David Tanner named Chief Executive Officer of Aspen One, Skico’s new parent company

David Tanner has been named Chief Executive Officer of Aspen One, the new parent company that will manage Aspen Skiing Co., Aspen Hospitality, and ASPENX, according to a press release from Skico.

Aspen One will provide the strategic leadership for the rapidly growing portfolio of businesses. It will enable the expansion of the Aspen brand globally by developing enhanced strategies and services to support growth and by accelerating investment across hospitality, retail, experiences, and clubs. The group will continue its legacy of leading the industry in investing in world-class skiing and customer experiences, the release states.

The announcement comes about three weeks after the shocking death of Jim Crown, who had been the managing partner of Skico, which his family owns. He died June 26 on his 70th birthday in an accident at Aspen Motorsports Park in Woody Creek.

“The mountains and their transformative potential have and will always be our heritage. As we devote ourselves to carrying forward Jim’s profound legacy and steadfast values, we will continue to deliver unparalleled customer service, invest with a long-term mindset, and chart a future of growth,” Paula and Torie Crown, Jim’s wife and daughter, respectively, shared on behalf of the Crown family. “We are proud to announce Aspen One and the appointment of Dave Tanner as the CEO of the enterprise. When we met Dave, we immediately felt that he was the ideal person to lead us into the future given his vision and values aligned to those of Jim and the family, his distinctive leadership experience, and his strong track record. We remain deeply committed to the Aspen community, our employees, and the values that have guided our company for the last 38 years.”

The new Aspen One structure will give each business unit the bandwidth to focus more directly on their unique business operations, with Geoff Buchheister as CEO of Aspen Skiing Co., Alinio Azevedo as CEO of Aspen Hospitality, and Darcy Loeb as COO of ASPENX, according to the release. Tanner and the Aspen One team will fully empower the existing leaders and their teams and provide the guidance, resources, processes, and technology to grow their businesses and brands. 

Prior to joining Aspen One, he had a three-decade leadership track record with dozens of large global brands and their operations across the consumer landscape, the press release states. Most recently, he served on the boards of several consumer companies, consulted others as a Senior Advisor with the Boston Consulting Group, and spent time teaching as an Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School. Previously, he served as the CEO of Boardriders, Inc., a leading designer and omni-channel retailer of outdoor sports branded apparel, footwear, and accessories under eight global brands sold in 110 countries.

During his tenure, Tanner systematically led the Boardriders platform through a six-year transformation that achieved 22 consecutive quarters of earnings growth. Earlier in his career, he built and led the operating group at Oaktree Capital Management, L.P., held a number of senior roles at Fortune Brands, Inc., was a consultant at McKinsey and Company, Inc., and began his career serving as a major and senior pilot in the United States Air Force, including service in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

“It was an absolute honor to spend time with Jim over the last several months and get to understand his values and priorities. I do not take this responsibility lightly and will partner closely with the Crown family, our existing leadership teams, and the broader Aspen community to expand the reach of one of the world’s most elevated brands and execute on Jim’s vision for the company,” he said. “We have exceptionally strong teams who already deliver leading experiences. I look forward to supporting Geoff, Alinio, and Darcy and their teams as they grow their businesses, while also charting an exciting course to expand the Aspen brand and its promise to Return Transformed globally.”