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Dave Brownlie: Business as usual

“The hardest thing for me – and for my leadership team – is balancing out the needs of the community against the needs of the company that pay our salary.
dave_brownlie

“The hardest thing for me – and for my leadership team – is balancing out the needs of the community against the needs of the company that pay our salary.”

By Michel Beaudry

When it comes to the proverbial half-full or half-empty glass, Whistler Blackcomb’s Chief Operating Officer is definitely in the former camp. He’s convinced, for example, that the mountains’ new owners are in for the long haul. “Why would Fortress turn around and sell the jewel in their crown?” Dave Brownlie counters when I suggest W-B could soon be flipped. “Sure – there are properties in the overall package that are less appealing. But as far as I can tell, Fortress will be involved with Whistler-Blackcomb for a long time to come.”

On the subject of foreign ownership, the former accountant is just as bullish. He says being owned by an American investment firm is no big deal — it’s business as usual. “Nothing has really changed,” he says. “We went from being owned by public investors to being owned by private investors. It’s all about money management. Nothing more, nothing less.”

In fact, he adds, the new ownership could lead to greater opportunities for the resort. “These guys are in the business of raising capital. If we can present a compelling case to them for re-energising our product, I believe they’ll go out and find the money for us to do it.”

Still — it’s not like he sleeps well at night. “Sure I worry,” he admits. “I worry all the time. There’s no question — in times like this, the higher you are in the organization, the more exposed you are.”

But that’s not what really worries Brownlie. “I’m a resident here,” he says. “I’m bringing up a family here. I see my neighbours at the store or at the rink and on the mountain and I know how high the stakes are for them. The hardest thing for me — and for my leadership team — is balancing out the needs of the community against the needs of the company that pay our salary.” He smiles. “And that’s a very difficult balancing act to pull off successfully…”

That’s why he has to stay focused on the positive, he says. “ Look — that’s my job. I have 3,800 people in this valley looking to me for leadership and motivation. I’m not saying the future is going to be easy. Or that there’s not going to be some painful adjustments in the short term. But ultimately, I believe we can be successful. As long as we all work together, we can really make some cool things happen!”

David Brownlie is not the most articulate of men. Most number crunchers aren’t. That said, he has a passion for what he does that animates everything he touches. Brownlie is now 44 years old. He has three kids under the age of seven and manages a work portfolio that would fell any normal executive (his job title at W-B should be “Boss of Everything”). Despite it all, Intrawest’s top man at Whistler still looks — and acts — like the kid next door. Indeed. Were he to don his old UBC hockey uniform, chances are he could still pass off as the captain of the team, a role he last played in the mid-1980s…

“I certainly don’t feel that young,” he says with another quick flash of teeth. “I first came to live here as a 26 year old. And that seems like a long time ago. Heck — I’m now playing hockey with kids who were born in this valley. And they remind me how old I am every time I get out and skate with ’em…”

But it’s not just the way Brownlie looks that makes him such an endearing character. For there’s an aura of innocence about him — a Walter Mittyish wonder with the world — that disarms even the most vociferous of W-B critics.

“I’m truly excited about the future,” he tells me in the semi-stuttering machine gun delivery style that is pure Brownlie. “Sure — we have challenges, just like any other community. But sometimes I feel we tend to dwell too much on the negatives around here.” He pauses for a moment. Almost like he’s checking his mental notes to make sure he’s not missing anything.

He continues. “We have one of the most amazing physical plants in the world. We have a community rich with unique and talented characters. Sure, we’ve had a few setbacks in the last few years. We started believing our own press. Let our prices rise too high when the dollar was at 63 cents. Got a little too arrogant for our own good. But that’s all behind us. Our job now is to rally together and move this community forward into the 21 st century.”

It’s a message he is very keen to deliver. “Listen — for Whistler-Blackcomb to be successful, the community has to be successful. And vice versa. Our destinies are totally interlocked.” He pauses. “And you know what — I’m seeing improvements throughout the community. We’re having a pretty good year so far. I think our customers are telling us we’re on the right path.”

