My favorite tradition on SlopeFillers, hands down, is the post you’re reading right now.

Within a few months of starting this project back in 2010, it didn’t take a deep dive into Google Analytics to figure out why it was growing so quickly. SlopeFillers succeeded because of the support from lots of really generous, patient, good people.

People like you.

So, the following year – 2011 – I started the first Thanksgiving shout out. I didn’t want to just vaguely give thanks, but tell specific people how much I appreciated them and why, all in a public format so everyone could know how awesome they are.

Recap
And so, today, I’m continuing the tradition. The names on past lists are just as relevant as those I’ll share today, so let’s start with a recap.

2011
Eric Hoffman, Christian Knapp, Corey Ryan, Dave Amirault, Kim (my wife), Jon Slaughter, Evan Reece, Doug Holton, Brian Rodine, The Utah Joes (Johnson & Myers)
2012
Missy W Larsen, Milena Regos, Shawn Alain, Thomas Prindle, Ben Zeeb, Kim Blanchard, Ryan Blanchard, Alex Kaufman, Troy Thompson, Davy Ratchford, and everyone who drinks (the ski industry).
2013
Callie Blanchard, Shawn Gallagher, Mark While, Steve Pope, Krista Parry, Paul Allen, Corey Ryan, Kory Samson, Dave Gibson, Kim Blanchard.
2014
The Origin Crew, My Parents (Paul & Kim), Halley O’Brien, Brad Larsen, Patrick Sande, Jason Dyer, Chandler Burgess, Greg Kwasnik, Mary Jo Tarallo, Kim & Callie, James Keddington, Rob Megnin, Bruce Rosard.

Now, the 2015 list.

1) Steve Wright
Early in 2015 I dreamed a dream that Steve Wright would get on stage at Destination Summit and tell us why and how he puts out the marketing he does. I emailed Steve with nothing to offer – no flight, no room, no speakers gift to feign appreciation for – and he said yes. Steve, thanks again for swapping emails back in 2011, for the kind words along the way, and for making my awkward conference dreams come true.

2) Mike Swanson & Jackie Megnin
One of my ideas at Destination Summit this year was to let millennials talk about millennials. Two of my speakers for the session had stage experience and were involved in other parts of the program. Mike and Jackie, however, took a tiny 10 minute time-slot and went all-in, putting tons of time and effort to deliver what I feel was some of the best content of the program. You guys are awesome.

3) Sam Blanchard
Sam is my newborn son. And Sam, unlike his older sister, sleeps like a complete champion leaving his parents relatively refreshed each morning. Let me put it this way, if Sam was like his sister, the already high volume of typos in SlopeFillers posts would quickly reach catastrophic levels as halfway through posts my heavy eyelids closed mid-sentence. Can’t wait to hit the mountain with you some day, Sam.

4) Rick Kahl
A few years before I started SlopeFillers I snagged a one-year subscription to SAM. I read every page and, sitting on my bookcase beside me is a stack of every single copy. I really respect SAM and am extremely appreciative of Rick offering so many invitations to be involved in a publication that’s so integral to our industry. Appreciate everything you and SAM have done, Rick.

5) Jamie Ippolito
I share a lot of ideas on SlopeFillers. Jamie is one of the few people that gives each one at least a little bit of thought. Even more, he’ll often say, “we’re trying something you mentioned in a new design, want a sneak peek?” Between vindicating some of my thoughts and actually bringing them to life, I really appreciate the willingness to try that Jamie, Derek, Jessie and all the other Dirigoans bring to the industry. Thanks, guys. Keep up the good work.

6) Patrick Crawford
When I’ve needed a moderator to deliver a solid panel on social media, Pat has stepped up. Twice. When I was hoping for an honest, profressional rebuttal to the death of social media, he hit a home run. I’ve always appreciated Pat’s intelligence, level-headed perspective, and willingness to help. Pat, really appreciate everything you’ve chipped in on the last few years.

7) Trevor Crist
I can’t believe Trevor hasn’t been on here before. Between taking big chunks out of his day to walk me through stuff like The MAX Pass technology or letting me crash some of his user group sessions at Destination Summit, Trevor has always been super supportive and willing to give me the time no matter the reason. Thanks for the time, Trevor, and best of luck as Inntopia continues to grow and expand.

8) Kurt Gellert
Feedback on content and ideas and predictions is priceless, and Kurt has been awesome at giving me feedback in both post comments and just emailing directly. Toss in his willingness to offer up some content for the calendar and I couldn’t be more appreciative to have Kurt in my corner lately. Kurt, keep the feedback and emails coming. Really appreciate it.

9) Jeremy Davis
I’ve realized two things recently. First, my love of this industry is heavily influenced by my love of ski history. And, second, I owe my love of ski history to Jeremy Davis and his work on NELSAP. Thousands of pageviews in his analytics belong to my nostalgic meandering through ski area after ski area after ski area. Thanks, Jeremy. I think the industry owes you a lot for the work you’ve done.

10) Chris Bradford
On a similar note, I have a huge amount of appreciation for Chris Bradford’s awesome efforts at SnowJournal. For years he poured his own money into the site to keep in going while I, and so many others, gleaned priceless bits of wisdom from some of the most level-headed, savvy skiers you’ll every meet. A huge thanks, Chris, for all your work.

BONUS: My Job I love my job. And I love it because of the balance I can strike between work and family at a time when kids are arriving and time is precious. Between supporting my move back to Utah to be closer to family and giving me two-weeks of paternal leave when Sam arrived in September, I couldn’t be more thankful for where I work and who I work for. Corey, Amy, Ben, Brady, Erin, Anthony, Jeremy, Chris, Stacy, Stayce, Teresa, Nick, Kurt, Patrick, Brian, Mike, Ryan, Cathy, and Devin, you guys rock.

And, finally, a huge thank you to everyone I didn’t mention for their support of my feeble efforts here on SlopeFillers.

Happy Thanksgiving!

About Gregg & SlopeFillers
I've had more first-time visitors lately, so adding a quick "about" section. I started SlopeFillers in 2010 with the simple goal of sharing great resort marketing strategies. Today I run marketing for resort ecommerce and CRM provider Inntopia, my home mountain is the lovely Nordic Valley, and my favorite marketing campaign remains the Ski Utah TV show that sold me on skiing as a kid in the 90s.