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CARRABASSETT VALLEY, ME – Sugarloaf announced the appointment today of Karl Strand as the resort’s President and General Manager. He will succeed the resort’s current leader, John Diller, who will retire in April 2015. Strand will oversee all winter and summer operations of Sugarloaf, the largest ski resort east of the Rockies and the home of Maine’s #1 golf course.Strand has held a leading role in managing key segments of Sugarloaf’s operations, as well as those of its sister resort, Sunday River, for the past ten years. He began his career at the resorts in 2004, when he was hired as Vice President of Lodging and Property Management for Sugarloaf and Sunday River, both members of the Boyne Resorts family. He currently holds the position of Vice President of Mountain Operations at Sunday River.
This announcement brings the organization’s extensive four-month search to a close, a process that yielded many highly qualified external and internal candidates for this vitally important position.
“Karl’s exceptional leadership skills made him stand out, and he showcases a diverse knowledge of resort operations,” Stephen Kircher, President of Boyne Resorts’ Eastern Operations said. “This along with his familiarity with Sugarloaf’s unique DNA and his close relationships with team members throughout our network of resorts made him the best overall candidate among a very competitive and experienced field. He is the right person to guide the resort into its next chapter and the remaining aspects of the Sugarloaf 2020 vision.”
Strand has been a Sugarloafer since 1987 and first realized his love for skiing during his early years when visiting Sugarloaf and areas throughout Maine and Vermont. After graduating from Bryant University, he entered the lodging industry and soon discovered his passion for food and beverage operations, which led him to work in fine dining venues in nearly every region of the United States, and toward his completion of studies at the Culinary Institute of America.
That experience and education introduced him to opportunities for various executive positions in the restaurant and resort industry. In 2004, his desire to be in the mountains of Maine led him to Sugarloaf and Sunday River where he has become seasoned in nearly all aspects of resort operations.
“Sugarloaf is dear to my heart, and while retiring as General Manager will be difficult, it will be made easier knowing that the resort will be led by someone as uniquely qualified as Karl Strand,” Diller said.
To learn more about Sugarloaf, please visit www.sugarloaf.com
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About Sugarloaf – Located in Carrabassett Valley, ME, Sugarloaf is largest ski area in the East, and is home to the only lift-serviced above treeline skiing and riding in the East, as well as the number one golf course in Maine, according to Golf Digest. Sugarloaf is a member of the Boyne Resorts family of resorts and attractions. Follow: www.sugarloaf.com, www.facebook.com/sugarloaf, and http://twitter.com/sugarloafmaine.
About Boyne Resorts – As the largest family owned four-season resort company in North America, Boyne Resorts was in 1947 by Everett Kircher. A Michigan-based corporation, Boyne Resorts owns and/or operates award-winning mountain and golf resorts and attractions throughout the United States and Canada including Cypress Mountain near Vancouver, British Columbia, official freestyle skiing and snowboard venue of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Sugarloaf and Sunday River Resort in Maine, Boyne Mountain, Boyne Highlands, The Inn at Bay Harbor – A Renaissance Golf Resort and Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark in Michigan, Big Sky Resort in Montana, Loon Mountain in New Hampshire, Gatlinburg Sky Lift in Tennessee, Brighton in Utah, Crystal Mountain and The Summit at Snoqualmie in Washington. For more information on Boyne Resorts, please visit www.boyneresorts.com.
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