Diane still emphasizes the importance of customer service each fall, when she indoctrinates more than 1,200 seasonal employees into the "Okemo difference." Her message: It's everyone's job to exceed the expectations of their guests, whether that means offering help to a skier who's deciphering a trail map or recommending a favorite soup to someone lingering in a cafeteria line. Ski lift operators and cafeteria workers are friendly. And when the place is swarming with guests, it's still not unusual to find Tim working in the rental shop or Diane making sandwiches in the deli. Okemo also now has a team of veteran managers and 150 full-time employees.