SAM Coverage
Finance
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Blue Pages :: September 2013
WHO WILL CONTROL PARK CITY RESORT?… HOW TO FINANCE THE FEEDERS?… THE BATTLE OVER BELLEAYRE… CALIF. PUTS A KINK IN ZIPLINE BUSINESS… A PLETHORA…
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How to Finance the Future
A trail guide for traversing an avalanche of debt. As the country’s economy began to shovel out from under the avalanche of debt that…
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Economic Analysis 12-13
SAM’s annual look at NSAA’s Economic Analysis of U.S. Ski Areas reveals some surprising truths. Thanks to a longer season and more visits, the…
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Doing Well by Doing Right
A clever coupon system makes it a snap for charities and resorts to profit from donation requests. It’s a blizzard that can roar in…
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Economic Analysis 2009-10
Despite the economy, the numbers look good for last season. The annual Economic Analysis of United States Ski Areas (EA) for the 2009-2010 ski…
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Electronic Ticketing
New ticketing systems are leading to an increase in profits and a decrease in payroll and fraud. The horse-drawn carriage, the telegraph, the candle——at…
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Keeping Your Money
Changes in credit and debit card processing fees make it possible to reduce costs–but only if you know how. Many people who carry a…
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Speak Out :: About Those Debit Card Fees…
David Frick of Transaction Resources comments on the Durbin Amendment. Having been in and around the credit card industry for 30 years, and having…
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Speak-Out :: Lower Debit Card Swipe Fees Fizzle
David Eldredge of Wachusett Mountain on debit card swipe fees regulation. Relief was just three weeks away when the Federal Reserve caved to special…
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Effort In = Costs Out
A resort-wide focus on cutting energy costs led to big savings at Crested Butte. Even as prices of electricity, natural gas, and diesel have…
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Eco-Tip :: Biodiesel Alternative
Turning Kitchen Oil Into Snowcat Fuel Biodiesel: An organically produced, renewable resource, such as vegetable oils or recycled animal fat greases, that can be…
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2010-11: Big Crowds, Bigger Expenses
We take our annual look at NSAA’s Economic Analysis and find a few surprises…and some major holes. According to the NSAA’s “Economic Analysis of…
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It’s All About the Snow
Lack of snow for many cut into visits during the first half of the season. Sparse snow in nearly all regions of the country…
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The Wake-Up Call
The 2011/12 season may go down in history as one of the worst for ski resorts. But there were some lessons to be learned…
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Snowmaking as Manufacturing
If your state does not offer tax benefits for snowmaking, perhaps your lawmakers (and tax authorities) need a little education. Sales tax is a…
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Reits and Resorts
With their goal of earning a steady return, REITs are good partners for a certain type of winter resort. SAM’s Ski Area Ownership Timeline…
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Stimulus Cash
Winter resorts can tap into hundreds of millions of dollars in grants and loans. While much has been made of the “shovel ready” public…
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Demystifying Credit Card Fees
See how this area saved over $50,000 annually in credit card processing fees. In tough economic times, ski area operators all seek ways to…