Monday’s sold-out Zion Bank Wasatch Back Economic Summit at the Grand Summit Hotel saw experts offer a clear picture of where we stand and present carefully-researched predictions for the near future. The forecast? Let’s call it partly cloudy with a chance for storms.

The statistical snapshot of Summit and Wasatch counties is decidedly sunny. For example, in the past five years — which covers the pandemic period — our “Changing Economic Landscape” panelists report Summit County’s population grew 5% to 43,571 while Wasatch grew 13.6% to 37,121. Jobs in Summit County rose 5.2% (to 30,385), while Wasatch increased by 23%, reaching 11,998. Both counties can expect employment to grow by 2028, by 4,900 in Summit County (16.1%) and by 2,800 (23.3%) in Wasatch. Average earnings per job rose to $70,982 in Summit County, a 66% increase since 2011.

Meanwhile, Summit County’s median household income is $107,000, higher than the national average by $42,000. Wasatch County’s $85,800 median income exceeds the national average by $20,800.

Statewide, job growth is consistently the best in the country. Summit County’s largest employment sectors are Accommodations/Food Service and Arts/Entertainment/Recreation, while Construction is the fastest growing. Construction and Government are Wasatch County’s leaders in employment and growth rate. Summit County is relatively low on the economic diversity scale compared to more developed counties like Salt Lake due to our reliance on tourism-related industry.

Interestingly, an analysis of all jobs in Summit County reveals approximately 66 percent require a high school diploma or less. In comparison, roughly 80 percent of residents have at least some college education, an associate, bachelor or advanced degree. Panelists posit this mismatch may present an opening for robotics and other forms of artificial intelligence.

Warning signs continue to flash hints of recession. Phil Dean, chief economist and public finance senior research fellow at the Kem C. Gardner Institute pointed out that inflation, while moderating, is still rising, and interest rates could go higher in response, stymying economic growth.

The panel discussion ranged far beyond these points; it was one of many stimulating WBES workshops that included workforce retention, water policy, transportation, housing affordability, open space and the impact of economic development.

The morning keynote by Zion Bank Senior VP – Economic and Public Policy Officer Robert Spendlove reinforced the theme of uncertainty as he surveyed tightening credit supply and demand, slipping consumer confidence and small business optimism, slower GDP growth, stubborn inflation and a tight labor market (unemployment in Utah is below “full employment” levels; Summit County’s rate is just 2.1%). Space does not permit exploring his comments further today; I will review my top takeaways from Robert in a future column. 

Meanwhile, the latest data from Destimetrics forecasts a challenging summer, with future bookings slowing as economic headwinds blow. Potential travelers are increasingly price-sensitive, causing hotel rates across the mountain West to fall for the first time in two years. 

With these challenges in mind, our summer marketing campaign aims to inspire prosperous, ready-to-travel vacationers to choose Park City. We’re already in full swing, targeting our critical regional travel markets — LA, San Francisco, Denver, Phoenix, Dallas, and Seattle — appealing to environmentally aware activity seekers, families and luxury travelers.

We are indebted to Zion Bank for their sponsorship, the hard-working Chamber staff, and the outstanding panelists — some of Utah’s brightest economic and policy figures — who made the day so memorable. A successful tomorrow always demands preparation today. I’m confident this year’s WBES is once again helping Park City businesses plan and execute.

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After a recent presentation by SLC Housing Authority Director Dan Nackerman, the Summit County and Park City councils are poised to consider forming a regional housing authority. Nackerman emphasized the positives and dispelled misunderstandings, and staffers pledged to bring back recommendations for getting started.

This is good news. Momentum is building as governments, nonprofits and businesses all act to address the ongoing crisis of sky-high housing prices and low availability. For example, it’s been exciting watching the rise of Canyons Slopeside Village while driving along Highway 224 these many months. Now partially open, at full buildout later this year, these seven buildings will house more than 1,100 people. Employees earning less than 80 percent of area median income qualify for a tiered rental system. There are other advances in Eastern Summit County and PC, too numerous to mention in this column.

