The 25th Annual SAVMI Conference & Trade Show was held May 17-20, at the Two Rivers Convention Center in downtown Grand Junction, Colorado. This year’s event attracted close to 300 attendees with representation from 49 resorts from 13 states (and three countries) and 38 supplier companies. “I’d personally like to thank everyone that participated, especially the ski areas for sending their staffs,” said Johnny Green, SAVMI President. “We saw many new faces, which tells me that SAVMI is finally being recognized as the place to send shop personnel for education and training on the latest advancements in the industry.” This year’s agenda provided more than 45 sessions on everything from mechanical/vehicle maintenance from the top manufacturers, to environmental issues to the latest technology available on grooming equipment. Click here for photos of some of these sessions.

The good folks at Prinoth once again hosted the Monday Night’s Barbeque & Horseshoe Pitchin’ Competition. While many enjoyed the warm spring evening and a few cold ones, others were in caught up in a fierce horseshoe throwing battle. First place was awarded to the team of Andy Atha/Keith Emmerson. Second place went to Roger Arave/Mike Taft. The team of Melvin Ramirez/Trace Whitehall took third place with fourth going to Joe Clark/Andre Roberse. Whether you were a participant or an innocent by-stander making valuable connections with others in the industry; a good time was had by all. Click here for photos of Monday night’s events.

Tuesday proved to be very busy, with a full agenda of classes and several annual events scheduled throughout the day. During lunch, SAVMI recognized and honored this year’s award winners. Kevin Legace with Beaver Creek Fleet Maintenance was awarded the Tim Crouse Memorial Award as the mechanic of the year. The Vehicle Maintenance Support Award was presented to Prinoth’s Carter Cowan. And the Safety Award was once again given to Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard’s vehicle maintenance department for going 2,213 days without a safety violation. The award luncheon ended on a high note as President, Johnny Green, recognized two of the SAVMI founders. Steve Stephens and Jim Touve were honored for their dedication and determination to create an organization that would bring together and educate ski area maintenance personnel from around the country (and now around the world!). Click here for photos from the award luncheon and for more information on the award winners. Tuesday’s events were wrapped up with the annual trade show. This year’s show saw the addition of some new suppliers including CGRS, Inc., Chemsearch, Hemisphere GPS, Power Curve, Quality Belt Service and Whisler Bearings & Drives. It was the perfect opportunity for attendees to learn what’s new and make vital connections. Click here for photos of the trade show.

And of course we wish to extend a HUGE thank you to this year’s sponsors. SAVMI is very fortunate to have the support of our industry leaders. Their financials and in-kind contributions are essential to the success of our show. Additionally, their support helps keep the registration fees extremely affordable. This year’s sponsors and supporters include: Alta Fuels, Aspen Skiing Company, Beaver Creek Fleet Services, Beaver Creek Village Operations, Breckenridge Ski Resort, F&B Department, BG Products, Collett Enterprises, Inc., Colorado Distributing, Colorado Motor Parts/NAPA, Diesel Services, Inc., FallLine, Gray Oil Company, Kässbohrer All Terrain Vehicles, Inc., Leitner-Poma of America, Lif-Tech Equipment, Mobil Delvac, Perma Groomer, and Prinoth. If you do business with any of these companies, please take a few minutes the next time you see them and let them know just how much you personally appreciate their support of the SAVMI organization.