Sep 17, 2019
About the episode:
With 46 years of experience in the ski industry, Chip Carey has held positions at many ski resorts across the country. Carey worked at Sugarloaf for 26 years, filling roles in sales, marketing and public relations. He also took on a position at The Canyons resort in Utah, where he was responsible for the NBC Today Show live coverage for 14 days of the Salt Lake Olympics in 2002. For four years, Carey worked across a network of eight resorts as senior VP of marketing for the American Skiing Company using his wide range of skills to build brands and revenues.
From his experience building Sugarloaf as a skiing destination, despite the mountain’s remote location, to the launching of new brands, Carey has been involved in many aspects of ski resort operation. His experience made him a stand-out candidate for his most recent position as the chief marketing officer at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Throughout his career, Carey has placed an emphasis on staying up to date with technology and trends to best reach customers and customize experiences.
In the episode:
2:53 – Chip shares that his career started after college when he went skiing and how his love of photography led him to PR.
6:43 – Nancy recalls how Chip taught her how to get photos and videos from Sugarloaf down to the Weather Channel.
7:32 – Chip and Nancy talk about the relationships they have built with Bill Green and how they continue their relationships with reporters and journalists.
9:29 – Chip explains the database he used to use to keep track of personal information about people he met in order to build a relationship with them.
14:15 – Nancy brings up Chip’s lesson of making a story visual, making the story more attractive for television and newspapers.
16:31 – Chip explains how he doesn’t think social media should fall under PR.
21:34 – Nancy askes Chip to talk about his time at Sugarloaf since he was so instrumental in building the brand.
23:51 – Chip shares how Jackson Hole was different from his work at Sugarloaf.
24:57 – Chip talks about trying to “blue” Jackson Hole or make it more accessible for intermediate level skiers.
30:28 – Chip and Nancy recall the battles Sugarloaf and Sunday River had when competing for skiers.
32:29 – Nancy shares how they would count cars and look at the license plates at Sunday River to see how many people there were and where they were coming from.
33:54 – After Sunday River claimed to be much closer to Boston, Chip shares how he took it into his own hands to figure out how much farther away Sugarloaf really was.
40:43 – Nancy and Chip talk about Paul Schipper, who skied every day after being forced to retire from American Airlines as a pilot following a crash that resulted in the strut collapsing his heart.
46:27 – Chip shares how he gave Paul permission to stop skiing with his own story of swimming every day for 14 years.
50:30 – Chip and Nancy talk about parties they attended or hosted to attract writers.
51:35 – Chip shares the importance of events in attracting media attention.
55:24 – Nancy and Chip wrap up by talking about the first or last cup of tea theory.
57:45 – Chip talks about how his whole family is involved in skiing.
Key Takeaways:
Quote:
"You have to be a student of the game.” — Chip Carey, Chief Marketing Officer at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort
Links:
Sugarloaf: https://www.sugarloaf.com/
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort: https://www.jacksonhole.com/
Looking to connect:
Email: chipcarey2002@yahoo.com