Joe Staufer and his brother Hermann Staufer generously donated to Together: The Campaign for a Healthy, Active Tomorrow to make Vail’s hospital of the future possible.
Helping build Vail from the ground up
The day after Joe Staufer arrived in Vail in 1963, he became the manager at Mid-Vail. This was only the beginning of what was to become Joe’s incredible legacy as one of Vail’s pioneers.
Joe grew up in the devastation of post-WWII Austria. He knew that his passion for working in hospitality could guarantee him daily meals and a roof over his head. It would also afford him the chance to travel and make a living just about anywhere in the world.
After working his way through hospitality school in Switzerland, Joe did just that. He got first-hand hospitality business experience in both Europe and Bermuda. When he received a tip about a new mountain resort called Vail, Joe and his wife, Anne, took a tremendous chance and followed their entrepreneurial spirit to the little town that was nowhere to be found on a map.
The Staufers’ dream and hard work prevailed – and then some. Over the years, Joe’s deft management of numerous properties helped build Vail into the world-renowned destination it is today. Joe became the sole owner of Vail Village Inn and its surrounding real estate, much of which he still manages daily.
World-class care for future generations
Throughout Joe’s remarkable journey, Vail Health was there to care for his family, friends and guests.
This past summer, Joe needed the care of our intensive care unit for an issue that required surgery at a partner hospital in Denver. Joe returned home to Vail before his birthday in August, where he recuperated with a daily regimen of intravenous antibiotics.
He noted that the facility in Denver was good, but it could not compare with Vail Health.
“Up here, the care is unbelievable!” Joe says. “I felt like I was taken care of by my extended family.”
Joe understands the spirit of building for the future as well as anyone in the Vail Valley. It is one reason why Joe, along with his brother and Vail resident Hermann Staufer, has generously donated to the Together Campaign to make Vail’s hospital of the future possible.
A patient care unit room in the newly renovated west wing will forever carry the Staufer family name in recognition of their legacy.