2008 SAVMI Conference & Trade Show Recap

2008 SAVMI Award Winners

This year’s SAVMI Conference & Trade Show was, once again, a huge success! Our record breaking attendance of 358 ski area personnel and suppliers clearly demonstrates the need for this specialized training. (And we’re pretty sure that the good snowfall seen by most resorts helped boost those numbers as well.) This year’s agenda provided almost 50 sessions on everything from mechanical/vehicle maintenance from the top manufacturers, to environmental issues to the latest technology available on grooming equipment.

Although it did rain during the Monday Night Barbeque, spirits certainly were not dampened as participants competed in the mud during the annual Horseshoe Pitchin’ Competition. First place was awarded to the team of Joe Clark/Frank Cannizzo with second place going to Robin Harney/John Smetzen. The teams of Matt Bergstressor/Jack McGowan and Carter Cowan/Josh Bean had enough of the wet stuff and decided to call it a split between third & fourth place. Whether you were a participant or an innocent by-stander making valuable connections with other in the industry; a good time was had by all.

Tuesday proved to be very busy, with classes and several annual events scheduled throughout the day. During lunch, SAVMI recognized and honored this year’s award winners. Paul Hagerman with Winter Park Resort was awarded the Tim Crouse Memorial Award for the mechanic of the year, while Prinoth’s Chance Barfoot was presented with the Vehicle Maintenance Support Award. Winter Park Resort’s vehicle maintenance department was given the SAVMI Safety Award for their 2100+ days without a safety violation. And Rick Sramek from Breckenridge was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for his continued support of the organization. Click here for photos and a list of this year's winners. The day’s events were wrapped up with the annual trade show. This year’s show saw the addition of some new suppliers including Blue Sun Biodiesel, ExxonMobil Lubricants & Specialties, Gray Oil Company, Kleenoil USA, MTN Snow Equipment and Wooster Hydrostatics Inc.

Although the class schedule was pretty intense, attendees did find some time on Wednesday afternoon to take advantage of the many recreational offerings available in Grand Junction. This year’s activities included the annual golf tournament, trap shooting, fishing, mountain biking and the always popular kart racing. Click here for a complete list of the competitive events winners and photos.

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. Click here for a complete list of sponsors, take a look at it. 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.

The Board hopes you were able to get some good “take home” information from this year’s class offerings. We always try to provide a variety of sessions as we realize there are many different aspects involved in running an efficient shop. With that said, if there is a topic you’d like us to add to next year’s curriculum, please tell us about it. We will be meeting before the end of the summer to discuss the 2009 schedule and will consider all suggestions. Feel free to contact any board member. Their phone numbers and email addresses are listed on this site.

We look forward to seeing you at next year’s show!