State Olympic Regional Development Authority board Chairman Joe Martens, left, presents outgoing President and CEO Mike Pratt with a framed photo of Gore Mountain during his retirement party on Friday, Sept. 29 at the Craig Wood Golf Course. (Enterprise photo — Andy Flynn)

LAKE PLACID — About a dozen people honored outgoing state Olympic Regional Development Authority President and CEO Michael Pratt Friday, Sept. 29 at the Craig Wood Golf Course with speeches that highlighted his more than 37 years of service to the Olympic Authority.

The crowd was filled with friends, family, colleagues, staff, ORDA board members, politicians, business owners and local leaders.

The reason for all the well wishes, according to ORDA Communications Director Darcy Norfolk, was they were celebrating an “Olympic-sized retirement.”

“Mike, you mentioned the other day that you did not want a wake, and even this evening, you said, ‘I don’t want any eulogies.’ But unfortunately, you’re about to feel more uncomfortable. Sorry,” she said. “And the reason why is because Mike is all about the team, and he’s really all about us. There isn’t a day that goes by that he doesn’t give the employees credit, says thank you to the staff, and he also starts every sentence with ‘we.’ ‘We have a great team. The staff is doing a tremendous job.’ So to say he is humble is an understatement. But tonight, Mike, it’s all about you.”

After serving as interim president and CEO following the retirement of Ted Blazer, the ORDA Board officially appointed Pratt to the position permanently on March 21, 2017. Previously, he had been the general manager of the Gore Mountain ski center in North Creek for 21 years. His last day on the job as CEO was Thursday, Sept. 28. He spent the previous two weeks helping new President and CEO Ashley Walden with the transition and spent the day of his retirement party playing golf at the Whiteface Club golf course.

Broadcaster John Morgan emceed the event, inviting selected people to say a few words at the podium. Pratt received a number of gifts, including money for new golf clubs, a blue 1980 Olympic hockey team jersey, a framed photo of Gore Mountain and two Adirondack chairs, one for him and one for his wife, Sandi.

Pratt also received two proclamations, one from Gov. Kathy Hochul and one from the state Assembly, listing many of his accomplishments at ORDA, especially his leadership during the modernization of the Olympic Authority’s venues.

All those investments have given Lake Placid the chance to host some of the most prestigious events in sports, according to ORDA board Chairman Joe Martens.

“The World University Games last January. World Bobsled Championships,” Martens said. “We have three World Cups coming up to Lake Placid (luge, ski jumping and bobsled/skeleton), and that’s just the beginning, ladies and gentlemen. He has teed up all kinds of competition here that we couldn’t have hosted absent those investments.”

As president and CEO, Mike was in charge of an organization that manages a variety of properties throughout the state, from the Whiteface Mountain ski center and the Whiteface Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway in Wilmington; to the Olympic Center, ORDA administration building, Olympic Speedskating Oval, Olympic Jumping Complex, and Mount Van Hoevenberg Sliding Center and Nordic Center in Lake Placid; to the Gore Mountain ski center in North Creek; and the Belleayre Mountain ski center in the Catskills.

Just as Pratt became the CEO, New York state began increasing its investments in the ORDA facilities, budgeting extra funds for capital projects to update the venues.

“Mike had a big vision,” Norfolk said. “He did what many thought was unachievable. He brought, as we’ve already heard, a $650 million investment to the Olympic Authority facilities, bringing them back to their world-class standard.”

Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism CEO Jim McKenna put Mike’s tenure as CEO into historical perspective, referring to the 1932 and 1980 Olympic Winter Games and the 2023 FISU Games.

“There are certain time periods in this region’s history that stand out. One of those is 1929 to 1932. The next one was 1974 to 1980. And the third one is 2018 to 2023,” McKenna said. “These venues, which you have modernized, Mike, are now situated to last for the next four decades. And that’s important not from an international sports point of view — from a private investment point of view, from an economic point of view and a global identity point of view.”

Other speakers included Betty Little, current ORDA board member and former state senator; Art Devlin, Lake Placid’s current mayor; Derek Doty, North Elba’s current town supervisor; state Assemblyman Matt Simpson, R-Horicon; Roby Politi, former Lake Placid mayor and North Elba town supervisor; and Aaron Kellett, general manager of the Whiteface Mountain Ski Center.

“Mike always talked about success, and when you look at the success of what he’s brung to this organization, it’s tremendous,” Kellet said. “Every time I’m around him, I learn something from him. A lot of times he’s testing you, and you have to go back and do your homework and come up with the answer. But he always brings out the best in everyone.”

Before riding off into the sunset — which was a brilliant orange and red due to the haze from Canadian wildfires — Pratt stood at the podium and reflected on his time at ORDA.

“Sometimes you make your own luck,” he said. “But you try to make good decisions. … I was really fortunate. I got to do what I love my whole career. And it was really the trifecta of iconic venues, the tremendous natural resources and a lot of special people. So thanks, everyone, for coming out tonight.”