A local nonprofit aimed at strengthening Summit’s business landscape and boosting wages is forecasting a reduced need for certain jobs tied to the outdoor industry due to advancements in technology. The organization said it has a solution and it is looking to Silverthorne to be a leader in the effort. 

The Summit Economic Partnership started in Summit County in 2022 and has introduced initiatives and resources to support the vitality of medium and small businesses with the intent of promoting economic diversification.

Summit Economic Partnership Chief Executive Officer Thayer Hirsh told Silverthorne officials at a Jan. 8 meeting “automation is coming” to the outdoor industry, and this matters to Summit because it plays a vital role in the local economy.

“When I talk about automation I mean autonomous snowcats … more automated snowmaking, (artificial intelligence) that can recognize when you fall off chairlifts,” he said, noting these things would all minimize the need for human labor. 

He said his organization is looking to position Summit County ahead of the curb. The Summit Economic Partnership asked Silverthorne for a $40,000 contribution to assess the feasibility of an automation center. The center’s purpose would be attracting technological firms to the area, commercializing new technologies related to the hospitality and outdoor recreation industries and introducing more high-paying jobs to Summit. 

The $40,000 contribution, Hirsh said, would serve as a one-to-one match for an Economic Development Administration grant, and the total cost of the study is estimated to be around $80,000. 

He said Summit being among the first to launch this sort of hub could solidify it as a pioneer in navigating how automation will impact outdoor industries. 

“Suddenly our snowcat drivers, instead of being out of the job, they’re going to learn how to leverage the automation technology, and they’re going to Whistler, they’re going to Alta to teach other resorts how to implement this technology,” he said. 

Other Summit Economic Partnership board members clarified the scope of the center would span beyond professions in the ski industry and would include those in fields like fire suppression and detection and backcountry rescue . 

Hirsh said the organization approached Silverthorne largely because it has the capacity, and available commercial space, for a center like this.

A staff memo for the Jan. 8 meeting detailed several of the nonprofit’s board members are former Silverthorne Economic Development Advisory Committee members. Town Council member Erin Young is also currently on the board. 

Hirsh said this introduction has a “multiplier effect” and would help create and support other jobs. He added a feasibility study could take six months before phase two, which involves sourcing funding for a brick-and-mortar location. 

Town Council member Tim Applegate wanted clarification on whether the request also involved land or a building to house the center. Hirsh said the organization will be looking for that, but did not specify whether they would be asking the town to provide that since the search won’t start until the feasibility study does. 

Applegate also questioned what type of money other towns and the county would put up for this.  Hirsh said he spoke to Town Manager Ryan Hyland and Mayor Ann-Marie Sandquist and they are in alignment on not getting the other towns “too involved.” He added Silverthorne’s “progressive” nature makes it a perfect fit and something like this could help bolster the town’s recognition. 

Town Council showed unanimous support for signing Silverthorne up; council member Jonnah Glassman was absent.

Hyland said, based on council’s approval of the concept, staff would “dig” into it more and get a better picture of what it would look like for Silverthorne.