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Family Ski Destination Thrives with Help from Local Bank

Family Ski Destination Thrives with Help from Local Bank

11/11/2021

Pathfinder Bank offers the services of large, national banks but with a more personal, community-based focus. For the Monette family, a relationship with this kind of bank was just what they had in mind. “Life, business, everything is about relationships,” says Brian Monette, Co-Owner of Titus Mountain Family Ski Center in Malone, New York. "Pathfinder Bank is like our family bank, it doesn't matter if they're a half-hour away or three hours away," adds Monette, "whenever you call or need something, they're there."

In 2011, brothers Christopher, Bruce, and Brian Monette purchased the ski lodge near their home in Northern, New York. A few years later, as they were looking to make changes and grow their business, they needed a financial partner and reached out to Pathfinder Bank.

Over the years, Monette has teamed up with Pathfinder Bank on many projects related to enhancing the customer experience, including equipment purchases and upgrades, facility development, state-of-the-art snowmaking, and more. “Anytime I pick up the phone and need something,” says Monette, “Pathfinder always say yes. How can we help you? What do you need? Love your business vision — how can we do it, how can we get you there?"

An entrepreneurial attitude is shared by Monette and his brothers, who run several businesses. Through building the Holiday Inn Express and Suites in Malone, the family knew that Titus Mountain was a good demand driver for the winter. “Honestly, we are a family that skis and we didn’t want to see the mountain close,” says Monette, “so, I guess the vision was to keep it open for the community and for ourselves.”

The Monette family has always been tight-knit. "We started with one little oil truck, and just kept trying to grow and build and get into different business ventures," says Monette. The brothers trade tasks when necessary, a pattern they may have started from childhood as a result of being raised with a family business. Their father and mother owned a dairy business and the brothers worked processing and bottling milk for stores and schools. “We did it, we did it every day,” adds Monette, “that really taught me to be a hard worker.”

Community is rated right behind family in the Monette value system. "This is where I'm raising my kids, and it's where Bruce and Chris are raising their kids, and hopefully it's where I get to see my grandkids grow up," Monette says. "If we can work hard every day to make our community a better place, to not only visit but to live, it's a great feeling."

As its name implies, Titus Mountain Family Ski Center is a place where children, teenagers, and adults can spend time having fun together and making memories that will last a lifetime. “You can come here with your five-year-old, or your 35-year-old and have a blast,” says Monette. It’s also a place where many school children learn to ski. The 4-1-1 Program charges a nominal fee for participating fourth graders in the area. Although suspended for COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, the program began by introducing 500 children to skiing and grew to serve over 3,700 fourth-graders in 2020. “We do it for schools in a 180-mile radius from Malone, whoever wants to come,” Monette adds.

After the initial visit, the fourth graders return for 4-1-1. “It’s the first time they learn to ski. They come here and we provide the skis and boots, and they go out with an instructor, and they learn how to ski.” The final session of the program is like a graduation of sorts, says Monette, and each child receives a free season’s pass at the end of the day. “So, they can come back anytime with their family,” adds Monette. The children show their parents what they have learned, and the family can enjoy this “lifelong sport” together.

It seems natural to the Monette family that their business encourages families to spend time together. “Family means everything. It’s all you have at the end of the day,” says Monette. “We know that we can’t grow the vertical size of the hill, but we can make it a true family destination mountain.”

For more information about business loans, contact Pathfinder Bank

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