Each year Ski Area Management Magazine releases a 10 Under 30 list highlighting rising professionals in the ski industry making an outsized impact on their organizations and the future of the snowsports industry.
This year, we’re pleased celebrate our very own Silas Pollard being named to the list! I’d encourage you to check out the full article here or read the write-up on Silas below.
Silas Pollard didn’t go to tech school, but growing up on a farm gave him lots of hands-on experience working on equipment. “There’s a lot of parallels between farming and the ski industry as far as making it work with what you’ve got,” he says. “On the farm, it’s for the sake of the animals. In the ski industry, it’s for the guest experience.”
As vehicle maintenance manager at Sugarbush, Pollard manages a staff of five and deals with administrative tasks like budgeting. But he spends the better part of the day turning wrenches alongside his team. One major part of the job, he says, is to bring on new technicians and help them learn. “I always thought I wanted to be a teacher one day, so this is an opportunity to do something I enjoy in a place that I love.”
Pollard believes that educated employees are happier employees, and happy employees get more done. He prioritizes finding different learning opportunities and ensures that staff work as a team and learn from one another.
“If you invest time and money in furthering employees’ education and helping them learn new things, they are more likely to stick around,” he says. “A lot of us in this industry are people who want to keep moving and learning, so if you learn something new every day or week, you’re excited to keep coming back every year.”
Sugarbush has a program where local tech schools send students to shadow mechanics at the resort, and more younger faces have popped up in the maintenance department since Pollard started hiring. “The biggest thing we’ve seen is that there are not a lot of people who get into the world of being a mechanic that know about opportunities at ski resorts,” he says.
Pollard has exhibited tremendous patience and maturity while mentoring new mechanics, say nominators. He’s a “dedicated,” “intelligent,” and “capable” leader who is resourceful and wise beyond his years, who comes in at all hours to repair equipment—and will assist snowmaking, lift maintenance, grooming, and facilities when needed.
“The job title of ‘vehicle maintenance manager’ is completely inadequate for the role that Silas fills. He is well-liked, not only for his exuberant laugh you can hear across the base area, but for his seemingly endless ability to maintain a positive attitude while triaging the day’s disasters.”