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ranked 11th among midsized companies in
the
Denver Post
2014 list of top workplaces
in the Denver region.
The community of Breckenridge com-
pletes the circle. “We’re proud of the fact that
we are leaders in philanthropy here,” says
Millisor. The company refuses to turn away
any nonprofit in Summit County. In the past
year, Breckenridge Grand Vacations con-
tributed nearly US$1 million to local causes,
including US$500,000 to the new community
center. Employees are also encouraged to
volunteer and give back. The company has
proven itself to be a responsible citizen by
earning the Sustainable Breck Certification
for meeting strict green standards set by the
Town of Breckenridge.
Social Media Ingenuity
Celebrating Breckenridge is also the driver
behind the successful social media market-
ing campaign to generate sales leads and
promote Breckenridge Grand Vacations’
newest resort.
“We’d dabbled with Facebook pages for our resorts, but what
really rocketed us to a different level was creating a new brand called
Best of Breckenridge for people interested in Breckenridge,” says
Ginny Vietti, vice president of marketing. Vietti’s team populates the
Best of Breckenridge Facebook page with tips, snow reports, and
content mined from the Breckenridge Ski Area and GoBreck, the
local destination marketing organization. The content was such a hit,
the page went from 500 to 15,000 likes in six months. “Now we’re at
more than 55,000 likes, and growing,” Vietti reports.
Vietti uses Facebook’s advertising tools to target qualified
prospects. Then telemarketing follows up with a phone call. “We’re
converting these leads at an astronomical rate — somewhere
around 20 to 25 percent,” Vietti reports.
“We couldn’t talk about our new development yet, because we
weren’t through the real estate approvals, so we came up with the
idea of celebrating skiing in Breckenridge
through the decades,” Vietti says. A video
introduced the “WhatsNextBreck” cam-
paign, inviting owners to post photos and
stories on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram
on Throwback Thursday, using the hash-
tags #TBT and #WhatsNextBreck. The
eight-week campaign was a nod to Peak 8,
which is where it all began, as well as the
future home of Grand Colorado on Peak 8.
Each week one featured photo earned the
poster a Throwback Prize, such as roller
blades or retro sunglasses. The grand prize
included a vacation for two, including air-
fare, lodging, season passes for 10 ski
resorts, and custom skis.
“We had a great turnout,” Vietti says.
“People took the time to find a photo from
the ’70s or ’80s and scan it in. We got some
great content we have permission to use.”
Some of the photos have been repurposed
for a follow-up video that provides details
about the new resort, and will likely re-
engage the original participants.
Vietti added three full-time people to her staff to coordinate new
Web and social media initiatives. “I think we’ll keep investing in it if it
keeps performing,” she says, noting that by November 2014, they’d
already beat their annual goal for qualified leads from social media.
An Exciting Evolution
No one is more gratified by the company’s evolution over 30 years
than Millisor. “We’ve really kept our entrepreneurial spirit. I look at
where we were when we started and where we are now. We’ve been
very, very fortunate,” he says. “Certainly not because of me or my
two partners, but because we have an absolutely wonderful team.
We all have the same passion, and that’s creating grand vacations
for our owners. That’s what we’re about.”
See page 2 for currency conversions.
Developer:
Breckenridge Grand Vacations;
partners: Rob Millisor, Mike Millisor, Mike
Dudick
Headquarters:
Breckenridge, Colorado
Product:
Fixed and floating deeded weeks
Price:
US$15,000 to US$450,000
Resorts:
Gold Point Condominiums, Grand
Timber Lodge, and the Grand Lodge on Peak
7. Grand Colorado on Peak 8 (under
construction)
Website:
breckenridgegrandvacations.com
Social Media Sites:
facebook.com/GrandColorado
twitter.com/GrandLodgePeak7
youtube.com/user/GrandLodgeOnPeak7CO
instagram.com/grandlodgeonpeak7
pinterest.com/grandlodgepeak7
Breckenridge
Grand Vacations
fast
facts
48
GRAND COLORADO ON PEAK 8