Success story

Case Study: Mission Ridge Ski and Board Resort

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Key results

400+ dispersed workers

2,000 acre operational footprint

2 seasons with fluctuating workforce

Mission Ridge is a skiing and snowboarding resort located in the heart of Washington state. The resort operates during the busy season of late November to early April and manages 36 designated ski and board runs across 2,000 acres of trails, chutes, screamers, and bowls. Since 1964, the company has been on a mission to create memorable experiences for its guests, partners, and employees.

Mission Ridge operates across a wide footprint and is supported by 20+ internal departments. During its busy season, the resort employs up to 400 workers that are reduced to 15 during the off-season. Given the seasonality of the business, the company struggled with a common workplace challenge: How do we retain workers while keeping them connected and engaged? As COVID-19 reached Washington’s peaks, the company needed to transparently communicate critical information to employees.

BEFORE

Seasonal Workforce limited way to connect with employees in off season
Slow Information Pipeline no efficient way to deliver critical information quickly
Dispersed and Disconnected Teams limited opportunity for workers to build relationships

AFTER

Year-Round Engagement keeping workers engaged using mobile collaboration
Real-Time Company Updates employees receive health and safety information instantly
More Unified Workforce workers can connect regardless of location

Maintaining Year-Long Employee Engagement

Before adopting Beekeeper in 2017, Mission Ridge struggled to meet the communication needs of its employees.

The company knew it needed a mobile-first collaboration platform that would enable them to:

Reach, connect, and engage frontline employees across a 2,000-acre worksite
Retain top talent during the off-season
Disperse information quickly and transparently around the COVID-19 pandemic
Adopt a centralized tool to inspire fun workplace experiences that align with the company’s mission

We needed to bring back experienced people, and in a seasonal business, that’s one of the biggest challenges we face. Keeping them engaged with the resort in the off- season has led to better retention.”

Josh Jorgensen

General Manager, Mission Ridge Ski and Board Resort

With Beekeeper, Mission Ridge employees have access to the information they need to create exceptional guest experiences while also building workplace relationships that keep them coming back. Fast-forward to 2020, and the Mission Ridge team was able to quickly pivot their operations during COVID using their Beekeeper app. With the platform’s mobile-friendly, intuitive interface, the company was able to share critical information and keep their team members up-to-date on the latest company announcements.

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Centralized Communication

employees have single, reliable source of information

Adaptable and Resilient

maintaining operations during challenging times

Operational Efficiency

streamlined mobile communication strategy

Since adopting Beekeeper, Mission Ridge has been able to better reach and connect with workers from any location, retain their employees during the off-season, and remain resilient in the face of a global crisis.

The keys to the resort’s success are introducing employees to the platform at the first point of onboarding and providing all related information in the app for a consistent and comprehensive employee experience. Then, they encourage ongoing engagement using Streams dedicated to employees connecting across departments. Through these Streams, employees can easily access resort news and information and share the fun experiences in their lives both on and off the mountain.

The resort also made Beekeeper the centralized platform for all crisis-related information, no matter if it was common weather-specific situations or COVID-19. Having a single source to reference important information boosted business agility and operational efficiency in times of uncertainty. Using the app, leadership communicated with employees as frequently and transparently as possible. Mission Ridge also enabled dynamic capabilities, such as video sharing to broadcast leadership messages, and would capture user analytics on the backend.

Now, as the resort’s operations return to normal, Beekeeper continues to play an essential role in maximizing operational efficiency and empowering an engaged workforce at Mission Ridge Ski and Board Resort.

The company uses Beekeeper to help employees stay connected in the off-season by:

Providing access to their designated Streams so they can share life updates
Sharing company news and updates so they can return knowing the most up-to-date information
Enabling group and 1:1 chats to build relationships with other team members they would interact with regularly

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