The Ski Area Vehicle Maintenance Institute (SAVMI) is a non-profit organization, which represents ski area vehicle maintenance personnel throughout North America.  The primary focus of the organization is to provide education and a platform for exchange of information between ski areas and suppliers.

• Justin Shifflet with Breckenridge Ski Resort was presented with a $1,000 scholarship check. Austin plans to attend Lincoln Tech in the fall and these funds will help cover some of his tuition expenses. In this application paperwork Trevor Maring, Breckenridge’s Senior Manager Fleet Maintenance, noted “I have been consistently impressed with Austin’s attitude, productivity, and willingness to learn during his time with Breckenridge…Austin has also show great safety awareness and has been recognized by Vail Resorts on three separate occasions for speaking up and addressing safety concerns.” Johnny Green echoed those thoughts. “He’s the kind of employee every shop would want.” Austin was very happy to accept this support and said “I am excited to find out what my future holds in the world of diesel technology. 
• Purgatory Resort’s Raymond Gallegos was awarded the Tim Crouse Memorial Award (Mechanic of the Year). During the summer of 2018, Purgatory was evacuated due to the 416 forest fire for approximately one month which in turn severely disturbed the schedule of seasonal maintenance for all of their vehicles. At the time Ray was a tech 2. However, upon the reopening of the resort Ray was offered the position of shop foreman and he gladly accepted the challenge. With no direct supervisor in place at the time and desperately shorthanded (only operating with 1/3 the normal sized staff) he managed to drive his team and complete all of the seasonal and preventative maintenance prior to the resort opening for the winter season. His leadership was – and continues to be – a shining example of what perseverance and dedication can accomplish. John Gallup, Director of Vehicle Maintenance, commented that Ray’s greatest contribution to the department is his ability to prioritize and evaluate. “Every day he makes sure that every departments has reliable vehicles and that no cat gets stuck on the mountain. Ray never leaves anyone stranded.”
• This year's Vehicle Support Award went to Tony Latham with Prinoth. During his presentation, Scott Stephens, Prinoth’s Service Manager, said “Tony is a very dedicated and hardworking technician and brings a very strong work ethic to our team. Tony is always up for a new challenge in troubleshooting a machine or problem and he will not stop until he has it figured out!” Tony is known for getting along well with his co-workers and his willingness to lend a helping hand or give them some advice if he sees that they are struggling. Stephens went on to say “Tony is very determined and focused when he is working on a project whether it be an older BR275 or helping our engineering department with the upcoming Tier V machine. Additionally, Tony is very well respected by our customer’s in the Rocky Mountain region. He is on the road a lot and works very hard to maintain the high level of service our customers are used to receiving.”
• The SAVMI Safety Award recognizes those committed to a safe work environment. It is given to the member resort with the longest period of consecutive days without a reportable safety incident in their vehicle maintenance shop. This year’s recipient was Purgatory Resort for its impressive 1,360+ stretch of incident free days.
• Bob Moore (retired, Breckenridge Ski Resort) received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Bob played a vital role in the creation of SAVMI and even worked on the design of the organization’s logo. Thirty-five years ago, Bob and a handful of other vehicle maintenance managers identified a need to bring together mechanics and suppliers to share best practices and learn from each other. These pioneers established the foundation for the association and in 1985 the first SAVMI conference was held with approximately 20 mechanics & suppliers. Over the years, the annual event continued to grow and now offers close to 50 different educational sessions, a trade show element, an awards component, and several social/networking events and consistently attracts over 300 attendees.