Worcester Business Journal

4 Worcester Business Journal | February 6, 2017 | wbjournal.com age attendance, the number of visitors this year is beating Wachusett's five-year average by 16 percent, Crowley said. Weatherproofing against the competition Wachusett expanded its water pump- ing capacity in order to weatherproof its business model. The water pumping expansion was planned for a couple years prior to execution, but the need for it was highlighted by last year's low snowfall, said Crowley. The investment was smart, as increased snowmaking capability will help keep Wachusett Mountain com- petitive, said Christina Andreoli, presi- dent of regional tourism council Discover Central Massachusetts. Wachusett is not only competing against other ski resorts in Massachusetts but also with mountains in Vermont and New Hampshire that are within driving distance of Central Massachusetts. "Given the unpredictable weather patterns, investing in their snow-mak- ing capabilities made sense for this sea- son and in the long-term," Andreoli said. "It gives them an edge over the competition while allowing them to keep their existing customers happy throughout the season." Vermont had an early start to its ski season this year with snow in November, said Philip Tortora, commu- nications director for the Vermont Department of Tourism & Marketing, adding Vermont resorts are expected to make up for the off-year last year with a return to the 4.7 million people that visited the state's mountains in 2015. "The northern resorts have more favorable snowmaking temperatures, so with our increased pumping capabili- ties, we can compete by providing a similar or even better snow surface," Crowley said. C E N T R A L M AS S Wachusett Mountain attendance up 67% I N B R I E F O n the heels of a record snow- making season, Wachusett Mountain Ski Area has seen a 67-percent increase in visi- tors compared to last year, when lack- luster weather patterns dampened the Princeton resort's attendance. Last summer, the Princeton ski resort invested in a new $2-million pump station that more than doubled its water pumping capacity from roughly 4,000 gallons per minute to 8,000. The investment is already paying off, said resort President Jeff Crowley, who called the new water pumping capacity a game changer. Record snow The new pump station and snowmak- ing equipment has allowed Wachusett to maintain an average base depth of four feet of snow, despite only receiving 40 inches of natural snowfall so far this winter. Wachusett is able to maintain a higher quality packed powder snow. When snow conditions are poor, Wachusett can resurface trails with new machine- made snow. Higher quality snow pulls in more customers as packed powder is more consistent and easier to ski on, said Crowley. Not even halfway through the current ski season, Wachusett Mountain Ski Area has broken its personal snowmak- ing record, turning more than 95 mil- lion gallons of water into snow. All that snow means more visitors. Beyond just improving attendance 67 percent over last year's lower-than-aver- V E R B A T I M Moving cupcakes "I don't want to lose the feel that we have, or anything we've worked so hard for. We'll always be cupcakes and cake and stuff like that, but now we'll be able to offer coffee and a place to sit down maybe after you eat." Renee King, owner of the Millbury dessert shop Queen's Cups, on its move to Worcester's Canal District Canadian president "The Society of Jesus is now call- ing me to assume a major role in the education of Jesuits and oth- ers preparing for priesthood, or for lay ministry, and/or for teaching and scholarly work in the various theological disciplines." Rev. Thomas Worcester, history professor at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, on his new role as president of Regis College at the University of Toronto Governor's race "President Trump threatens our values and threatens to take us backward. Now more than ever, we need a governor who is going to stand up and fight for our values and fight to move us forward. I'll be that governor." Jay Gonzalez, former CEO of Massachusetts health insurer CeltiCare, in announcing his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in the 2018 gubernatorial election W BY SAVANNAH DONOHUE Worcester Business Journal Editorial Intern P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y Wachusett Mountain often makes its snow at night, when conditions are better and trails are free of visitors.

• Cover