But there is much to do. The prohibitive cost of area housing — to rent or own — continues to price out service workers, up-and-coming professionals, and our seniors, whose options are drastically reduced.

In his presentation, Nackerman emphasized the efficiency of selecting from a “menu” of regional housing priorities, such as workforce or senior housing. He said a regional housing authority would attract federal funds, which is critical given the steep costs of housing solutions. He dismissed the stereotype that workforce housing “attracts the poor,” stating that housing authorities reduce poverty and stimulate the economy. Officials are rightly concerned about the details, such as whether federal housing dollars can help seasonal workers since the funds are often tied to citizenship requirements. Staff will have responses to the joint council’s questions in their next report.

The housing issue remains a significant threat to the viability of many area businesses. Chamber partners repeatedly tell me expensive housing hamstrings their ability to hire and retain employees. From the workers’ perspective, commuting wastes their time, adds to their costs and stress, and limits their commitment. Of course, commuters also increase our traffic woes.

The Park City Moderate Income Housing Plan points out that low-paid workers priced out of the market make up nearly half of our local employment, working in accommodation, food services, arts, recreation, entertainment and retail. But moderate to upper middle-income professionals are affected, too. We lose the civic contributions of firefighters, accountants, and small business owners when they cannot live here, and we export their wages as they spend their income wherever they find housing that fits their budgets.

Recent research in Vail, Colorado, offered some eye-popping conclusions about the community benefit of housing assistance programs, including this: The direct return to Vail on an investment of $65,000 in one housing unit is $3,239 in local sales tax and revenue for schools, a 5% annual return on investment. Five percent. Annual.

Summit County, Mountainlands Housing Trust, and the PC Community Foundation are investigating a similar Economic Impact Study, examining the traffic, infrastructure strain and economic detriments of unaffordable housing and the potential benefit of investing in housing solutions.

The Chamber-spearheaded Sustainable Tourism Plan, adopted by the Park City and Summit County councils last year, specifies regional action on the issue. I’m looking forward to the joint council’s leadership on housing affordability which is so critical to Park City’s economic health, diversity, quality of life and sustainability.

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Last week, I was honored to welcome Project Overwatch to Park City, a nonprofit supporting our first responders and veterans. The LIFE program they brought to the National Ability Center (Lift, Inspire, Focus, Empower) focused on women firefighters, law enforcement officers and veterans.

For me, meeting these dedicated local women who carry their life-and-death responsibilities each day with such incredible poise was deeply inspiring. They deserve our admiration and support for their skill, decisiveness and leadership (sometimes literally) under fire. 

The experiences of the military and public safety veterans of Project Overwatch inform the components of LIFE. Tailored to the unique stresses first responders encounter and taught by others who “speak the language,” the trauma assessment, mindfulness training and leadership exercises are undoubtedly meaningful for the women participants.

The encounter set me thinking about the role of women in business and leadership in Park City, especially after learning of local women who own practically adjacent wellness-related businesses in Kimball Junction, namely, PC Yoga Collective, Club Pilates  and Salt Pilates studios, and Prime IV.

Building equitable economic opportunity and sustainable tourism is the first objective of the Chamber Strategic Plan, adopted last year. The growth of minority-owned and women businesses is a critical metric. In pursuit of this objective, the Chamber & Visitors Bureau will seek to discover more about the overall number of women-owned businesses in the region and what percentage of total companies they represent, as well as if some business types have a higher rate of women ownership, such as, broadly in the example above, fitness and wellness.

One thing is for sure; women are well represented in Park City’s civic, political, government, and business picture. Our elected Chamber board has many women voices; our executive committee is majority female. In chambers of commerce and tourism management around the state, I see women leaders everywhere I look. For example, Vicki Varela leads the Utah State Tourism Office and Virginia Pearce heads up the Utah Film Office.

A far from complete list of women holding high-profile leadership positions in our community includes our Park City Mayor and two City Council members, two Summit County Council members and the deputy county manager, the Park City Schools superintendent and School Board vice president.

