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Boyne Resorts
Private
Founded 1947 (as Boyne Ski Lodge)
Headquarters Boyne Falls, Michigan
Key people
 John Kircher, President, Western Operations Stephen Kircher, President, Eastern Operations
Number of employees
 10,500+ full time and seasonal (2019)

Boyne Resorts is a company that owns and runs many fun places to visit, like ski resorts and golf resorts, mostly in the United States. They have over 7,000 people working for them, both full-time and for the busy seasons. Boyne Resorts manages 13 different places, including 10 ski resorts and 11 golf courses. The company's main office is in Boyne Falls, Michigan. They own or operate properties in several U.S. states like Michigan, Montana, Washington, Maine, New Hampshire, Tennessee, and Utah. They also have a property in British Columbia, Canada.

How Boyne Resorts Started

Boyne Resorts was started in 1947 by three friends: Everett Kircher, Jim Christianson, and John Norton. They bought a big hill in Northern Michigan for just $1! Then, they bought a chairlift from a place called Sun Valley and set it up at their new resort. This was the very first chairlift ever built, and it's still used today, though it has been updated many times.

In 1954, Boyne built the Gatlinburg Skylift in Tennessee. It was a popular attraction for tourists in the summer. Later, in 1963, they added Boyne Highlands in Northern Michigan. By 1967, their first resort, Boyne Mountain, grew to include more chairlifts and a golf course. A famous golf course designer, Robert Trent Jones, created the first golf course at Boyne Highlands in 1966.

Growing Bigger

Boyne Resorts kept growing! In 1976, they bought Big Sky Resort in Montana. This resort had only opened a few years before. Today, Big Sky is the second-largest ski resort in the United States when you look at how much land it covers.

In 1986, Boyne bought Brighton near Salt Lake City, Utah. During the 1990s, they added more golf courses in Michigan and Florida. Then, in 1997, they got their fifth ski resort, Crystal Mountain in Washington.

New Adventures and Family Leadership

In 2001, Boyne Resorts expanded into Canada by adding Cypress Mountain near Vancouver, British Columbia. This was a big deal because Cypress Mountain later hosted the Freestyle and Snowboard events for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games!

In 2002, Everett Kircher, the person who started Boyne, passed away. But his dream of keeping Boyne a family-owned company continued. He had given ownership to his children in 1976. His children had already been working in the company for many years. Today, John Kircher and Stephen Kircher lead different parts of the company. Amy Kircher is the Chairperson of the board.

Boyne Resorts also has special ways of making snow. They even have patents for their snowmaking technologies! They've shown off their newest technology, called the Boyne Low E Fan Gun, at their resorts in the eastern U.S.

In 2017, John Kircher, who had been the CEO for 20 years, took over Crystal Mountain completely. Then, in 2018, Boyne Resorts bought back several resorts they had been leasing for years. These included Sunday River, Sugarloaf, The Summit at Snoqualmie, Loon Mountain, Brighton, and Cypress Mountain Ski Area. This made Boyne the largest family-owned ski resort company in North America, based on the number of resorts they operate.

Places Boyne Resorts Owns

Here are some of the properties that Boyne Resorts owns or operates:

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