Sun Valley Resort is not a publicly traded company, but everyone in the area is a "shareholder" nonetheless.
With 1,600 employees, the resort is the hub of the valley's economy. It's the biggest employer, the biggest marketer and the biggest influence on the lives of everyone who lives or visits here.
All of the resort's actions, big or small, are scrutinized, discussed and rated by the public whether the resort wants the attention or not. Monday morning quarterbacking is a favorite local pastime.
The public packed a "shareholders meeting" on Wednesday at the Sun Valley Inn to hear Development Director Wally Huffman talk about plans to develop the River Run base of Bald Mountain sometime in the next eight to 10 years with a new hotel, parking structures, retail space, eco-park and residential units.
General Manager Tim Silva talked about research and priorities that are shaping the resort's efforts to position itself to grow its business and recover from the recession.
The public came away a lot smarter and better informed than it went in because the information came from the two people who know the resort's business best.
For example, Silva said 59 percent of people who recreate on Bald Mountain traveled here by plane. However, that differs from the general winter visitor, of whom 33 percent flew into Hailey and 28 percent into Boise, with the majority driving in.
Numbers like these are important for the public to know because they can shape transportation policies set by local government officials with public support.
Other numbers that affect the area's life include the average age of people who recreate on Baldy, which is 52.9 years, while nationally the average age of those participating in winter sports is 35. Also, snowboarders constitute 9 percent of those on Baldy, compared to 15 percent nationally.
These numbers are driving the resort to change and to adapt. They are shaping its growing assortment of recreation options.
And who knew that the capacity of the lifts on Baldy is 30,000 people per hour and that even with the jump from 335,000 skier days last year to a predicted 400,000 this year, the lifts are vastly underutilized?
Silva said the resort is taking a hiatus from building new facilities as it tries to get its arms around all the new ones built in the last five years.
Now a larger slice of the public knows the resort's priorities: coming up with a memorable way to describe its identity to potential customers, high guest satisfaction, sustainability and team building.
The meeting did one very important thing. It enlarged the "team." Like all good "public" companies, the resort should hold a virtual "shareholders" meeting every year. It will yield big dividends over time.