Women head up many of our major nonprofit corporations, such as:  KPCW, Swaner Preserve and Eco Center, Summit Land Conservancy, EATS Park City & Summit County Community Gardens, Mountain Trails Foundation, Intermountain Park City Hospital, Summit County Arts Council, Recycle Utah, Alf Engen Ski Museum, Wasatch Back Hospitals Community Board, Park City Board of Realtors, Habitat for Humanity, Sundance Institute, Park City Institute, and Peace House.

Dozens of Chamber partner businesses are women-owned, far too many to list here. However, we should note major local entities have women in top management, such as Park City Mountain Vice President and COO Deirdra Walsh and Deer Valley Vice President Susie English.

Women in leadership is something to celebrate, but we have more to do. Park City’s commitment to diversity means advancing inclusion and equity. We must engage diverse voices from our ethnic communities, people from diverse spiritual backgrounds, those who identify as LGBTQ+, live with physical or intellectual challenges, those who have immigrated to the U.S. and Park City (many of whom are refugees), and others. Balance and sustainability are as critical in our civic and business spheres as they are in our economy, quality of life and environmental management.

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Parkites themselves are Park City’s greatest asset. We have a disproportionate number of accomplished, successful visionaries living here whose curiosity, ambition, and enthusiasm are a blessing, energizing our beautiful hometown.

For example, our Park Record “Small Town Stories” feature highlights a Chamber partner each weekend. The tales are invariably delightful, filled with optimism, humor, determination, flexibility, and, especially, love for the outdoors.

I am grateful some of our finest members wind up on our board of directors. Last week, we opened nominations for six Board seats on our 24-member panel. Any full Chamber partner in good standing is eligible to run.

My dad loved those WW2 movies where the platoon was always a cross-section of 1940s working-class American men. There would be someone from a factory, a farm, a high-end profession, an urban tenement, an immigrant, and an aristocrat. You’d hear Eastern, Midwestern, and Southern accents and a classic Western twang (seems there was always a cowboy from Wyoming or Montana).

Thankfully, the meaning of diversity has changed since then, but our board shows the kind of slice of life those movies imagined, bringing many representative voices to the table.

Joining our board puts you alongside local business legends, scrappy new owners, people who have emigrated internationally or packed up the car to move cross-country, and who are bakers, physical therapists, personal concierges, restaurateurs, property managers and distillers, many working with family. In addition, you will encounter leaders of Summit County and Park City governments, people from major nonprofits like Park City Hospital, Sundance, Mountain Trails Foundation, PC Christian Center and Kimball Arts Center, our big resorts, and major recreation players such as Ski Utah and the Olympic Legacy Foundation. 

This group produces impressive achievements like the Sustainable Tourism Plan and provides critical internal leadership, too, such as the Chamber Strategic Plan introduced last summer. They also get to help host great membership events like our first Chamber Snow Day at Park City Mountain March 30.

As a Chamber partner, please consider running. It requires time and commitment – but you make valuable connections while having your say in Park City’s responsible, sustainable economic development. You can apply before 5 p.m. April 26 using the online form at visitparkcity.com/board. A board-appointed nominating committee leads the open process and selects applicants to be placed on a ballot. Our 950-plus Chamber members begin voting on May 30, and the six candidates receiving the most votes will be seated in July to a four-year term.

If civic engagement appeals to you and you are not a Chamber member yet, now is a great time to join our dreamers, doers, movers and shakers – and have fun doing it. Join today, and you’ll be set to attend our festive after-hours mixer May 11, hosted by Premier Pet Lodge, with delicious food and beverage;, the Park City Business University class on time management and productivity May 3; and coming up May 22, the 2023 Wasatch Back Economic Summit at the Grand Summit Hotel at Canyons Village. Just contact us at membership@visitparkcity.com.  I hope to welcome you aboard soon.

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Longtime NBC News anchor Edwin Newman once posted a story in which a victorious candidate was asked by a reporter, befuddled by polls about the candidate’s showing with this or that micro-constituency, if the evening had been a success. “I won the election, if that’s what you mean,” the candidate replied.

The anecdote came to mind as I reviewed data on our 22/23 season and comparisons with recent years. The statistics can be parsed in different ways, but yes, Park City won the winter.

