The Netflix of the ski rental industry.

• Author: Taylor, Mike
• Position: SMALL biz

JOE STERNBERG WAS MANAGING A STEAMBOAT Springs ski shop 10 years ago when country singer Alan Jackson called from the Sheraton Hotel asking if his rental skis could be delivered to his room.

"He said, "Hey, I need some skis, but I had a really long flight. I don't feel like coming down there,'" Sternberg recalls.

Sternberg's co-workers in back of the shop heard this and mocked the country singer "You ain't no Garth Brooks, get down here!' but Sternberg took the singer up on his request, and that's how Black Tie Ski Rentals was born.

Sternberg stayed up all night writing a business plan for a ski rental delivery service, the first of its kind, what Sternberg calls the "Netflix of the ski industry."

The next morning Sternberg shared the plan with his friend and fellow Rochester, N.Y., transplant, Ian Prichard, who would become a cofounder. Sternberg was 35 at the time, Prichard 25.

They spent the first two years operating out of Prichard's garage, using his kitchen as their office. For deliveries they had one van. Today, Black

"Lie Ski Rentals is the largest ski-rental delivery business in North America. The original Steamboat operation boasts 40 employees and seven vans hauling skis, boots, poles and snowboards to vacationers throughout the resort and fitting them on the spot.

"Just call on us, and no travel, no baggage, no bringing skis on an airplane,'1 Sternberg says. "Use us every year, and you get new skis every year. It makes that first day a whole lot easier. Because traveling with the family on a ski vacation is not easy."

Black Tie's revenues doubled in year two and grew another 45 percent in year three. At that point, Sternberg and Prichard expanded to Aspen. The same year, 2004, they licensed the concept to an owner in Big Sky, Mont. They've since inked licensing agreements at 12 additional locations, including all the major Colorado ski areas plus North and South Lake Tahoe, Mammoth, Park City and Whistler. Every outlet is independently owned and operated, with owners paying a S25,000 licensing fee plus about [section]7,000 to a marketing fund.

The concept really is Nctflix-like. Before their trip, vacationers simply log on to www.blacktieskis.com, find their resort and place their order.

"They go online, set the time, set what packages they want, and they submit it to us," Sternberg says. "We send them a confirmation, and we go the night they arrive and set them up pack everything up invery' nice, classy Black Tic bags."

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