As a women entrepreneur of one of the largest vacation rental companies in Park City, Rhonda Sideris knows firsthand the challenges women face in the workplace. Not someone who shies away from a challenge—as her previous walks of life as a bull rider, white water rafting guide, or restaurant owner show—she took the proverbial bull by the horns and toppled the stereotypes at Park City Lodging. Sideris, president and founder of Park City Lodging, created an inclusive culture that empowers women to succeed, and the reaches extend well into the Park City community.
“I encountered my fair share of challenges as a businesswoman in Utah, so I want to do everything in my power to help pave the way for all women,” Sideris said.
Empowering Women in the Workplace
“I am honored that Park City Lodging received this award. Championing equality has always been a part of my ethic,” notes Sideris. “I believe it elevates our company and community as a whole. Currently, 52% of the employees at Park City Lodging are women, and women fill the majority of director and management-level positions. We offer mentorship, networking, and educational opportunities to provide additional tools to flourish.”
The workplace culture supports flexible work schedules that create a positive work-life balance and even celebrates vacation time from the top down, a hard-to-find quality in the business world. For new moms, infants are welcome in the office for the first six months. The company also offers up to six weeks of paid time off, family leave, 100% of health insurance, and a ski pass or gym membership benefits. Park City Lodging is also exploring a childcare benefit to offer employees.
Giving Back to Women in the Community
The Park City Lodging culture of empowering women extends into the Park City community. Since 2018, the company and its homeowners have partnered with Image Reborn, a nonprofit organization providing free renewal retreats for breast cancer survivors. An estimated one in every eight women is diagnosed with breast cancer within their lifetime, notes Sideris. This diagnosis forever changes lives—physically, mentally, and emotionally. Breast cancer patients and survivors frequently express anger, anxiety, despair, helplessness, loneliness, fear of death, and suicidal thoughts post-diagnosis. Image Reborn’s Renewal Retreats provide a weekend of relaxation, camaraderie, and a safe place to grieve, find hope, and the tools necessary to move forward.
According to Image Reborn, one of the individuals’ biggest challenges is finding adequate accommodations, and Park City Lodging helps fill that gap. “In 2022, we provided 33% of the housing in Park City to facilitate retreats and help the survivors thrive. We cover the cleaning and administrative fees and coordinate with homeowners who provide lodging at no cost,” said Sideris.” Accommodations for these retreats are vital and create a homelike setting allowing for a healing tone that lingers throughout the weekend and beyond.”
Park City Lodging also supports the Park City Women’s Giving Fund (WGF), an endowment that provides high-impact grants to help local women and children in need. The grants helped numerous organizations in Summit County expand services that directly impact and support women and children, such as:
- Park City Tots provides affordable daycare for low-income families.
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah increases the number of youth served in the Summit County mentoring program.
- Hope Alliance provides screenings and eye care to uninsured women and children.
- Peace House supports its transitional housing program for victims of domestic violence.
Sideris is a founding member of the WGF and gifts memberships to employees, so Park City Lodging has a more significant impact and contributes to the community in tangible ways. Each member contributes to the endowment, participates in community events, and each year the members vote on which nonprofit receives the donation and has the largest impact on women and children in the community.
Affordable Housing Program
Park City is a popular resort town, and like so many resort areas across the west, it is experiencing an affordable housing shortage as home prices skyrocket. The company owns seven affordable housing properties available to employees at a discount.