“At long last, snow!” is how Tom Foley of lodging industry analytics firm Destimetrics/Inntopia described the improved economies of winter mountain destinations. In Park City, Destimetrics reports average hotel occupancy for the last six months was at 45%, 2% better than last year’s six-month span. Average daily rates went up 11% in those six months, averaging $687, and peaked in February at $986, a 17% jump from February 2022. In addition to Mother Nature, Destimetrics credits excellent marketing and hoteliers’ sophisticated rate management for a successful season.

Summit County’s positive tax revenues indicate a robust local economy. Compared to the previous year, November sales tax revenues were up 8.3%; December was up 6% and January showed a 6.7% increase. This is on top of gains in the previous Nov./Dec./Jan.  span of 20%, 21% and 32%. 

Restaurants are also doing well based on taxes paid to the county. Restaurant tax collections bested 2022 by 4.6% in November, 25.6% in December, and 25.4% for January. As with the sales tax, these gains were measured against 2022, which saw double-digit increases over 2021.

Transient Room Taxes paid by hotel guests were mixed, down by 24.3% and 5.8% in November and December compared to 2022 before bouncing back in January, besting last year by 24.5%.

Despite a slight increase in the six-month average, paid occupancy was lower than last season in December, February, and March, exceeding last year only in January. Bookings for the next six months are down by 9%, although the average daily rate is up 9.5 percent.

Destimetrics attributes these mixed signals to national economic trends causing consumers to pull back on their intent to travel. A lower inflation rate means prices are still rising, albeit more slowly. Consumer confidence is down since mid-November, as is the Dow. Even faster-than-expected job creation is not all positive, Destimetrics says, since it does not incentivize the Fed to reduce interest rates.

How these trends will affect us in 2023 remains to be seen. One thing is for sure, though. Much fun will be had at our first annual Snow Day on Thursday at Park City Mountain. We’ll be there from 9 to 3; partners can join us anytime. We promise no meetings, speakers, or programs – just a day of fun on the mountain. We’ll wrap up with a member mixer at Legacy Lodge from 4 to 6 with food, drinks, and good times. You will need to register and pay $20 for the mixer (visit the member’s section of VisitParkCity.com), but no registration is necessary to ski with us. We’ll meet at 9 a.m. at Harvest at the Base, and if you don’t have a Park City Mountain pass, we have 50 discounted day passes for just $50. Huge thanks to Chamber partner Park City Mountain for helping make this happen.

Don’t forget to use transit or carpool — and we will see you on the mountain!

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With close to 1,000 members, the Park City Chamber & Bureau is an influential voice for a sustainable tourism-based economy. But if you think that means big business, think again. Fifty-five percent of our members employ fewer than 20 people, even at maximum capacity. That is just one of the info nuggets revealed in our most recent partner survey.

Most people know our members work hard to make PC better. For example, Chamber partners led the volunteer Stewardship Council that crafted the Park City Sustainable Tourism Plan, placing our lifestyle and environment on an equal footing with economic growth.

Their eagerness to engage shines through when we ask partners why they join our organization. More than 60% of the 314 respondents say Chamber membership is the best way to connect with the community, build relationships and establish a social and business network. Our always well-attended mixers are proof of that; our next one, on March 23 at Athletic Republic, should be fantastic. I’m also looking forward to our inaugural Snow Day at Park City Mountain on March 30, where Chamber partners will connect and network during a fun day on the mountain.

Most respondents say the value local businesses bring to civic life deserves more attention. One way we are doing that is through our “Small Town Stories” feature in Saturday’s Park Record. Each “story behind the storefront” tells how a partner business overcame challenges to realize a dream, whether it’s opening a bakery or developing an animal shelter. Many share stories of gratitude and giving back to Park City with their time, products, talents and donations. Without tourism dollars, many of these businesses wouldn’t thrive, and the salaries, livelihoods, and tax revenues they create would vanish. Most survey respondents think tourism’s importance to so many livelihoods is somewhat under-appreciated.

