The Monthly Mood: Catching Up With Moodyblu Express
Some Business Updates
Our first quarter for 2026 has been, without a question, a rough start.
If you’re familiar with the Ice Castles then you know: when it opens, tourists come from everywhere to go see it.
Visitors will typically Uber/Lyft from Park City, Provo, further cities, or out of state in some cases and then get stranded in Midway trying to get back. With Moodyblu being based in Heber, we’re typically the first ones to get called and do very well. We’ll not only take them back, but if trips to the airport are part of their visit, we’ll coordinate an airport trip within the next day or two, doubling our business.
This year however, the Ice Castles didn’t happen which has impacted us. The Sundance Film Festival was another unfortunate decline in business. We’ve noticed a slowing trend each year since the pandemic. Last year, we were blessed when a celebrity enjoyed their initial one hour booking and turned it into more than 12 hours of driving. This year being Sundance’s swan song, we taxiied, handed out cards, and filled-in providing ride share service, but the competition was too much to overcome. The most obvious of struggles has been the lack of snow. A heavy snow has historically created the boosts we depend on. A true winter is more lucrative than Sundance or any event. Reliable, safe, and local drivers who know the roads and the conditions put people at ease, we provide that and more. Even when our competitors are caught in a bind during big winter storms, being the community network that we are, we help each other out. But without snow, even those small boosts haven’t happened either. All to say, the first quarter wasn’t what we had hoped for.
We still find blessings through the struggles, we’ve been hired for buses and large group events here and there. Our long-time clients still book us, and the community still keeps us in mind when recommending to friends, family, Ask Heber, and word-of-mouth. While it may not put us ahead, we appreciate everything our community does for us while we are just barely getting by. We have faith that over the next one to three years, the area’s growth and our plans to expand to Provo/Orem & Springville area have a lot of good in-store for us.
Updates on the Family Front
One big change personally that still connects to the company is our plan to move. We have been renting a home in the area for the last couple of years. Due to the owners selling, we wil be relocating our family of seven and two dogs. We are excited to become homeowners in the city of Springville. We still have our roots in the Heber Valley, where my wife works and children attend school, and I’m excited to still be driving for Moodyblu. Our MOODYBLU EXPRESS vehicles will remain here with our drivers and team. We care deeply about continuing to serve the community we love so much. Our family has been doing well as we get ready for this move. John Platt with Midway Mercantile hosted our family for dinner before our move, such a kind and warm gesture as we make our way into the next chapter of our lives. We’re grateful for our community and hope to still have all your support with MOODYBLU. God bless you Heber City and all those who support us.
