Jay Gamble's presentation at the Wintergreen Mountain Homesteaders’ 2002 annual meeting on September 3 marked his one-year anniversary as Wintergreen Resort's general manager. See his entire talk in the video above.
There were no major announcements in his 30-minute presentation but there was some news regarding improvements such as adding charging stations for electric cars, a boost in pay for employees, new golf carts in the valley and on the mountain, and new snowmaking equipment.
Noting that Pacific Group is now both the owner as well as the operator of the resort, he said owners generally invest more in the property than renters. The resort must spend at least $1,500,000 in capital improvements each year to keep up, explained the long-time resort executive.
In addition to regular maintenance, some $2,850,000 will be invested in capital improvements in 2022; he said it was $1,900,000 last year. Inflation, employee shortages, and supply chain disruptions are making improvements and staffing goals complicated.
“Winter is still king here, so investments in snowmaking are required," he noted. "Wintergreen is one of Pacific Group's flagship properties, so there will be more capital improvements."
More than a million dollars was spent on enhancing racket sports this year. "The goal is to get more people involved in racket sports," he noted, pointing to the new membership program the resort announced this summer.
Gamble noted at one point there isn't a lot of land available to the resort on which to build anything new. Enlarging The Market on the mountain, for example, would be something they would like to do, but their options are not great–maybe a second story or taking over the front porch.
In answering a question, Gamble said the long-discussed hotel project for the mountain is not on the table right now and that is unlikely to change any time soon.
Other highlights from his September 3rd talk included:
Click image to enlarge
• Golf: Stoney Creek golf is getting all new carts next year; the mountain golf course will see the new carts that were expected to arrive in the spring sometime in October. There are new sophisticated mowers for golf on the way. Supply channel hold-ups and shortages were major issues this year and continue still.
• Restaurants: There were no major announcements about the resort's eight food and beverage venues. Opening the Copper Mine as well as Stoney Creek Bar and Grill–and bringing back lunch at Devils Grill– remains a priority. There is a chef in place for the Copper Mine (Chef Matt) and they hope to hire a restaurant manager for the Copper Mine soon. They might be able to open the Copper Mine on the weekends this winter but is still a need for line cooks and such for that to happen.
“It is difficult to fully comprehend and appreciate the long hours and workload being carried by those who are willing to work in the current times–especially in food and beverage," Gamble stressed. "I'm proud of our employees."
• Staffing: The entry-level pay is now $17 an hour, up from $12, and pay across the board is now higher at the resort. The resort is beginning to see more people interested in applying for jobs. In the winter the resort needs 600-plus people on staff; some 330 are now working and Gamble said he would like about 400 in the non-snow seasons. International workers make up about 25 percent of the workforce; they are now looking to India and Peru for help.
Gamble stressed he was working to ensure a "healthy working environment" at the resort, saying people seldom quit their jobs because of pay. Rents on housing here have doubled or more, which is hurting their efforts to add staff.
• Electric Car Charging Stations: In response to a question, Gamble said the resort is working with WPOA on adding charging stations for vehicles. Gamble says he hopes to have four three-hour car charging stations in place before winter. If electric vehicles become as ubiquitous as projected, Gamble suggested the mountain condo associations are likely going to have to step up and provide stations for their owners and guests.
• Wintergreen Club Memberships: Asked about extending the resort's amenities to VRBOs and Airbnbs, Gamble said this was a difficult and complex topic at major resorts throughout the US, not just Wintergreen. But his bottom line answer regarding memberships was that there are no plans to change the membership program.
Resort memberships are geared to families. Asked about offering memberships for single people, Gamble said he hadn't looked into it carefully but he had concerns about "unintended consequences."
