Two of Jasper’s major attractions have seen a change in their management structure.
The shareholders who own Marmot Basin and the Jasper SkyTram have streamlined management of the two operations, by creating a holding company that will oversee their operation.
Four companies anchor the management group that owns Marmot Basin and the Jasper SkyTram: Mountain Park Lodges, the Whistlers Inn, Sunshine Village and Sunrise International Incorporated.
The group initially bought Marmot Basin in 2003, and in 2012 it bought what was then called the Jasper Tramway, ending 32 years of family ownership of the mountaintop attraction.
When the group bought the SkyTram it created a new company, Jasper Tramway Acquisition Corporation, to run it.
So although Marmot Basin and the Jasper SkyTram are essentially owned by the same management group, they are operated by separate companies.
That remains true today, however the management group has now created a holding company to oversee the operation of the two separate companies. As of the start of the year, changes stemming from the new system have already taken effect.
Detailed specifics of the change were unavailable by press time, and Marmot Basin’s COE Dave Gibson could not be reached for comment by the Fitzhugh’s deadline.
The new management structure has lead to some internal changes at the two companies’ administrative levels.
Brian Rode, Marmot’s vice president of marketing and sales, said he couldn’t comment on the legal intricacies of the changes, but did say they probably won’t be too noticeable to the general public.
He said that the main difference from his perspective is that the two companies will now work together more closely in terms of marketing and branding.
“Marmot Basin and the Jasper SkyTram will be more closely aligned with their marketing and find some synergies together to maximize the resources of both companies,” he said.
Rode explained that those changes could be as simple as bringing the information from both companies to a trade show, or talking up the other company to corporate partners.
Essentially, Rode said, the SkyTram will continue to operate as the Skytram, and Marmot Basin will continue to operate as Marmot Basin.
Trevor Nichols
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