But it’s not just about pleasing customers. “There are people in this community,” says Brownlie, “who are working really hard to make this place as great as it can be. And no — we don’t always get it right. But believe me, most communities in Western Canada would happily exchange their problems for ours. Just look at the work that went into the production of the Whistler 2020 document. It’s an incredible framework for the future. Our task now as a community is finding practical ways to implement its principles…”

Born and raised in Burnaby, Brownlie was first introduced to Whistler in the late 1960s by his uncle Les Norman. “I didn’t ski at the time,” he recounts, “But we sure had a great time playing in the snow.”

He finally caught the ski bug in Junior High. “Hockey was always my first love,” he says. “But skiing made me laugh. It was just so much fun.” Encouraged by Uncle Les, Brownlie started exploring the possibilities of his newfound passion. “Any chance I got, I’d sneak up to Whistler,” he remembers.

He eventually crossed town to attend UBC where he studied commerce and played varsity hockey — “and still snuck up to Whistler as much as I could,” he tells me. On graduation, he decided to article for an accounting firm in downtown Vancouver. That’s where he saw the posting for an auditing job at Blackcomb Mountain. “So I went to the partner responsible for that project and convinced him that I was the man he needed,” he says. The year was 1986 (the same year, coincidentally, that Intrawest got involved at Whistler).

“Every time I came up to Whistler to do my auditing work, I fell in love with the place a little more,” he says. “I loved the mountain environment. I loved the people at Whistler — loved their energy and go-for-it attitude. So I started bugging (Intrawest executive) Gary Raymond about getting a job at the mountain…”

When Blackcomb Mountain advertised for a new director of finance, Brownlie was one of the first to apply. “But I got a ‘dear john’ letter,” he says. “I don’t know why. Maybe they thought I was too young and inexperienced. Whatever. They weren’t interested.”

Brownlie wasn’t ready to give up on his dream however. And he kept pestering Raymond for updates. “Finally I got a call from Blackcomb’s HR director,” he says. “Turned out the person they’d selected for the job had declined at the last minute. So the HR guy tells me: ‘I have a big decision to make here. Either I start the whole search process again from scratch. Or else you persuade me that you’re good enough for this position.’”

The 26 year old got the job. “I moved up to Whistler in the winter of ’89 — on the very weekend that Rob Boyd won the World Cup downhill here,” says Brownlie with a laugh. “I didn’t know a whole lot about ski racing then. But I knew enough to realize what an unbelievable way this was to be introduced to my new home…”

He admits the learning curve has been steep at times. “There’s a lot to deal with in this business,” he says. “But you can’t get caught up in looking backwards. Our future success depends on us being able to step out and try new things!” Another pause; another gathering of energy. “Whether that means opening up new terrain in Symphony Amphitheatre,” he says, “or expanding the Zip Trek program — or even introducing Shakespeare in the Park — this is what the new Whistler is going to be all about. I believe in diversification. No question about it — we need to broaden our offerings if we want to stay competitive in our business. But we need to diversify in a way that complements what’s already here…”

It’s a simple equation, he explains. “Nobody wins if our winter occupancy rate remains at 52 per cent. But at 62-65 per cent it’s another matter. The resort has a great infrastructure — a wonderful village, lots of beds. Our challenge now is to attract enough people to make it work. And that means attracting people who actually love being here. And to do that we have to be far more creative than we’ve been in the past; the key is delivering a smart and value-added product.”

“So what’s our core story?” he asks. “At the end of the day, we have to take account of who we are. We’re a mountain community with an incredible winter product. And we have to nurture and protect that product. For if our winters aren’t strong, we simply can’t build on other seasons.”

Disciplined, earnest, hard-working, loyal, solid — David Brownlie is held in high esteem by both his friends and his colleagues. And I wouldn’t quibble with any of it. Still — I reserve the right to keep my own council. For though I think he’s an outstanding member of the community, I also know that he works for an outfit whose business interests don’t always coincide with Whistler’s best interests. As he admits himself, it’s a difficult balancing act to perform. Only time will tell if it’s been a successful one…