The largest resort operator in North America reported a record 17.3 million skier visits and $2.5 billion in revenue for its fiscal 2022
labor shortage
Why the maker of a Denver-based job app says there isn’t a restaurant labor shortage
Restaurants say it’s been hard to find workers, especially for jobs in the kitchen, bussing tables and “back of the house.”
What’s Working: Colorado employers say there’s still a labor shortage even as more jobs are filled
Colorado employers may be facing some of the highest inflation in decades, not to mention talk of recession (no, one hasn’t been officially announced). But one thing that may be finally easing up is attracting enough workers. It’s still bad, just not as bad as it was a year ago, said Curtis Englehart, executive director […]
What’s Working: Colorado’s economy is still growing, but a slow down has added to recession fears
A day after the head of America’s banking system said the nation isn’t in a recession, the U.S. Commerce Department said the nation’s economy shrank. Again. For the second quarter in a row. Conventional wisdom often calls this a recession — or “a significant decline in economic activity that is spread across the economy and […]
How a Colorado McDonald’s weathered the Great Resignation with fiesta-themed birthday parties
Tucked in the corner of Longmont, the classic yellow sign seems like any other McDonald’s. The waft of french fries, bustling employees and children running for the playpen. But step inside, and you’ll be greeted with fiesta decorations and birthday cakes. The so-called Great Resignation took a toll on fast-food restaurants all over Colorado, and […]
Q&A: Alterra CEO Rusty Gregory steps back and reflects on next generation of ski resort bosses
The U.S. ski industry was forged by soldiers. We all know the story about 10th Mountain vets returning from war with visions of ski runs and chairlifts that would spark dozens of American resorts. Innovators who worked every job at the ski area took the reins from those soldiers, creating even more lifts, better grooming […]
Colorado has had a shortage of cybersecurity professionals for years. Here’s how that’s going.
The pressure was on. Someone, somewhere, was attacking computer systems so customers couldn’t reach certain websites. In a windowless room in Denver, Zack Privette had worked all morning with his security team to figure out what the cyber strangers were up to. “What’s happened is that we have an attacker who has been going through […]
Colorado’s mountain resorts cut back their summer offerings as labor crisis persists
Vail Resorts announced its summer plans at its major resorts last week and one thing was conspicuously absent. Ziplining and canopy tours, once the foundation of an industry-wide expansion of summer amenities, have been dropped from the resort operator’s offerings at Vail and Breckenridge, apparently a victim of the labor crisis strangling ski areas. Company […]
Record high calls for help are stressing Colorado’s mountain firefighters, emergency responders
There are more people living in their vacation homes in Colorado’s resort communities. There are more people visiting and staying in short-term rental homes. “But it’s a challenge to quantify any of this,” said Jake Andersen, deputy chief of operations for the Aspen Fire Protection District. Fire chiefs like Andersen can gauge one impact of […]
Colorado mountain towns can now use tourism tax revenue to deal with visitor hordes, housing shortage
Voters in mountain towns could soon redirect lodging taxes traditionally collected to lure visitors toward housing and recreational infrastructure. Gov. Jared Polis signed House Bill 1117, the bipartisan legislation allowing that option, into law Thursday in Edwards. Since 2002, voters in 29 Colorado counties have approved a lodging tax for tourism marketing. The new legislation […]