Uphill climb
Rebranding a business or product is done to give it a positive, fresh spin. In the case of Sterling Forest Ski Center, the former owner”™s rebranding actually hurt the longtime ski destination. Tuxedo Ridge, the name Sterling Forest Ski Center now goes by, got buried in a snowdrift of confusion.
That”™s something new owners James Mezzetti and Rob Cannillo have been working for the past four years to turn around.
“Sterling Forest Ski Center is getting ready to celebrate its 50th anniversary this year,” said Cannillo, watching the last bus of high-schoolers from Bronxville boarding the bus after a day on the slopes. “We”™re very much alive ”“ and need to let people know we are here.
“When the owners sold Sterling Forest Ski Center, the new ones had big plans for the place. They changed the name to Tuxedo Ridge and planned a conference and hotel center for the site. It didn”™t happen. When Jim bought the place four years ago, it had been closed for over a year and had just been let go,” Cannillo said. “I came into the business with him, and we”™ve worked together on renovating the center and adding to it ”“ and trying to get the word out there that the former Sterling Forest Ski Center, does, in fact, still exist and is very much open for business. We just don”™t have the same name.
“So many of the trails had been literally taken over by trees, so that when we cut back, we found the original lights,” said Dan Forte, who is working his first season as the ski center”™s sales manager. “We were very lucky to get two feet of snow dumped on us a few weeks ago. We already had about two feet of snow on the ground that was machine made ”“ so the storm really was welcome, at least for us. We”™ve been working hard to let people outside the local area know we are here.”
Cannillo said the name change to Tuxedo Ridge ”“ and the fact that the former owners”™ rebranding of Sterling Forest Ski Center and upgrading plans fell through ”“ really made the comeback a challenge.
“Local people who have been coming here for years knew we had reopened four years ago,” he said. “But for many others outside the immediate area who came here regularly to ski, they thought Sterling Forest Ski Center was gone.”
To help the public connect, Mezzetti and Cannillo have changed the name to Tuxedo Ridge at Sterling Forest. “We could not use the Sterling Forest Ski Center name,” Cannillo said. “But since we are actually in Sterling Forest, we added that to the Tuxedo Ridge name, hoping the public will reconnect.”
“We still have plenty of loyal customers, particular schools that have ski clubs,” Forte said. “We are only an hour north of the city, so if someone wants to come up by train for the day, we”™ll pick them up at the station, and we can set them up at Anton”™s on the Lake or Waterstone Inn, two bed and breakfasts in Greenwood Lake, if they want overnight accommodations. Coach USA comes right to our front door. So we”™re working very hard to rebrand Tuxedo Ridge at Sterling Forest so that the public knows Sterling Forest Ski Center is still very much open.”
With its new terrain park, seven trails (one of them more than a half-mile long), a pub and restaurant as well as a “bring your own lunch” warming area for the public, Cannillo said the ski center aims to please.
“We”™ve put a lot of money into the renovation and are working all year to make this a real showplace. We”™ve already brought back several of the old trails that were overgrown and added new lighting. We have 75 ski instructors who work with beginners to professionals.” During the season, which lasts October through April, the ski center employs up to 150 people.
When the snow melts and trees start budding, Cannillo, who”™s also a musician, gets busy on Tuxedo Ridge at Sterling Forest”™s next venue: outdoor concerts held from May through the end of July.
“We are thrilled at the success we”™ve had with the concerts,” he said. “We had eight last year and plan the same number for 2011. Some were free and showcased local talent; others were industry names and there was a charge to get in. The slopes are a perfect place to pitch a blanket and watch a concert. Everyone has a great view. It”™s also helped us add to our revenue.
“We aren”™t Bethel Woods, nor are we trying to be. But we”™re a great location and have had some great events here ”“ New Riders of the Purple Sage, Larry Chance and the Earls, Dark Star Orchestra ”“ something for everyone. When the Renaissance Faire opens in August, we shut down and start getting ready for the ski season, widening trails and continuing upgrading. The concerts have been great and that is also helping us get our name out there again,” he said. “It”™s so great to meet a couple who came here as teens and are now bringing their own children here. We”™re getting the name recognition back ”“ and that”™s ultimately going to help us reestablish Sterling Forest as a place to ski and have fun.”