Utah Valley University's hospitality program on the Wasatch Back is adding culinary and golf management tracks as Deer Valley East Village and the 2034 Winter Olympics drive demand for thousands of new workers.

The Wasatch Area Resort Management (WARM) program, a two-year hospitality degree at UVU's Wasatch campus, has 30 students in its current cohort. Founder Dr. Doug Miller wants to grow that number past 100, as first reported by the Park Record's Katie Hatzfeld.

The stakes are steep. Deer Valley East Village will need about 6,000 workers over the next 10 years, according to Wasatch County Councilor Erik Rowland, who serves on the Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA) board. Summit County expects a 13% increase in leisure and hospitality jobs over the same period, according to Economic Development and Housing Director Jeff Jones.

Summit County already has 12,324 jobs in the sector, 226% above the national average, Jones said. In a 90-day period ending in early October, the county posted 792 unique hospitality job listings. Among Western ski communities, only Deschutes County, Oregon, home to Mount Bachelor, posted more at 942. Aspen's Pitkin County had 590, Jackson Hole's Teton County had 463 and Breckenridge's Summit County, Colorado, had 425.

On average, about 4,000 seasonal workers come to Park City-area resorts and hotels each year, Jones said. Workers on J-1 visas made up roughly half that number based on data from several years ago, though the federal government has since stopped providing those figures.

Miller sees that reliance as a vulnerability.

"The J-1 program has carried the day for years," he told the Park Record. "That's risky, especially in today's political environment."

WARM's answer is a local pipeline. Students start as juniors, move to the Wasatch Back and complete at least 2,000 hours of paid internship at partner hotels. Most hospitality programs require 500 to 1,000 hours, Miller said. The paid work helps students graduate debt-free.

Partner hotels include Montage Deer Valley, Stein Eriksen Lodge, The St. Regis Deer Valley and the Auberge Collection's Goldener Hirsch and The Lodge at Blue Sky. James Eastham, director of reservations at Montage Deer Valley, said his team hired one WARM graduate in 2024 and called the program a pipeline that serves the community.

At Stein Eriksen Lodge, Chef Jeremy Garcia said WARM students already live in Utah and are more likely to stay than out-of-state externs. The lodge regularly takes students from the Culinary Institute of America in New York, but those students leave, Garcia said.

New competition for talent is coming fast. The Grand Hyatt Deer Valley and Canopy by Hilton Deer Valley are already open at East Village. A Four Seasons and a Waldorf Astoria are scheduled to open for the 2028-29 ski season. Miller said those brands have the resources to draw employees away from Park City properties.

To keep pace, WARM added a culinary track that lets students earn a certified sous chef credential through the American Culinary Federation. The program also received approval for a golf course management certificate, with internships at courses like Glenwild Golf Club or Marcella Club. Miller said he sees potential for a spa and wellness certificate as well.

Jones said the program's output should grow. If the cohort reaches 150 students over five years, that starts to make a real dent in the labor gap, he told the Park Record.

Miller said the 2034 Olympics will have an "exponential" impact on hotel staffing needs. He wants to be ready.

"I can't help with snow, but I consider it my responsibility to help with labor," Miller said.