Big Burke announcement

[from_the_NEK]

"Q" thing became creepy and impersonal.

I thought that was actually the image Ary was trying for?

 

[VTKilarney]

The post definitely backfired judging by the comments.

It totally missed the mark. How about, "I stand by our loyal customers. You deserve better and we will refocus to satisfy you." That would have gone over much better than the us versus them sentiment.

 

[epic]

If open, Burke mountain biking will be weekends only.

It's always been weekends only, and the truth is, that is part of the problem too.

 

[tumbler]

Wow, just wow. It seems that both the state and Stenger/Q are out of their league here. First the developer proceeds- this is a standard part of development projects and that money can be used for anything, it's money. Privately financed projects have this also and banks don't ask where the money is going. You build projects to make money. Who knows what the money was earmarked for but clearly they need it. Second- the clause of putting in personal money into the project as a requirement- if they haven't done it, then they need to. Maybe some of the developer fee, oh right the state won't release it because they don't understand any of this and, in my mind, making stuff up as they go. I'm sure the developer fee was approved as part of the original budget proposal to the state. I'm surprised Stenger/Q are still commenting on this and not lawyered up yet. But then again that takes money

 

[thetrailboss]

For those that are not on the Burke Mountain Facebook group, the one remaining lift mechanic just gave his notice. He is moving to Vail Mountain resort. So before Ary can complain about him not being qualified I could tell you that this guy got a sweet job at the best resort company in America. And yes at the risk of tooting my own horn I helped him out with the move. Even if it was just encouragement in helping him find a job out here. Fah Q!


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[VTKilarney]

Did the hot shot hotel manager from Florida jump ship?


.

 

[tumbler]

Now I know what lifts i won't be riding.

 

[VTKilarney]

Burke is now taking a page from the Magic Mountain playbook and is deleting Facebook comments.

 

[thetrailboss]

Did the hot shot hotel manager from Florida jump ship?


.

My reaction to that post: "Hail Hitler"


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[VTKilarney]

Someone just reported that they were blocked from their Facebook page.

I saw what they posted and it wasn't that bad at all.

 

[thetrailboss]

I am not going to be posting on their page despite my desire to do so. I also noticed that they are bragging about how many "hits" they have on their page. Someone is feeling a little insecure about the number of people following a Facebook page. I wonder why?


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[BenedictGomez]

For those that are not on the Burke Mountain Facebook group, the one remaining lift mechanic just gave his notice. He is moving to Vail Mountain resort.

This is the equivalent of leaving McDonalds for Per Se.

I know what lifts i won't be riding.

If you see this on the lift, it's time to worry.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Does anyone know the legal reason why the financial information (i.e. the most relevant & important "stuff") is the only thing the state is redacting from the public information?

Also....

Donegan asks the developers Bill Stenger and Ariel Quiros to explain what happened to the money and how an error in accounting was made. She requests evidence of all contributions to the project that the developer has made to date.
That information, however, has not yet been provided six weeks later

Six weeks! Microsoft, Pfizer, Apple, etc.. can close their quarters in less time!

 

[VTKilarney]

Does anyone know the legal reason why the financial information (i.e. the most relevant & important "stuff") is the only thing the state is redacting from the public information?

Vermont law has the following exemption from public records:

Trade secrets, meaning confidential business records or information, including any formulae, plan, pattern, process, tool, mechanism, compound, procedure, production data, or compilation of information which is not patented, which a commercial concern makes efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to keep secret, and which gives its user or owner an opportunity to obtain business advantage over competitors who do not know it or use it, except that the disclosures required by 18 V.S.A. § 4632 are not exempt under this subdivision.

 

[KingdomBC]

I am not going to be posting on their page despite my desire to do so. I also noticed that they are bragging about how many "hits" they have on their page. Someone is feeling a little insecure about the number of people following a Facebook page. I wonder why?


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A simple way to add to that insecurity is to unlike their page. After all, you probably liked "Burke Mountain Resort" as a Facebook page. A swing of a few thousand unlikes along with decreased pass revenue might make an impression. It's not like you're hurting the employment of a friend or relative at this point, right?

 

[thetrailboss]

Boy, someone is now getting pretty philosophical about things......

 

[farlep99]

I thought that was actually the image Ary was trying for?

I don't know Ary personally- only what he presents publicly. But it's pretty clear he is the type of guy who has a name for his dick

 

[steamboat1]

i don't know ary personally- only what he presents publicly. But it's pretty clear he is the type of guy who has a name for his dick

pee wee

 

[VTKilarney]

I've had a chance to let the "I Stand With the Q" piece sink in. I'm also in front of an actual keyboard now. Here are some thoughts:

1) Will Q Burke find someone to proof read? This may seem petty, but when your management skills are under siege it's best to release statements that are free from errors. (e.g., Q wants to reach "farther than the continental Northeast". What does that mean? He wants to reach farther than Baffin Island? I should hope so!)

2) Ditch "the Q". It's Ary's right to keep the resort named Q Burke. It's not fine in a PR piece to use "Q" ad naseum. You want to personify, not alienate. It's scary that she doesn't understand this dynamic. It's also really creepy to me that a male superior would create an environment in which female employees call him "The Q." It reeks of misogyny. Even if that's not really the case, it appears as if it may be - which is still quite bad.

3) If I were shopping my resume around, I would not want a blog post showing my unconditional support for arguably the worst hospitality management in the eastern United States.

4) Denigrating the local communities in the blog post was just boneheaded.

5) The "we know you will be back" line might as well have read, "Our business plan depends on the fact that you are suckers and fools who can be taken advantage of."

Bottom line: This was about the worst statement that could have been made given current conditions. The Friends of Burke Facebook page has really taken off, and there is a critical mass developing. Whereas displeasure with management simmered under the surface, it has now reached a full boil. The blog post should have said, "We are listening to our customers." This was a real missed opportunity, and was likely a net setback. If I was this person's manager I would be having a VERY stern conversation with her right now.

As an aside, a former employee on Facebook stated that in the last couple of years there have been nine general managers at Q Burke. Is this true? If it's even half true that is a SERIOUS sign of trouble.

 

[deadheadskier]

I agree with most of what you say, except #2 and I loathe the Q name change.

Suggesting Ary somehow put this girl up to calling the place Q as some sort of gesture of misogyny is a stretch allegation. We don't know that to be true and you probably wouldn't say it appears to be true if the gender of the author was unknown. Totally baseless and pointless observation for this discussion.