, implementation of The (Burton) Stash,
expansion of parks and pipe, recovery from Irene and the
implementation of the Roaring Brook Umbrellas Bars and Deck, as
well as plans for the Killington Peak Lodge and preparation to
build the new facility were among the more noticeable upgrades as
were renovations of the Killington Grand Hotel and Spa. Other
enhancements include Yurt dining, the Motor Room experience,
cat-drawn sleigh rides, a new tubing park, and many
behind-the-scenes changes that improved the quality of
infrastructure as well as the resort experience.
Pico Mountain also saw improvements with major snowmaking and
grooming upgrades among them and the area was returned to
profitability with its five-day operations schedule and less
expensive tickets and season passes.
Solimano will now take over those reigns. For the past 12 years,
Mike Solimano has been director of finance and revenue and was
instrumental in achieving the recent on-mountain and guest-service
improvements as well as implementing the Powdr business model at
both resorts, Nyberg noted.
Solimano brings a diverse background and many years of
experience to his new job. He hails from Chester, NJ where, as one
of six boys, he skied at local areas and worked at Great Gorge. He
graduated with a degree in accounting and information systems and
worked at the Boston office of Deloitte & Touche as an audit
manager before he joined Skis Dynastar, Inc. in Burlington, Vt.,
where he was vice president of finance and operations. In 2003, he
joined Killington overseeing eight departments, including: cash,
finance, budgets, audit, accounting, MIS (Management Information
Systems), purchasing and stockroom. As a member of the Executive
Team, he worked closely with Nyberg and other directors, noting he
will continue to work with Nyberg closely.
Solimano said he is "excited about this new challenge" and also
looks forward to "working with staff, the community, and Steve
Selbo on the village as the mountain continues to improve with its
exciting plans."
Solimono resides in Rutland with his wife Cara, son Connor (12)
and daughters, Hannah (9) and Lauren (7.) All are avid skiers and
active in the community. All three children participants in the
Pico Ski Club racing program.
Nyberg commented that while he will miss Vermont, he will be
returning to visit the resorts and continue to work with the
Killington team on strategic plans and implementation of new ideas.
He looks forward to living in Park City where he and his wife,
Jackie, will be closer to their two daughters and two
grandchildren.
Nyberg's vast experience will continue to benefit Killington and
Pico as he discusses ongoing plans for the Resort with Solimano and
his team. He will not only bring his first-hand resort knowledge
and working relationships with various managers in Vermont to the
table, but also a wider perspective on international trends working
closely with Demschar. Nyberg's promotion is likely to bode well
for Killington and its proposed village, as well as other
projects.
