We’re starting a new series highlighting some of these amazing people who work here at Cannonsburg in all different departments.
This “Webisode” covers the Tri-Force. Doug Gale, Marc Moline and Kelly Bennett. These three are often found in Doug’s office exchanging ideas, laughing and finding ways to continue making Cannonsburg better every single day. Read on to learn a little bit about these behind-the-scenes faces. They’re pretty cool dudes!
THE HOPE
Doug Gale loves Cannonsburg. He’s been skiing here since he was just a kid, and he has 
always believed in its potential. Now, he’s making all of those visions happen. Doug works around the clock finding ways to improve Cannonsburg and make it a year round destination.
Doug has loved working on reinventing Cannonsburg since he took over operations in July 2010. He wanted to create a destination in Grand Rapids for skiers and snowboarders alike. While it has been a hard journey, he’s seeing the pay-off every single day through all of the positive feedback from skiers and riders. Doug is always watching edits from Cannonsburg, reading Facebook comments from followers and making sure every single person who comes to Cannonsburg has a positive experience and leaves wanting to come back day after day.
Doug’s priority when taking over was to improve across the board. He invested heavily in all areas, from new snow guns to new rental equipment. While Doug loves his job and the people he works with, he hates stressing over Michigan weather and waiting for winter to arrive. Doug is concerned with ensuring all customers understand his personal dedication to their ski & ride experience. He is quick to point out that while we’ve invested heavily in the terrain park experience at Cannonsburg, we’ve also invested in making it an all-around family destination by expanding skiable terrain and improving the operations on the hill.
Doug’s ultimate vision for Cannonsburg is for it to be a serious go-to destination not only in Michigan but for the entire Midwest. He is beyond excited about Cannonsburg winning the Transworld Top Three parks in the Midwest and hopes Cannonsburg will continue gaining respect and recognition for their efforts.
Kelly loves working with Doug. “He is about as hands on as an owner can be. For instance, Shredtoberfest. When it was time to maintain between heats, he had a rake and shovel and helped move snow and fix the run-ins and take offs. He’s not afraid to help out when an extra hand is needed.”
You never know where Doug will be on any given day. He might in his office, on the hill, in the rental building, anywhere. Doug likes to make sure every aspect of Cannonsburg is running smoothly and that every single skier and rider is having a great experience. Be sure to say hi to Doug! He loves getting to know those who call Cannonsburg their home mountain.
THE VISION
Marc Moline started riding at Cannonsburg nearly 20 years ago. Marc always had a unique vision for Cannonsburg, but previous ownership was never interested in exploring his ideas. Over the past ten years he was worked for several resorts and industry brands from Vermont to Colorado. In 2010, Doug reached out asking for help redefining and rebranding Cannonsburg. Marc couldn’t resist. He packed up his life in Colorado and moved back to Michigan along with his terrain park counterpart Kelly Bennett, ready to make his home resort a go-to destination.
When asked what his job title is, Marc gave his typical modest grin and shrugged. He has been in charge of Cannonsburg’s image and identity since 2010. This means marketing, working with sponsors, terrain park design, overseeing media, and a plethora of other tasks. Some days you might find him in his office listening to music, working on designing a park for a certain event. Other days you can find him running the cat, building out that same design.
Marc is thankful to have a job with a lot of creative freedom. Even early on when given a major task such as rebranding the company, he had complete trust and support from ownership to take the right direction. He can build his dream park set-ups, create his own apparel designs and concoct amazing events for Cannonsburg.
This season, keep an eye out for Marc on the hill during events. Normally he’s the guy on the microphone, but he’s taking on other roles. Filming and photography are major passions he is hoping to do more with this season. He can also be spotted slaying park features with his NeverSummer Revolver, giving tips and helping kids stomp tricks.
THE MUSCLE
Kelly Bennett is entering his third season as the Outdoor Operations Manager aka “the guy everyone comes to.” He moved from Colorado to Michigan in 2011 after consulting and travelling back and forth to Cannonsburg for a season. You’ve probably seen Kelly running the snow cat, building out Cannonsburg’s renowned terrain parks. He also runs snowmaking, performs lift maintenance, mows grass, maintains features, ensures the cat is running correctly, AND manages a day shift while trying to get some sleep!
Kelly started out snowboarding in his Maryland hometown and began taking his passion for riding a step further. He’s worked on the east coast and out west, but is proud to call the midwest his home. Kelly often works around the clock making sure all outdoor aspects of Cannonsburg are running smoothly and up to a high standard. It isn’t uncommon for Kelly to work all day on a park build, work overnight, watch the event, then go home and crash!
Marc loves working with Kelly because of his high level of commitment and willingness to try anything, no matter how crazy the feature or park design.
Kelly also loves the artistic freedom at Cannonsburg which allows him to create dream terrain parks. He loves the feeling of community and family at Cannonsburg. Kelly’s least favorite part about working at Cannonsburg, however, is how little snow has fallen the past two seasons. He’s quick to point out how much he loves working on the slopes of Cannonsburg, even without natural snow.
“You don’t need a 3,000 ft vertical to build an amazing park.” Kelly said. His cat operation is detailed. Kelly won’t stop until a jump is built and groomed to perfection, a rail is in the exact right spot or all groomed terrain is skiable for the day.
When Kelly isn’t at Cannonsburg, he’s hanging out with his wife, watching movies, playing guitar or dirtbiking. You can find him hanging out at events with a fake mullet and a majestic mustache. He is modest about his role at Cannonsburg and is quick to point out that none of this would be possible without his coworkers and team. He’s made many good memories in his few seasons at Cannonsburg and is looking forward to many more. This season, watch for Kelly in the snowcat or hanging out at events, maybe even participating in a few like the Boardercross!
Check back next week for a few more awesome Cannonsburg employees!
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