Unsurprisingly, finding and keeping qualified employees is a major concern, a nationwide post-pandemic problem. In service-heavy Park City, where frontline staffers are critical, the high cost of housing amplifies the challenge. We continue to work with Chamber partners like Mountainlands Community Housing Trust and the Park City Board of Realtors, as well as government leaders to find creative solutions to housing affordability. In addition, our newly-launched seasonal worker web page connects staffers with resources that make living and working in Park City more manageable.

Survey respondents worry about economic uncertainty. This year’s Kem C. Gardener Policy Institute Annual Economic report to Governor Cox recommends Utah businesses practice caution while still pursuing economic opportunities in 2023.

The survey showed most respondents like promoting Park City as a premier destination while advocating for responsible, sustainable visitation.

Though we’re nationally known as “Winter’s Favorite Town,” in recent years Park City summers are increasingly popular. Seventy-eight percent of surveyed businesses suggest a focus on promoting summer outdoor sports, with 70% also backing continuance of our strong winter marketing campaigns. More than half want arts and culture, community events and our food and wine scene to get more promotional attention.

I’m grateful that almost 90% of respondents rate the overall value of their membership as good or excellent, but we know there is always room to improve. Thanks to feedback like these survey results, I’m confident we are moving forward together in creating a balanced, sustainable Park City economy and lifestyle.

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Wednesday’s Summit County Council hearing on S.B. 84 at Ecker Hill Middle School is getting much-deserved public attention. The strong reactions triggered by the legislature’s involvement with Dakota Pacific to affect development of the Kimball Junction Tech Center need to be heard in Summit County and at the Capitol.

At the same time, the clock is ticking as Friday midnight approaches, marking the end of the 2023 General Session. Just as critical, tomorrow is the last day the legislature can vote on bills with a fiscal impact of $10,000 or more. Time is short.

Since the session opened on January 17, the Chamber and our statewide partners have advocated for action on tourism and economic policy. However, what lawmakers can get done during their 45-day session always comes down to “the art of the possible.” We’re part of the Utah Tourism Industry Association’s Legislative Policy Committee and the Utah Rural Chambers Coalition, and we weekly review bills that will impact our community.

H.B. 291 aims to bring short-term rental operators into compliance with business license and tax remittance requirements. It provides amnesty to sellers of short-term rentals — protecting them from penalties for previously violating certain ordinances regarding STR operations — if they obtain the appropriate licensure and meet other criteria by a specific time.

Despite the explosion of STRs and their dramatic impact on communities like ours, there is still much we don’t know about the industry’s size and scope and no systematic reporting to document it. H.B. 291 creates pilot programs for municipalities and counties to gather data on STRs and report to the state for compilation of statewide data on the STR industry in Utah. However, there are challenges with the pilot program related to amnesty, taxation, and definitions. 

H.B. 247 concerns the law around possible over-service of alcohol and any accident, injury or death that may be connected to it. The bill sharpens the definition of intoxication for the purpose of determining liability, adds specifics about who may be held liable and under what circumstances, and clarifies what a plaintiff must demonstrate if they desire their day in court.

We’re supporting H.B. 417, which allows counties with populations less than 40,000 – which is most Utah counties, though not Summit County – to use money from vehicle rentals paid mainly by visitors to help pay for emergency medical services, fire protection, law enforcement, solid waste, and other services upon which tourism makes significant demands. Across the state and in adjacent counties such as Wasatch, this bill would provide some relief where smaller resident populations bear the cost of public services with no mitigation for tourism’s impact on the demand and cost of those services.

In recent months, we have had productive encounters with legislators and legislation, from the Chamber Board’s approval of a 2023 Legislative Policy Agenda last fall to the educational meet/greet sessions with lawmakers organized by the Utah TOUR (Tourism Outdoor Utah Recreation) Caucus. I look forward to additional communication and partnership leading up to next year’s General Session, when once again you will find us on the front lines, advocating for the best of the possible.

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I’m just geeky enough for well-designed surveys and beautifully researched reports to appeal to me, so I get excited when some of my recurring favorites come around.

