SB Time Capsule

Strictly Business is proud to introduce a new feature.

The Strictly Business Time Capsule will be both a celebration of where the North Country business community has been, where we are now and an invitation to imagine where the next decade may lead. In revisiting businesses from our archives, we will examine what has endured, what has transformed and how the visions of yesterday shaped the realities of today. For some, the journey has meant steady expansion and generational leadership. For others, it has meant navigating closures, reinventions or new ownership. Each story will be a reminder that business is never static—it is a living, evolving reflection of people, community and time.

THEN: 1992

The Olympic Package

By Mary Carpenter

Lake Placid has been an international year-round destination since it hosted the third Winter Olympics in 1932, and its status was strengthened in 1980 when the thirteenth Winter Games were held in the village.

Unlike other communities that establish short-term organizing committees to manage a major event, Lake Placid has a full time, professional organization, the New York Olympic Regional Development Authority, to handle the task of directing sports competitions.

In 1982, New York Governor Hugh Carey tapped Ned Harkness who was then the director of the Adirondack Red Wings and general manager of the Glens Falls Civic Center to head the newly formed Authority. Harkness brought a rich background to his new position. During his tenure, the Authority has conducted over 175 national and international competitions bringing thousands of athletes and millions of tourists to the Adirondack region each year and pumping millions of dollars into the economy of the North Country.

Following are excerpts from SB’s interview with Olympic Authority President and Chief Executive Officer Ned Harkness. Harkness was joined in the interview by Don Krone, the Authority’s Vice President of Public Relations.

When and why was the Olympic Regional Development Authority founded?

Harkness: Up until the mid-1980s there had never been an Olympics that made any money and Lake Placid was no exception. When the Olympics were over in March of 1980 there was a $7-8 million deficit and a lot of creditors out there that had to be paid. Governor Hugh Carey and the state legislature recognized the valuable resource that had been built in Lake Placid and agreed to pay off the creditors if all the Olympic facilities were grouped under one head. The state and the village entered into a contract to bring all the facilities under the control of an authority formed in 1982 and now better known as the New York State Olympic Authority. The Authority is made up of ten members, two appointed by the governor — one of whom must reside in Warren County, one appointed by the Assembly and one by the Senate, three from the town of North Elba, and the commissioners of the NYS Departments of Economic Development, Environmental Conservation and Parks and Recreation. The mandate of the Authority was, and still is, to manage, maintain and promote the facilities and to help the economy of the entire region. With that in mind we set out to develop this as the “Winter Sports Capital of the World.”

How is the Authority funded?

Harkness: $3.4 million comes from the state to fund Mt. Van Hoevenberg and the Whiteface Mountain ski area. The town of North Elba gives us $500,000 for the arena complex. The rest of our money is generated from operating the facilities and from corporate sponsorships. We have a corporate marketing staff that is always hustling.

Do you think we will ever see another Olympic Games in Lake Placid?

Harkness: We could, but if we do, it will be a long time. There is a lot of value to the Olympics, but there’s a downside to it as well. The Olympics are important because of the magnitude of the events and also the magic of the name, but for the economy of the Adirondacks, the Winter World Series we put on each year is better. We have events running constantly from November right through the end of March. This area is never without a major event during the entire time. A normal Olympic Games draws about 1,700 athletes. Last year we brought 8,100 athletes from all over the world here for major events in the Winter World Series.

What economic impact does the Authority have on the region?

Harkness: The Olympic Authority is the largest employer in Essex County. During the winter months our staff numbers are over 1200 including our Whiteface and Gore Mountain operations. In the summer that number drops to about 400. It is not stretching the imagination to say that the Olympic facility here is the finest of its type in the world. Every year we put on more world, national and regional events on a continuous basis than any other place in the world and these events draw millions of tourists.

Krone: We run an Olympic package in the summer that draws over two million people just to tour our facilities. We have athletes training here all year long. Already this season we’ve had Olympic trials in indoor speed skating, biathlon, ski jumping, and Nordic combined. In addition to these Olympic caliber athletes, we also host more than 20,000 hockey players for tournament competition each year.

Harkness: We have one of the largest public relations and marketing staffs of any profession organization in the country. Our people travel the world over. We represent the Olympic region at the largest ski show in the world in London. We also go to virtually every ski show in the U.S. — as far west as Chicago and as far south as Miami — to promote and market our facilities. We spend over $2.5 million annually promoting this region. The average motel or attraction in this area would never have the opportunity to get the exposure that our marketing efforts give them. The goal of our marketing department is to bring ski groups to Whiteface and Gore and to bring national and world-class events to the Olympic facilities. All our world-class events are televised on one of the major networks or ESPN. There are a lot of ski centers in the world as good as Whiteface, but there’s no place in the world that has more activities for the whole family than we do.

