YOUR AD HERE »

Intrawest Colorado names senior management team

Special to the daily

COPPER MOUNTAIN – David Barry, senior vice president of Intrawest Colorado, issued the long-awaited announcement of how senior management would line up for the joint operations of Copper Mountain, Winter Park and the Breeze/Max retail operations.

In a press release issued Tuesday afternoon, Barry announced the following appointments:

– Gary DeFrange, the chief executive officer and president of Winter Park Resort since 1997, continues in a leadership role as general manager of Winter Park.



– Mark Woodburn, formerly vice president of sales at Copper, is now the new head of sales for Intrawest Colorado.

– Wenda Huseman, current director of marketing at Copper Mountain, is the new head of marketing for the organization.



– Rob Spence, Copper’s head of food and beverage, takes the same role for the enlarged organization.

– Gary Rogers, formerly Copper’s director of lodging services and development, is the new head of lodging for Intrawest Colorado.

– Doug Feely, another Copper Mountain veteran, is the new head of information systems for the organization.

– David Rice, also of the Copper side of operations, is the new head of human relations.

– Bill Baum is the new general counsel for Intrawest Colorado.

Interviews are underway for the three remaining positions on the senior management team: vice-president and general manager of Copper Mountain, head of Intrawest Retail Group and head of finance.

Barry anticipates those three positions will be filled in the coming weeks.

“This is an outstanding management team to guide Intrawest Colorado into the future,” Barry said. “Their collective experience and expertise will strengthen all three operations while increasing efficiencies in a variety of departments that play an active role in the day-to-day operations of each individual organization.”

The retail group will provide additional outlets for promoting both resorts in dozens of communities spread across nine western states in the Breeze/Max rental shops to a highly targeted group of outdoor recreation enthusiasts, Barry said.

Barry and DeFrange both emphasize that the two ski resorts will maintain separate and distinct brand identities so each resort can continue to market to and meet the needs of their visitors and guests.

Each resort will continue to focus on its individual traits and characteristics while offering dual-resort products and lodging packages for skiers and snowboarders who want to experience both resorts, the two said in a joint statement.

“The best part of this partnership with Copper Mountain and Breeze/Max is that loyal Winter Park and Copper Mountain skiers will continue to see great deals and competitive pricing on lift tickets, lodging, rental equipment, retail products,” DeFrange said. “As a group, we can offer more options and opportunities than we could as individual businesses.”

Intrawest Colorado was created in October 2002, and Winter Park Resort was included in the organization in December 2002 when Intrawest signed an agreement with the city of Denver to operate and manage Winter Park Resort for the next 50 years.

____________________________

In a press release issued Tuesday afternoon, Intrawest’s senior vice-president, David Barry, announced the following appointments to the senior management team:

– Gary DeFrange, the chief executive officer and president of Winter Park Resort since 1997, continues in a leadership role as general manager of Winter Park.

Prior to taking the helm at Winter Park Resort, DeFrange was in the banking industry for 27 years including serving as chairman, president and CEO of First Interstate Bank of Denver.

– Mark Woodburn, formerly vice president of sales at Copper, is now the new head of sales for Intrawest Colorado.

An Intrawest employee since 1993, Woodburn has served as a manager in several different divisions including sales, business development, call center operation, corporate partnerships, strategic alliances, ticket distribution and promotions.

– Wenda Huseman, current director of marketing at Copper Mountain, is the new head of marketing for the organization.

Huseman joined Intrawest in 1998. Her professional experience includes a variety of positions with Vail Resorts including marketing manager at Keystone and corporate advertising manager for the combined resort corporation.

As Copper’s marketing director, Huseman has been responsible for advertising, public relations, e-commerce and guest services.

– Rob Spence, Copper’s head of food and beverage, takes the same role for the enlarged organization.

Spence joined Intrawest at Panorama Resort in 1993 as director of food and beverage. Spence has played a key role in the development of food and beverage standards throughout the Intrawest Resort network. Prior to joining Intrawest, he served in a variety of management positions with Canadian Pacific hotels and resorts.

– Gary Rogers, formerly Copper’s director of lodging services and development, is the new head of lodging for Intrawest Colorado.

Rogers joined Intrawest at Whistler Mountain in 1987 and held several different management positions before relocating to Colorado in 1999 where he became director of development, resort operations.

– Doug Feely, another Copper Mountain veteran, is the new head of information systems for the organization.

A native of Colorado, Feely has more than 20 years of experience in the ski resort industry. Feely has played a key role in the development of Intrawest’s operating and technology systems including the infrastructure needed to create a successful mountain resort village.

– David Rice, also of the Copper side of operations, is the new head of human relations.

Rice is a 20-year veteran in the human resources field. He joined Intrawest in 1998. Previously, he served as director of human resources for the Hyatt Hotel corporation. He brings a strong understanding of Intrawest’s entrepreneurial spirit and the importance of a recognition-based employee culture, Barry said.

– Bill Baum is the new general counsel for Intrawest Colorado.

Baum joined the Winter Park Resort staff as vice president and general counsel in August 1998. His responsibilities include legal work related to all aspects of resort operations including real estate development and planning, contracts, litigation management and corporate governance.

David Barry, the former chief operating officer of Copper, heads Intrawest’s senior management team.

Barry joined Intrawest in 1991 as director of marketing and sales at Mont-Tremblant, and held the same position at Blackcomb from 1994 until 1997 when he was transferred to Copper.

In 1999 Barry assumed responsibility for Copper Mountain as chief operating officer and was appointed to lead Intrawest Colorado in December 2002.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

As a Summit Daily News reader, you make our work possible.

Summit Daily is embarking on a multiyear project to digitize its archives going back to 1989 and make them available to the public in partnership with the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. The full project is expected to cost about $165,000. All donations made in 2023 will go directly toward this project.

Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a difference.