By Polly Mikula
Michael Ferri has been an active part of the Killington community since 1970 when his parents bought a condo. As a skier, homeowner, and parent of three former Killington Mountain School students, Killington has played a massive role in the fabric of Ferri’s life.
Ferri is a driving force in the automotive industry, spearheading dynamic business ventures alongside his brother, Paul. Together, they own and operate Valvoline Instant Oil Change franchises and Mr. Sparkle Car Wash locations.
As part of a family-owned business, Ferri places great importance on contributing to the communities where their businesses operate. He recognizes that their success is deeply intertwined with the well-being of local communities. This understanding drives him to engage actively in community development initiatives, including sponsoring local events, supporting educational programs, and partnering with local charities.
Q&A with Michael Ferri
Do you ski or ride?
I ski.
What are your ties to Killington?
I started skiing here as a little kid in 1970 when my parents bought a condominium at Killington. My sister went to the Killington Mountain School and went on to ski for Dartmouth, and she owns a home there with her family. I now have a house here and so does my brother. I have three boys that matriculated from KMS, two of them went on to ski for Colby, one of them skied for Dartmouth.
I’ve been involved with the Killington Mountain School for a number of years. My father’s 85 and my mother’s 83 and they still ski 10 to 15 days a year.
So our roots inside the community and our commitment to the mountain have been there for a long time.
What’s your favorite trail on the mountain?
I have four favorites. I love Cascade, Needles Eye, Highline and I love what they’ve done with Bunny Buster into mousetrap, with the tunnels on those trails. I think it’s amazing.
What’s your favorite type of skiing?
I’m not a mogul skier. I love the wide open groomers, and the steeper, the better.
(While he’s not personally into uphill travel his sons are.)
Why this investment?
Well, I probably wouldn’t have been the slightest bit interested in another resort. It’s the tie to the community and the mountain and the roots we have here — and the scale of it all. It’s the biggest mountain in the East, by far. No matter how you measure it, it’s the biggest. And the timing of what’s going on here is really exciting: the timing of the village and the new housing in conjunction with investment in the mountain itself. I think it’s really going to be great to see over the next 10 years.
Best case scenario, how would you like to see Killington look 10 years from now?
I think Killington has the potential to be one of the best mountains in the country certainly — from a guest skier experience point of view — after we get through a new village and reinvestment strategy to bring infrastructure up to top notch.
What do you think Killington’s greatest strengths are?
The third party company that we engaged to give us their take on Killington couldn’t have been more complimentary of Mike Solimano and the leadership and management team at Killington. It really made us much more comfortable getting involved in this. I mean, Phill and I have no experience running a ski resort. It’s great that we have them [the leadership team] in place, and they’re completely committed to staying on and guiding this mountain. You couldn’t ask for anything better than that.
Is there a specific project that you’ll be pushing to prioritize?
No, I don’t think so. I mean, they [Solimano and the leadership team] know what’s working and what’s not. They know what’s needed. There’s lots of opportunities that have been pointed out. It’s up to him and his leadership team to figure out.
What changes can the community expect to see first?
Well, we’ve already ordered a bunch of new snow guns to save energy, which is great for the mountain. They’ve already starting to arrive at Killington. So I would say, that’s the first thing they’re going to see this winter: those new Low-E snowguns. The resort has some already and there’s a program in place in conjunction with Green Mountain Power… we’re helping to accelerate that investment specifically. Some of those guns will end up at Pico as well.
What response have you heard so far from from the community?
I’ve gotten a lot of responses today [Thursday, Aug. 22] from all of our friends and family that have been in Killington for years. They are excited that it’s in our hands and in local hands.
Change creates naysayers, which I’m sure there’ll be some out there, but they’ll be proven wrong.
