2025 Annual Meeting Technical Workshop & Tour

Bear Creek Mountain Resort | Macungie, Pennsylvania

Bear Creek Mountain Snowmaking / Facilities Tour

Sunday, September 28 | 1:00 - 2:00 PM

Lacey Woodrow, Bear Creek Mountain Resort

Discover the incredible infrastructure and technology that keeps the Bear Creek Mountain Resort running smoothly year-round. This exclusive 1-hour guided experience offers a fascinating look into the essential systems and teams that power everything from snowmaking to lift operations. The tour will include the following:

  • Facilities & Wastewater Management: Explore the backbone of resort functionality.
  • Snowmaking Operations: Uncover the science and strategy behind perfect powder.
  • Vehicle Maintenance & Grooming Equipment: Get up close with the machines that shape the mountain.
  • Lift Maintenance & Electrical Systems: See how we keep guests moving safely and efficiently.

Speaker Bio

  • Lacey Woodrow is a seasoned professional with over 13 years of experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry, specializing in the meticulous organization of special event planning. Known for her drive and consistent career progression, Lacey thrives under pressure and routinely exceeds performance metrics, including meeting tight deadlines.

    Her expertise includes leading successful transitions during property renovations, including re-openings and re-brandings. She played a pivotal role in restructuring wedding marketing strategies and executing high-impact weddings in collaboration with operations teams at a top 10 Hilton Hotel in the Americas, a 175-room property. Lacey’s commitment to excellence and her strategic approach to hospitality operations make her a valuable asset in any high-performance environment.

Workshop: Workforce Development for Now and for the Future

Sunday, September 28 | 2:00 - 4:00 PM, Mountainside B

Eric Rensel, Rensel Consulting, and Tyler Hartman, RK&K

Workforce development deals with recruiting and retaining the people we need to do the work society relies on us to do.  Workforce Development is a mainstay of ITE's focus as it strives to equip members with the tools they need.  In the past few years, the types of transportation professional needed have become more varied and, in some cases, more specialized.  ITE is also on the forefront of this topic by engaging with other national organizations as a founding member of the Engineering Workforce Consortium (https://engineeringworkforce.org/) to take action on ensuring that we have the talent pipeline and the ongoing workforce we need.  During the recent ITE Annual Meeting in Orlando, ITE recorded 8 hours of workforce development from 30 interviews.  The top ten themes identified were: Mentorship, STEM Outreach, Hands-On Experience, Retention, Succession Planning, Soft Skills, Collaboration, Alternative Pathways, Global Perspectives, and Technology Skills. During this interactive workshop, attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about these themes and add their voice to the dialog about what we as an industry and we as ITE members should do.

Speaker Bios

  • Eric Rensel is the owner of Rensel Consulting, LLC. Eric has been a transportation professional for over 27 years and has practiced as a roadway designer, traffic engineer, and transportation systems management and operations (TSMO) professional. Before starting his own firm just over two years ago, he worked for a large engineering firm and at that firm was responsible for starting a traffic management center staffing division and an advanced mobility group. The advanced mobility group brought together transportation engineers and transportation planners to focus on TSMO, connected automated vehicles, and other technology-based transportation-related areas. Finally, he was also responsible for the reorganization of the transportation planning division, which integrated the advanced mobility group with traditional transportation planners. Eric is an accomplished facilitator and strategic planner. With his new company, he has focused on integrating those strengths into strategic advisory services and combining them with related services such as program management and owner representative duties. Eric also has extensive ITE experience, having started as the central area program coordinator for MASITE, served as MASITE President, chaired the ITE International TSMO Council, and Council Leadership Team, which included an ex officio role on the ITE International Board of Directors. Under Eric's leadership the ITE Technical Councils were restructured to reduce the administrative burden of leadership in favor of more time for creativity. Eric also created the Great Idea Group concept and participated in the formation of the Equity Committee as well as the Data & Analytics Committee. Eric currently represents ITE International with external groups focused on Workforce Development with a primary focus on the Engineering Workforce Consortium. The mission of Eric's representation for these groups is to create new partnerships that ITE members can leverage for their own career advancement and for the advancement of transportation engineering and planning overall.

  • Tyler Hartman, PE, PTOE, RSP1 is a Project Engineer II at RK&K with eight years of traffic engineering experience. He holds a civil engineering degree from Widener University and is licensed in DE, PA, TX, OH, ME, and NV. For the past three years, Tyler has actively engaged in STEM outreach through FTC, Transportation Camp, organized STEM days, and student panels. He remains a strong advocate for integrating STEM outreach into ITE programming, fostering opportunities for future engineers.

Back to Annual Meeting Homepage