Labor Day is in the rearview, but before we welcome a gorgeous Wasatch Back autumn, I’m excited to update you on a busy pre-holiday week featuring our annual meeting, two events focusing on housing and the workforce, and a salute to a pair of beloved modern Park City pioneers.

Our annual meeting at the Chateaux Deer Valley last Wednesday set the stage for our vision of continued economic recovery as we thanked outgoing Board Chair Casey Metzger of Top Shelf Services and welcomed incoming Chair Betsy Wallace of the Sundance Institute. In the year ahead, we will increase exposure for member businesses, add networking events and expand Chamber/Bureau local communications.

We are also looking ahead to a very busy and productive 2022. We’re making sure our town has a strong economic recovery and, perhaps even more importantly, leading a vision for sustainable tourism that prioritizes the quality of life of our residents, a thriving economy and memorable visitor experience, all while protecting our fragile environment. With great tourism success comes great civic responsibility. That’s why the Chamber/Bureau has taken the first steps toward the development of a sustainable tourism plan — a first for a Utah community. We’re thrilled to have residents be part of this vision and look forward to an exciting 2022.

The highlight of our annual meeting was honoring Charlie Sturgis with our inaugural Community Impact Award and Adolph Imboden with the Myles Rademan Spirit of Hospitality Award.

Charlie retired this year but retains his well-deserved status as a Park City institution. He and the Mountain Trails Foundation he co-founded are the forces behind the 400-plus miles of trails at the heart of our culture. An adventurer, teacher and a model for living well, Charlie’s “10 seconds of kindness” mantra is the perfect unofficial slogan for the Park City way of life. For those of you who love our trail system, we have Charlie to thank. As Bike Magazine put it, he took “Park City from Singletrack zero to hero.”

Few Parkites can remember when an Adolph Imboden restaurant was not a local dining fixture. But, after 47 years — 24 on Kearns Boulevard — Adolph closed his namesake restaurant this spring, leaving behind a legacy of delicious Swiss comfort food, a renowned collection of Park City ski history photos and posters, and classic European hospitality. It was one of the best dining experiences in town. Adolph arrived from Switzerland in the ’70s after giving a St. Moritz ski lesson to Polly Stern, whose family owned what is now Deer Valley Resort. But the kitchen was his true calling. As he put it, “Every chef wants his own restaurant.” Generations of Parkites are glad he found his American dream right here in the Wasatch Back. Adolph’s warm hospitality, spoon-playing and yodeling will be greatly missed.

Our week also included a double event co-hosted with the Park City Board of Realtors. A two-hour morning panel at the Sheraton Park City offered a fascinating look at our labor shortage and how we might solve it. In the afternoon, a multi-agency housing expo connected anyone seeking local moderately priced housing with resources.

It was a week of powerful moments — connecting with our members, moving the ball on important issues and honoring two people who helped us become what we are today: a caring, active, giving place where dreams really can come true.

Jennifer Wesselhoff is president and CEO of the Park City Chamber/Bureau. She served for 13 years as president/CEO of the Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau, where she led development of Arizona’s first sustainable tourism plan. She is a certified destination management executive and a sustainability consultant, and loves skiing and hiking with new friends.