Big Burke announcement

[56fish]

All of that would make sense IF the talent they brought in was more capable than that which they let go.

Ary has been a complete disaster as a manager. If Q senior was making actual business based decisions, he'd fire his son.

Second sentence is the most accurate statement on this topic. Word.

 

[mbedle]

I bummed, I wrote a really go response to this and never posted it before closing the window.... Damn. Anyway, excellent discussion TB and OT on the whole situation. Exactly how this forum should be. And yes, kind of playing the devil's advocate, but also trying to look at it from a pure business approach. No matter what, we all want this resort to survive, grow and return to what the local community has always loved about Burke.

 

[thetrailboss]

I bummed, I wrote a really go response to this and never posted it before closing the window.... Damn. Anyway, excellent discussion TB and OT on the whole situation. Exactly how this forum should be. And yes, kind of playing the devil's advocate, but also trying to look at it from a pure business approach. No matter what, we all want this resort to survive, grow and return to what the local community has always loved about Burke.

Yes, good discussion indeed.

 

[the original trailboss]

Mbedle- I am a pragmatic soul and in general agree with your view here. The Q family owns the ball on the playground and if you want to play ball you sometimes need to shut up and just play.

That said, you are totally missing the human side of this. Due to the way they have behaved, I look at Ary and his dad and feel that they are carpet baggers who will do anything to anyone to try and help themselves. They have fired many of my good friends. My friends have mostly landed well, so are OK. BUT, they not been replaced by better people- so why the pain? Yes, cleaning house sometimes makes sense, but the current revolving door is a testament to bad management. Bad management hurts real people. It was extremely distasteful to see how a friend was treated who got very sick and Q did the wrong thing w/r/t a job and medical insurance. They are ripping off the ski school instructors and making it impossible for the best instructors to augment their incomes as its done in every other ski school in the world. The tiff about LI and SJA paying for training space? Human cost: every year L.I. gets a bunch of kids on the hill ski racing who otherwise would never get the chance. They have rag tag equipment and a super tight budget. The kids buy season passes every year - most would not/will not/could not buy passes if L.I. did not have a program there. SO by pushing them off the hill Q loses the season pass sales. Since the facility is used just about full time by BMA, the marginal cost to have L.I. and SJA train- about zero. The benefit to the kids if they have the space- huge. So he tries to get blood from a stone because he thinks he can? to cover costs that do not exist and he loses season pass sales. WHY- this is the behaviour of the playground bully, not an intelligent businessman and not someone all of us want to be associated with. Staffing- do not get me started on how poorly the staff is treated w/r/t hours, pay and respect.

This is not simply people resisting change. This is a community rising up and saying that they do not like being pissed on. There are times in life when a self respecting person does not act financially pragmatically because they cannot stand the stench. Yes, any improvement to the local economy is welcome- but not if the human cost is too high.

We all know that the mountain has never been financially successful and we will miss it if it is shuttered- but groveling to an a-hole is not in the character of those of us who chose to live in the NEK.

Excellent post !

 

[thetrailboss]

Q-Jr. has no role at the mountain anymore....so they said.

:roll:

#hejustdoesntgetit

 

[deadheadskier]

Correction

#QseniorandStengerdontgetit

 

[thetrailboss]

Correction

#QseniorandStengerdontgetit

Yeah, that too......

 

[oldtimer]

Ohhhh, from my sources, Stenger gets it, but does not have the authority to do the right thing with jr.

 

[VTKilarney]

Q-Jr. has no role at the mountain anymore....so they said.

:roll:

#hejustdoesntgetit

He's the only one in the photo who couldn't figure out how to smile. I don't know... if my Daddy handed me a multi-million dollar operation and I didn't have to actually make my own career, I'd probably be able to smile.

 

[thetrailboss]

Ohhhh, from my sources, Stenger gets it, but does not have the authority to do the right thing with jr.

That's what I've heard as well


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone

 

[from_the_NEK]

Nine more to 5,000!

 

[Smellytele]

08

 

[Smellytele]

07

 

[zeke]

Ohhhh, from my sources, Stenger gets it, but does not have the authority to do the right thing with jr.

this implies he gives a damn. aside from the EB-5 boondoggle that is the hotel, i don't believe he does about Burke. why would he?

 

[dlague]

05

 

[from_the_NEK]

Little bit of snow up here this weekend and it is going to be cold tonight. But not consistently cold enough to fire up those pretty new fan guns on the training hill.

 

[thetrailboss]

this implies he gives a damn. aside from the EB-5 boondoggle that is the hotel, i don't believe he does about Burke. why would he?

So this is what I heard from my sources. First, Stenger has had a relationship with Burke since 2000 when the BMA-related entity took over. He saw them as a means to join forces to draw more skiers and riders, hence the reciprocity deal for a long time.

Of course when they hit the EB-5 jackpot Q and him were looking for other opportunities. Burke, at that time, had just invested in the HSQ, had no real operator to run the place, and was looking for an exit strategy in 2012 after a bad ski season. Daddy Q liked the idea....and gave Bill the money. I have been told by a family friend that Bill's son was initially tapped out to be the manager of Burke. He had recently graduated from college and was "learning the ropes" at Jay. Then Daddy Q objected because Junior needed a job. Hence how we got him.

Stenger's involvement with Burke is officially quite limited. He is listed as an "advisor" to the board...the board being Daddy Q and his lawyer. However, Stenger has had to swoop in and put his image and reputation on the line to bail the Qlowns out now several times. So yes, he has something at stake...his reputation and credibility.

 

[Smellytele]

"2"

 

[the original trailboss]

So this is what I heard from my sources. First, Stenger has had a relationship with Burke since 2000 when the BMA-related entity took over. He saw them as a means to join forces to draw more skiers and riders, hence the reciprocity deal for a long time.

Of course when they hit the EB-5 jackpot Q and him were looking for other opportunities. Burke, at that time, had just invested in the HSQ, had no real operator to run the place, and was looking for an exit strategy in 2012 after a bad ski season. Daddy Q liked the idea....and gave Bill the money. I have been told by a family friend that Bill's son was initially tapped out to be the manager of Burke. He had recently graduated from college and was "learning the ropes" at Jay. Then Daddy Q objected because Junior needed a job. Hence how we got him.

Stenger's involvement with Burke is officially quite limited. He is listed as an "advisor" to the board...the board being Daddy Q and his lawyer. However, Stenger has had to swoop in and put his image and reputation on the line to bail the Qlowns out now several times. So yes, he has something at stake...his reputation and credibility.

Stenger has implied/said several times that he is a stakeholder in the hotel project. I also was told he tried and failed (so far,at least )to rectify the management situation - Old Timer summed up that situation very well.

 

[Smellytele]

"0"