“I literally got off the train and didn’t know anybody,” Bielec recalled. “The year I moved here, we had an amazing group of individuals that I was part of at the ski hill. Nobody had any money. Everyone would scrounge up enough for a case of beer and some rice. But because nobody had any money it kinda brought everyone closer together.”
One of the individuals who Bielec became really good friends with was Chris Doyle, who—like many others—was waiting to start his job as a “liftie”
“Next thing you know, everyone was sleeping in his room and it was just a huge party for six weeks before the ski hill even opened.”
Today, Bielec is the the general manager of the Sawridge Inn and Conference Centre, responsible for the profitability, maintenance and operation of one of Jaspers largest hotels.
Bielec’s career started in Toronto where he had been cooking and working in kitchens since he was 12 years old.
“I tried different things. I’ve always had a job as a cook my whole life,” Bielec explained.
“My parents had different visions for me. They put me in a pipe-fitting apprenticeship for about six months and I still cooked in the evenings. I’ve tried this and that but I always maintained a position in the kitchen. I never really liked anything else.”
Bielec says he came to Jasper “chasing the ski dream” with the intention of working a single winter season. A chance encounter at a Toronto Ski Show landed him a job at Marmot Basin. Originally he was going to work at Lake Louise; but the opportunity fell through when the human resources manager at Lake Louise ordered him to get a hair cut and change his attitude.
“[Another] individual overheard a conversation ... and offered me a job here in Jasper as a cook,” said Bielec. “I didn’t end up cutting my hair or changing my attitude and I ended up with a pretty good job out of the deal.”
One season led to another and eventually he was gaining his cooking apprenticeship at the Sawridge Inn.
“The snow at the end of the year keeps you coming back,” said Bielec. “One season rolled into another and—22 years later—here I am!”
Bielec’s career at the Sawridge continued to grow. Eight years ago, he became the director of food and beverage. Three years ago, he became the operations manager. And ,as of July last year, he has been the hotel’s general manager.
“It is pretty typical of Jasper,” said Bielec. “You come out for a ski season or you come out to raft for a year, one thing leads to another. I never really looked for a way to stay, it just kinda happens. It’s kinda hard to leave once you are embedded into the community.”
Bielec loves his job and can’t imagine being anywhere else.
“There is not a day that goes by that I am not completely grateful for what I have accomplished and the people who have helped me to get there,” said Bielec. “I absolutely love what I do. I can’t imagine myself doing anything else.”
