(Chris Porter (left and front/center in blue above) at Mt. Bachelor, taken approximately 41 years apart | Photos courtesy of Chris Porter)
Local group Intends to Purchase Mt. Bachelor with Community-Ownership Model
Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort was founded back in 1958 by local industry pioneer Bill Healy, a member of the Skyliners Ski Club. Since then, the success and expansion of the ski area and resort helped grow Bend into the outdoor destination that it is today. The Park City, Utah based company, Powdr Corp. purchased the property in 2001, and in August of this year, the company announced that Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort would be put up for sale.
Now, a local group has put together an effort to purchase Mt. Bachelor. However, they are approaching the potential purchase in a non-traditional way: with a model of community-ownership.
Meet Mt. Bachelor Community Inc. They have a stated mission to, “own and manage Mt. Bachelor with a focus on environmental care, supporting mountain enthusiasts, and reinvesting profits to boost the local economy.”
MBCI was founded by Chris Porter and Dan Cochrane, two area locals who have been making memories on Mt. Bachelor for years. The two met on the Mt. Bachelor Conditions Facebook group after they read an offhand comment about “the community buying the resort” and decided to meet up to plan out this goal. “Dan and I both realized that this was well within the realm of possibility, so we connected in person the following day to discuss our next steps, and here we are today advancing MBCI’s effort to purchase Mount Bachelor,” Porter said.
MBCI has a three-pronged mission: support the environment, support the local people, and support the local economy. This mission has garnered plenty of attention, and quickly. The group has a GoFundMe set up for the purpose of, “raising $35,000 to set the stage for our benefit corporation bid to buy Mt. Bachelor and return ownership of the mountain to the local community.”
As of writing this article, the GoFundMe goal has already been surpassed by nearly $1,000 in just nine days of fundraising, showing a surge of local support.
Speaking on their motivations, Porter said, “POWDR’s decision to sell the resort creates a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to align the mountain with its community’s shared set of values, and ensure it is stewarded for the community’s benefit in the long term. This movement is special because, at its core, it’s about people coming together around a shared set of values to do something good for each other. This sense of community is deeply important, and it’s inspiring to see individuals, some of whom have never met, coalescing around our shared vision for Mount Bachelor.”
So how does community-ownership actually work? Porter said MBCI is structured as a B-corp, much like another locally-loved example, Patagonia. MBCI has the goal for residents of Bend, Redmond, Sisters and other Central Oregon communities to all own a stake.
“Their ownership stake would run through our organization, MBCI, a registered B-corp. We’re looking forward to making an announcement outlining next steps for interested prospective local shareholders in the near future,” Porter said. “We’re closely studying how other organizations have accomplished similar feats. Locally, we can point to the Willamette Valley Vineyards IPO as inspiration. Bottom line, their success shows that it can be done.”
As to how profits will be reinvested to support the local economy and community, Porter emphasized community engagement going forward, saying, “As part of our due diligence during the sale process, we will conduct an economic analysis to determine how best to steward the mountain, both in terms of infrastructural and environmental investments. We want to be sure that MBCI responsibly stewards the resort, our lands, and our community moving forward.”
Continuing, he said, “We understand there are a lot of questions about how MBCI, if successful in its bid to purchase Mount Bachelor, would invest in the resort. That’s why we’re prioritizing community engagement and our economic analysis to ensure that we maximize the impact of every dollar invested in our effort and ensure that these investments align with our core values.”
Recently, MBCI saw success in that they have received the full backing of Bend City Mayor Melanie Kebler and the city council. According to Porter, the mayor and city council will be supporting MBCI in their outreach to additional stakeholders and prospective partners.
Now, the biggest thing on MBCI’s agenda is getting ready and spreading awareness for their kickoff event in Drake Park on October 12. This event will include live music, drinks, food trucks, and speeches from community leaders, “to underscore the broad community support for MBCI’s mission,” according to Porter.
Aside from the kickoff event, Porter said that, going forward, MBCI will focus on engaging with potential investors, stakeholders, local businesses and others to educate them about MBCI and their mission.
