LOCAL is a Verb! - Andy Beerman

Being local isn't about how long you've been somewhere. It's about what you do once you're there.

Andy Beerman came to Park City in 1995 without much of a plan beyond finding a way to stay in the mountains. Before that there was Ohio, NOLS, Alaska, mountaineering, a climbing accident and a Salt Lake climbing gym. Then came White Pine Touring, couch surfing in Park City, buying a house he could barely afford, meeting Thea because she bought skis and decided he looked hungry, and eventually taking on Treasure Mountain Inn.

Somewhere along the way, business ownership turned into HOA politics. HOA politics turned into community involvement. And community involvement turned into ten years of public service, including four years as Mayor of Park City and the small complication of trying to run a ski town through COVID.

Max and Andy served together during those years, which Andy describes as the public-service equivalent of going to war together.

But this isn't really an episode about politics.

It's about choosing where you want to be, putting down roots, doing work that lasts, knowing when you've done enough, and remembering why people keep choosing Park City in the first place.

Andy makes a pretty good case that the person who arrived six months ago may love this place every bit as much as the person who's been here for 30 years.

Local, it turns out, might be a verb.