This month, the Kem C. Gardener Policy Institute presented its 35th Annual Economic report to Gov. Cox. The Report has been the go-to source for data and commentary on Utah’s economy for over 30 years. Stuffed with deep dives on everything from skier visits to household savings data, this year’s report identifies three plausible scenarios for 2023. In a nutshell, they are:

Continuing Growth Inflation recedes, interest rates stabilize, high financial reserves and low debt prop up consumer spending, and employers work to retain employees. GDP growth is 2-4%.

Shallow Recession  Inflation slows, interest rate hikes drive down spending, and construction slowdowns extend to other sectors. Change to GDP ranges from -1% to 1%.

Decelerating Growth Inflation moderates, interest rate hikes slow, and household financial reserves only partially offset layoffs in interest-rate-sensitive industries. GDP growth is 0-2%.

The Report recommends businesses and consumers practice vigilance and caution while still pursuing economic opportunities this year. Visit Gardener.utah.edu to see the full report. Click on the “Economic and Public Policy” tab, then “The Utah Economy.” 

Last month, Park City wrapped up the 2022 National Community Survey, a resident opinion tool used in hundreds of cities in 45 states. Sent by mail to randomly selected households and available online to anyone, the survey asked for opinions on a wide range of quality-of-life issues. Though cities can add individual questions, the survey is standardized so each community gets the same questions, permitting apples-to-apples comparisons between us and other mountain destination towns, for example. This feature can unearth unique insights we can’t get anywhere else. We can also accurately compare the 2022 survey with previous Park City results. The NCS provides a picture of livability that will inform how we talk about issues and develop policy. The city expects results in March, and I can’t wait.

Right now, Chamber partners are responding to a comprehensive Summit County Business Survey that will run through Feb. 28. The results will help improve our service to them and, by extension, the entire community. For example, we’re asking more than 900 business partners their thoughts on adding a workforce focus to Chamber services, such as employee assistance, mental health, and substance abuse programs. Other possibilities are job training for frontline employees and exploring a possible Chamber-supported 401k and health insurance programs. Finding and keeping good workers is a major obstacle to our economic wellbeing; we’re looking for feedback on a few ideas that might make a difference.

The Summit County Business Survey will refresh critical data on member characteristics, attributes, needs and preferences. It will help drive our policies and programs as we continually help our partners achieve an economic and livability balance to sustain Park City for years to come. I’m looking forward to reviewing the results with you in upcoming columns.

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The metaphorical dust has settled but the heady buzz lingers as Parkites digest Sundance Film Festival 2023, the first in-person Sundance in three years. What a show! The Sundance Institute team and volunteers, city staff, and service staff at venues all over town worked themselves to exhaustion putting together an event for the ages. We salute them all.

It is hard to overstate the impact of the creative artists and the intensity of the media focus we just experienced. Ahead of last Friday’s award announcements, for example, NPR headlined, “Get These Sundance Movies on your Radar Now.” GQ featured “The Movies that have Everyone Talking at Sundance.” The NY Post went with “The 5 Best Movies at Sundance.” US featured “The Ten Buzziest Sundance Movies.” USA Today instructed its audience on “How to Watch Must-See Sundance Movies,” recommending “Infinity Pool” and the Steph Curry doc. There was much more among 10.5 million Google results for Sundance 2023.

All of this coverage is datelined Park City, Utah, of course, a burst of publicity from the newly-energized festival that may be unprecedented. 

However, what we are known for, rather than being known, is more important to our community, economy and sustainability. So what did Sundance add to our rep as Winter’s Favorite Town this year? How about artistry at the highest levels; a spotlight on pressing social concerns; and being a town that welcomes all sorts of people, cultures and ideas, and knows how to revel in the sheer joy of savoring great films on big screens?

The social awareness permeating the festival exemplifies this kind of enlightened activism. Among dozens of films were well-received productions on caring for our oceans, transgender life and family, the plight of murdered and missing Native women, the lingering effects of South African apartheid, fighting crime committed against wildlife, the danger of unresolved trauma, and the arc of Black womanhood in the American South.

Lively discussion groups focused on climate change, feeding the hungry, critiques of Jewish portrayal in cinema, and assuring LGBTQ+ stories are seen and heard. This range of topics guaranteed that in addition to mass media, specialized outlets covering climate change, wildlife, Spanish language cinema, or American history also found the festival relevant to their audiences.

