Pat O’Donnell, president and chief executive of Aspen Skiing Co., retired Monday. He stepped down just days before Aspen and Snowmass ski resorts open for the season.
Mike Kaplan, chief operating officer of the privately held ski company since July 2005, was named as his replacement.
The 68-year-old O’Donnell had previously said he would retire at the end of the ski season. He and his wife, Jennifer, plan to move to their property outside Grand Junction, where they will continue to pursue an active outdoor lifestyle.
“We have a list of adventures we want to do,” O’Donnell said. “The original plan was to go through the winter, but our succession plan picked up so much steam in the past few months that we accelerated everything. The company and Mike seemed poised and ready to go.”
O’Donnell’s job history includes serving as vice president of operations at Keystone, president and CEO of the Whistler, British Columbia, ski area, and running Patagonia Clothing Co. He joined Aspen Skiing in 1993 and became CEO in 1996.
O’Donnell will be remembered most for his environmental stewardship, ski-industry colleagues said. Aspen Skiing is regarded as a leader in environmental initiatives, including becoming the first ski company in the state to offset 100 percent of its electricity usage through renewable-energy certificates.
“He has a profound and sincere commitment to environmental causes,” said Andy Wirth, vice president of marketing for Steamboat ski resort. “I’d be surprised if that wasn’t his legacy.”
Aspen Skiing – which owns Aspen, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass – is owned by Chicago’s Crown family.
Staff writer Julie Dunn can be reached at 303-954-1592 or jdunn@denverpost.com.
