From Ski Tech to Regional Manager: Career Paths at Ski Butlers
In a small business that grows as fast as Ski Butlers, opportunities to jump up the ranks present themselves fairly frequently. In fact, most of our upper management (including those in the top three spots of our Home Office) can proudly claim that they’ve held every position from Ski Technician up to the one they currently hold. And that tale is no different for this particular team member.
I moved to Utah on a whim in December of 2015 — hinging on a promise from a best friend that she’d find us housing. I spent that first winter in Park City as a Ski Tech in Ski Butler’s flagship shop, and found myself in the midst of a stellar team. I happily fell into a groove of delivering skis all across town while on the clock, and skiing while off it.
At the end of the season, like most young post-grads, I did not have a plan beyond seeing what summer would hold (and told our VP as much during my last week of work). And yet, when October rolled around, I found myself signing on for another season at Ski Butlers — this time as a Team Leader. This role helps lead shifts, ensuring Ski Techs get where they need to be on time, in addition to holding down the shop with everyone out on the road.
With one of the best winters on record in Utah and our new in-house location at the Waldorf-Astoria, business was booming and we found we needed more management in order to cope. I applied to become a secondary Operations Manager, and by the end of January, I was helping run the show. This role included inventory management, auto fleet management and stepping in to help whenever a shift needed extra hands.
As our season was wrapping up, and the chaos of Spring Break was slowing down, I found myself taking on more tasks — many of which fell under the role of General Manager. These included survey management to improve our legendary customer service, in addition to end-of-season shop shut down.
It was around this time that I was made aware of some structural changes to Ski Butlers management. We were growing (and sustaining) a level of business that dictated a new role: Regional Manager. This person would act as the go-between General Managers of each shop and Home Office, in addition to having a hand in the business’ accounting, season planning, hiring, and staff management. This allowed for management to still be hands-on with the day-to-day operations of the business, while Home Office could take the time they needed to focus on the larger goals of Ski Butlers.
Ski Butlers was gracious enough to let me take on the challenges of this new role, and this past year has been a learning experience to say the least. There were definitely some speed bumps, but this role allowed for another expansion: the opening of our Quinn’s Junction Location. Our business continues to grow, and our staff grows right along with it; but our commitment to legendary service and being the best ski delivery service worldwide has remained consistent. Being a part of this tight-knit, culture-driven crew has been a huge perk (one of many) living in a place as beautiful and full of adventure as Park City.
With all that in mind, I truly look forward to what we can do in the years to come.
