Former Boardriders CEO Dave Tanner will lead a newly formed management company called Aspen One that’s now overseeing Aspen Skiing Company and two other brands.
Tanner’s appointment was announced Tuesday in a statement released by Paula and Torie Crown. Paula and Torie are the wife and daughter, respectively, of billionaire businessman Jim Crown, who passed away last month in a racetrack accident.
Jim Crown had served as chair and CEO of Henry Crown & Co. and managing partner of Aspen Skiing Co.
“We are proud to announce Aspen One and the appointment of Dave Tanner as the CEO of the enterprise,” Paula and Torie said in a statement. “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.”
The Aspen Skiing Company business includes more than 5,300 acres of mountain terrain, 40 lifts, and over 330 trails. It’s headed up by CEO Geoff Buchheister.
Aspen Hospitality is the hospitality division under Aspen One, led by CEO Alinio Azevedo. Meanwhile, the ASPENX division consists of retail, rentals, and a performance line, and is helmed by COO Darcy Loeb.
Former Aspen Skiing Co. President and CEO Mike Kaplan, who retired in April, had also managed Aspen Hospitality and ASPENX prior to his departure.
A spokesman for Aspen One declined to provide information on the ownership of Aspen One or whether Tanner had provided consulting services to the businesses prior to being named CEO.
A report from the Aspen Daily News said the business restructure had been in development for months and Tanner said about as much in a statement released Tuesday.
“It was an absolute honor to spend time with Jim over the last several months and get to understand his values and priorities,” Tanner said. “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.”
Tanner told the Aspen Daily News he “wasn’t planning on doing another CEO run,” describing himself as a “free agent” over the past year.
Prior to his recent appointment, he was on boards, served as a senior advisor with the Boston Consulting Group, and taught as an executive fellow at Harvard Business School.
Tanner led the Boardriders group as CEO beginning in 2018, during a period that involved the integration of the Billabong group into the business, in addition to navigating a global pandemic. He held the CEO position until Arne Arens was named to the top spot in March 2021.
Prior to serving as CEO of Boardriders, Tanner held the chief turnaround officer role at predecessor Quiksilver while also working as managing director and head of portfolio operations, special situations at the company’s owner, Oaktree Capital Management.
Kari Hamanaka can be reached at kari@shop-eat-surf-outdoor.com.
Editor’s Note: For other recent Executive Moves news, read about Vans’ EMEA GM appointment.
