Ski Butlers
Customer
You’re headed to your favorite ski resort and you don’t want the hassle of lugging your ski gear or standing in long lines at the local rental center? Ski Butlers was created just for you. Based in Park City, Utah, and serving top ski resort communities from Lake Tahoe to Aspen to Jackson Hole, Ski Butlers provides legendary rental service to vacationers looking for easy drop-off and pickup of high-quality ski gear. Founder and CEO Bryn Carey started the business in 2004 which now serves customers at more than 50 ski resorts across the U.S., Canada and Europe.
Challenge
Along with his love for the mountains and skiing, Bryn Carey has an intense passion around climate change. Running on solar power, using electric vehicles and going paperless are just a few ways Ski Butlers is making a difference. But Carey experienced an eye-opening moment when he realized his business bank was investing hundreds of millions of dollars in industries that contribute to global warming. “I was spending all my time and energy on addressing climate change, but my money was supporting investments in environmentally unkind companies,” says Carey. This really hit home for a business that depends on snowfall. Carey adds, “The ski season used to go from Thanksgiving to Easter, and now we’re praying for snow at Christmas.” Carey is concerned that many ski businesses in smaller markets have shut down due to less snowfall. Even more alarming, less snow means less melt in the spring which reduces the region’s water supply.
“Over the past decade, Ski Butlers has made it a priority to shift business decisions with climate change front of mind. Our move to KeyBank is our latest way to drive change and make a difference.” – Bryn Carey, Owner, Ski Butlers
Solution
Driven by Ski Butlers’ core value of giving back to its communities, Carey was inspired to make some big changes to benefit the environment, beginning with his bank. Following interviews with three financial institutions, Carey chose to move his money to KeyBank. Says Carey, “First and foremost, KeyBank’s investment portfolio is much more environmentally responsible.” As a matter of fact, KeyBank has committed $5.2 billion to renewable energy projects as of the close of 2020. In addition, KeyBank has been designing and leasing more environmentally friendly facilities, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 24% and energy consumption by 22% between 2016 and 2020. Carey says he also favored KeyBank for the great communication skills of his business banking team, KeyBank’s progressive banking technology and his easy access to a business line of credit for expansion of the business.
Results
Remarks Carey, “KeyBank was the better bank based on sustainability, but we’ve also been able to improve the way we do our banking, from systems and processes to security.” Perhaps most noteworthy to this story is Carey’s advocacy for other businesses to become better informed on where their banks are investing their money. “I’m speaking to a group in Park City and the theme is switching to KeyBank for sustainability. I hope to convince 30 people to switch to Key,” smiles Carey. Carey’s climate change advocacy is also being heard at the 1% for The Planet global summit. “We can move mountains with where we put our money,” adds Carey. At KeyBank, we couldn’t agree more.
To learn more, contact a local KeyBank Relationship Manager or visit key.com/smallbusinesswellness.
To learn more about Ski Butlers, visit skibutlers.com.