Katharina Schmitz succeeds Mark Bee as President of Doppelmayr USA

Mark joined Von Roll Tramways in 1989 and moved to Doppelmayr USA after Von Roll was acquired by Doppelmayr in 1996. Mark serves as President of Doppelmayr USA and is a member of the board of directors of Doppelmayr USA, Inc., and Doppelmayr Canada, Ltd. Over his 30-year career, Mark was involved with over 400 new ropeway installations throughout North America, and was instrumental in integrating three companies when Doppelmayr USA, Garaventa/CTEC and Von Roll Tramways merged in 2002. After his retirement Mark will continue to serve on the board of directors. Mark says, “It has been an honor and a privilege to be part of the Doppelmayr organization and to work in the ski industry. I could not have imagined a better career or a better company to work for.”

Katharina Schmitz, a native of Austria, moved to the United States in 2005 and has worked in the automotive sector for 3 years and in the aerospace sector for 10 years. Katharina has degrees in industrial engineering and international business and has spent most of her career in project management functions. Katharina joined Doppelmayr USA in 2018 as Vice President, Project Management. Last year she was promoted to Vice President of Operations where she was responsible for production, logistics and construction activities.

Katharina says, “I first contacted Mark in 2017 about possible employment opportunities with Doppelmayr. As a native Austrian and avid skier, I was well aware of the Doppelmayr name, and I was ready for a career change. When I was offered a position with Doppelmayr, I jumped. Since joining Doppelmayr I have been impressed with the dedication and talent of the employees and the continuous focus on solving problems for our customers. I will work very hard to continue to advance the capabilities of our team to make sure we are prepared to provide the best products and services to our many loyal customers, who have placed a great deal of trust in our organization.”

When asked a couple of months ago what he plans to do on the first day of his retirement, Mark said, “I’m a planner: On day one I will plan the activities for day two…” As it turned out, Mark’s wife Stephanie quickly took control over their retirement planning and on day one Mark dutifully performed the first of many home improvement projects in preparation for the family’s move to Arizona.