By Jim Servin
Home is where the heart is for Vail and Aspen realtors Slifer Smith & Frampton, a firm with an origin story going back 62 years, lauded for its deep commitment to local nonprofit organizations. Founders Rod Slifer, Mark Smith and Harry Frampton had deep ties to skiing outposts in Colorado, and wanted to make serving Vail Valley, Roaring Fork Valley and its environs a priority. “Rod Slifer was practically a ski bum who wanted more for his community and saw real estate as an avenue to build up Vail to be a great ski destination. He, Mark Smith and Harry Frampton built up Vail Village,” says Krista Klees, Roaring Fork Valley president for Slifer Smith & Frampton.
This summer, the indie powerhouse worked with nonprofits Smiling Goat Ranch, the Roaring Fork PreCollegiate Program, Roaring Fork Conservancy, Aspen Board Of Realtors Bill Heldman/Stark King Scholarship Fund, and The Aspen Challenge. At a concert series in Basalt, money raised from beverage sales raised $12,000 for local nonprofits.
“Our valley is full of people who love to support and give back,” says Klees. “I love the tagline for our company: ‘Real estate is local, and your brokerage should be, too.’ Our expertise is not limited to real estate but is all-encompassing of everything we get to do in this valley. We’re the people on the ski hill six days a week, who know exactly which runs to take you on, where the best place for après-ski is, or where to take your dogs when you’re here for summer vacation. It’s a very positive environment to be around.”
Slifer Smith & Frampton employees enjoy company ski days in the winter at Snowmass Mountain and happy hours every summer at the Woody Creek Tavern, down the road from Aspen. “A sense of place is something we strive to bring to everything we do,” says Klees, “whether that be finding you a home, selling you a home, finding you a community.”
Five years ago, the firm further strengthened its philanthropic commitments with the hire of Klees as president of Roaring Fork Valley for Slifer Smith & Frampton. A local realty dynamo for 35 years, Klees hosts the Lucky Chances Luncheon, an annual event that raises funds for five small nonprofits in the valley. “When Krista joined Slifer, they offered to match $30,000 in donations each year,” says Camilla Affelin, VP of Broker Development for Slifer Smith & Frampton. “In our competitive market of the Aspen Valley, it’s not always the nature for real estate brokers to give back. Krista has been a trendsetter of that. She set the tone—that’s how we hold ourselves, that’s how we support the community around us. We give as much as we can.” slifersmithandframpton.com