On Friday August 30th, Barry Tucker will
drive down the mountain one last time as an Okemo employee. Barry has worked at
Okemo since February of 1982. Being the
humble man he is, he would always tell you that what was accomplished with him
as the Mountain Manager and VP of Mountain Operations was because of the team.
There is no doubt that is true. Barry always surrounded himself with good
employees. He always told me it is good
to surround yourself with others who are smarter than you so they can do what
you might not be able to. Even though
Barry always preached team, there is no doubt that the team would have never
been as successful without the leadership he provided. He knew when to lead in the front, but he
also knew when to lead from behind and mentor and teach those around him.
There
will be many memories shared, stories retold and all and all reminiscing about
the years that Barry has been at the helm at Okemo. He has only had two job titles at Okemo,
Mountain Manager and Vice-President of Mountain Operations. To be honest, he
would have been happy with no title.
Barry was never one to stand in the spotlight, but he was always been
very proud of all that has been accomplished during the years. Barry has always stood strong for Tim and
Diane and Okemo Mountain Resort. He required
you to respect the company and while he would listen to concerns employees
might have, he was always quick to let you know when he disagreed with
you. It was always eye opening for me
when I would have a conversation with Barry about something that was on my mind
or I was struggling with in my job and a few days later, he would come back
with some additional feedback or thoughts. He has always been the type of guy
who thought about you as an employee and cared for you as a person.
I know I speak for many of us when I say that I am the
person I am because of Barry. Many of us
grew up in our families, were molded as individuals during our younger years
and then we began to work for Okemo and learned so much more from Barry. Many
times we never even knew he was mentoring us, it was just his way. When we had tough choices to make, Barry
would listen to us. When we had career
paths to choose, we sought out his advice.
I can honestly say that I am the Okemo VP & GM because of Barry’s
support, guidance and direction.
So we now must say goodbye and wish Barry Tucker the best
of luck. He has earned an enjoyable retirement and years of doing what he wants
to do with his family and friends. We
all know he will be hard at work on something and it is for that very reason
that we respect and admire him so much.
Bruce Schmidt
Okemo GM