There are many ways to bask in Sundance’s light. You can see it as a world of exciting artistry brought to your doorstep, or as a boon to hundreds of small businesses and thousands of workers who received a healthier paycheck. Maybe you appreciate the high-stakes deals that go down – such as “Fair Play” going to Netflix for around $20 million or Apple picking up “Flora and Son” for about the same. I enjoy the lovable surprises that emerge, this year including “Theater Camp” and “Going Varsity in Mariachi.”

Of course there were some hiccups, which were naturally expected since we were all a little out of practice and after pandemic work shifts, many people were new to the event and Park City. Traffic jams were part of everyone’s Sundance experience, of course, but a few days of inconvenience are, without doubt, a small price to pay.

Today, I want to offer a deeply felt thank-you to everyone involved, especially city staff, police, front-liners and volunteers, and to Betsy Wallace, the managing director and our past chairperson of the board of directors, and her team, who worked tirelessly to help make the event a success. Thank you for putting Park City on such a prominent stage and for your commitment to art, storytelling, filmmaking, and to our community. Long may you Sundance!

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Happy holidays to you! I hope you enjoy this wonderful weekend filled with warm cheer, cold weather and fresh snow.

The holiday is an excellent time to reflect on the passing year, and I want to share a few developments that make 2022 a landmark.

• Seasonal Worker web page: This new site links to various in-demand resources to help seasonal workers feel welcome and supported.The site provides help finding roommates, health and wellness resources (including mental health counseling), food and clothing outlets, guides to using public transit and rideshare services, law enforcement, Spanish-language support, emergency services and more. For our often adventurous seasonal workers, we also included “things to do” and “sites to see” sections.

• The Sustainable Tourism Plan: In the STP, we now have a consensus on sustaining a pristine Park City for generations to come, balancing our economic needs, history, lifestyle, and environment while attracting visitors who share these values. It will require consistent effort and unity, but the road is clear. Please read it and get involved.

Some related developments may have slipped your notice. For example, we joined the Global Sustainable Tourism Council this year, giving us access to the best practices of sustainable destinations worldwide. In addition, we’ve already earned a reputation as a sustainable tourism leader; I was invited to present on the subject at the Utah Tourism Conference this fall. We also quickly incorporated responsible visitation messages into our “Winter’s Favorite Town” campaign. A two-page advertorial in Outside magazine and our “Care for the Mountains Runs Deep” ads are typical examples.

• Membership increases: New memberships jumped nearly 44% compared to 2021, and as of this month, total membership is 17% higher. Renewals are up almost 9%. We’re grateful that more than 900 local businesses see the value of Chamber/Bureau membership and that we can help them succeed in business and community life.

• Community Give Back Day and the Business University: These new programs are unqualified successes.This fall, our Give Back Day pilot project matched Chamber staff and Board members with community groups to rehab social trails and perform maintenance work in the Bonanza Flat area. For our next project in the spring, Chamber businesses are welcome to volunteer their staff, and nonprofits can suggest projects a group of volunteers can tackle in a day of service.

The Business University is a free year-round educational program offering members business advice from some of the best coaches and entrepreneurs in the area. The powerful lessons offered at these monthly lunchtime sessions around Park City empower local businesses to thrive. Find out more at VisitParkCity.com.

• Equality in the workplace: This year, Equality Utah recognized the Chamber/Bureau as one of the most inclusive workplaces in the state. In addition,Park City received the second-highest rating in Utah on the Municipal Equality Index, a measure of inclusivity for LGBTQ+ people. 

• New board leadership: This summer, we welcomed Brooks Kirchheimer as our board chair and Susie English, Revice Jordan, Rosa Salguero, Rob Sergent and Lora Smith as our newest board members.

There are more highlights than we have room to mention. We have so much to do and much to be grateful for, including this opportunity to share our thoughts with you here.

With that, I will sign off my Park Record column for 2022 and get busy celebrating this beautiful season. Warmest holiday wishes from all of us at the Chamber/Bureau. See you on the slopes!

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