Krone: In terms of economic impact, the best indicator we have is sales tax receipts. It is a fair assumption that at least 75 to 80 percent of the sales tax receipts in Essex County are generated by our facilities and activities of the Olympic Authority. In 1980, the year of the Olympic Games, sales tax receipts netted Essex County five million dollars and that was a record. Now receipts are consistently up over ten million dollars a year. Even accounting for inflation, that’s quite an increase. Also, we’ve seen a building boom of second home development and new business start-ups in the area. The success of Lake Placid and the surrounding area is one of the reasons the environmentalists have become so concerned about the Adirondack Park.

Harkness: I think most people are very happy with what we do for the area. There is no other place in the world quite like Lake Placid and the Olympic region and there is no other organization like the Olympic Authority. We’re unique.

NOW: 2025

It has been three decades since SB featured the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) as its cover feature. Much has changed during that time, but the organization’s mission remains the same.

ORDA was created to maintain the venues from the 1980 Winter Olympics. Currently the agency manages and operates facilities and attractions and produces major sporting events. Among its properties are the Whiteface, Gore and Belleayre Mountain Ski Centers, Mt. Van Hoevenberg Complex, the Olympic Jumping Center, the Ice Center, and the Speed skating Oval.

Let’s take a look at some of ORDA’s accomplishments over the years:

The most well-known of ORDA’s properties is Whiteface Mountain. While the mountain has a long and storied history, its transformation to a ski center began in 1957 when New York State authorized $2.5 million to cut trails, erect two chair lifts and build a base lodge.

Lake Placid and Whiteface hosted the Winter Olympics in 1932 and again in 1980 – think “Miracle on Ice” when the U.S. hockey team defeated the Russian powerhouse. Improvement after improvement followed and the Lake Placid area became a destination for athletes and tourists alike.

In 1999 the Cloudsplitter, an eight-passenger gondola, began to transport skiers and sightseers from the Base Lodge to the summit of Little Whiteface.

Over the years innovations have transformed Whiteface. Between 2021 and 2025 the venue has undergone a significant upgrade to its snowmaking system, and a new lift system was installed. The mid-station lodge, built in the 1950’s and destroyed by fire in 2019, was rebuilt and opened in phases during the 2020-2021 ski season. The $14 million project created a new 10,000-square-foot lodge. Today Whiteface offers 90 trails, 11 lifts and the greatest vertical drop east of the Rockies.

Mt. Van Hoevenberg’s focus is bobsledding, luge and cross-county. Recent improvements include the new Mountain Pass Lodge which offers an indoor push track and a biathlon center. In 2020 construction was completed on 1.4-mile-long Cliffside Coaster that emulates an Olympic bobsled experience, running alongside the actual bobsled tracks used in the 1980 Winter Games. At over 7,600 feet, it is the longest mountain roller coaster in the country, offering 26 thrilling turns on its one-mile track.

The Olympic Jumping Center is home to ORDAs ski jump venues including the Skyride Experience which transports visitors via gondola and elevator to the base of the 128-meter ski jump platform, as well as the Sky Flyer Zipline where the brave can experience a 30 miles per hour ride from the top of a 70-foot tower, down 700 feet to a landing deck at the base.

In addition, the Olympic Ice Center, the Speed Skating Oval and the Olympic Center have all undergone major upgrades.

But Wait, There’s More

Events are an important part of ORDA’s mission. Over the years the organization has hosted more than 500 national and international competitions, including multiple World Championships and World Cups. The FISU World University Games, an international event for university athletes, were held in Lake Placid for the first time in 1972 and again in 2023. The Empire State Winter Games, a multi-sport event for amateur athletes of all ages are held annually in Lake Placid.

Economic Impact

The operations of the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) have a significant economic impact on the Adirondack region and the surrounding areas.

According to a recent independent economic impact study for the 2022–2023 fiscal year ORDA:

• Generated $341.8 million in total annual economic activity in the local and state economy.

• Supported 3,414 total jobs (full-time, part-time and seasonal).

• Generated $25.0 million in state and local tax revenues.

Visitors to ORDA facilities contributed $133.8 million to the local economy by spending money at off-site establishments like restaurants, hotels and retailers.

New York State’s capital investments, which have been substantial in recent years, have also created a large, economic impact through construction. In addition it is important to recognize its impact on the culture of the area. Where else can adults and children interact with world-class athletes and experience the thrill of vicariously participating in Olympic sports.

"Miracle on Ice"

ORDA

37 Church Street

Lake Placid, NY 12946

(518) 302-5371

www.orda.org