InterMountain Owner Dewey Weaver and ULM student Shanna Morton, standing; Tiffeny Bonner, Lindsay Smith, and Sarah Johnston, seated, left to right.
When ULM's Office of Career Connections and Experiential Education approached InterMountain Management about participating in the University's Fall Career Fair and developing an internship program, Human Resources Manager Pam Meador asked, “What can we do to stand out from other participants at the Fair? And how can we build students' interest in our internships and jobs?”
Meador had an idea: Why not have a drawing for "interns-for-a-day"? This would be a way to introduce some students to her company's work in nationwide hotel management.
Nearly 50 students entered the drawing, and five won. Four were ultimately able to participate: Sarah Johnston, Lindsay Smith, Shanna Morton, and Tiffeny Bonner. On October 24, the four went to InterMountain's corporate office, where owner Dewey Weaver spoke to them about how he got started, where InterMountain came from, and where he saw the company going. Then representatives from each of the company's departments shared a little about the dynamics of their departments within the company.
A visit to one of InterMountain's local hotels followed, where the students met with the property's general manager and the area sales manager. Getting a feel for the day-to-day operations of a hotel, its management, and sales and marketing tools in the hospitality industry were some of the benefits of the visit for these ULM students, who were served a catered lunch back at the corporate office and given parting gifts from the company.
That day was just the beginning of a growing relationship between InterMountain and ULM. ULM's Management Department Chair Dr. Bruce Walker notes, "Dewey Weaver has a forward-thinking approach to management. He is looking at the future staffing needs of his company by working with the Management Department and the Office of Career Connections. This program is a great way for our students to learn about his company and career options as well as to get excited about the chance to work for a great company.”
HR Manager Meador, explaining that InterMountain already has 73 hotels in 30 states, with more than 2400 employees, says, "We're excited about the possibility of partnering with ULM to offer student internships in the future. With the speed at which our company is growing, we're looking for any opportunity that would help us have management-level employees on board, trained and ready to begin working as our hotels open. With 43 new hotels opening in the next couple of years, you can see why we'd be interested in a program that trains not only hotel management employees but corporate employees as well.”
The lucky ULM interns-for-a-day learned a lot about the hospitality industry. Marketing senior Sarah Johnston was very appreciative of the opportunity: "By participating in the intern-for-a-day event, I was opened up to a new area of job possibilities that I had never thought about. InterMountain's staff gave me a better understanding of hospitality management so that it's now a career path that I will consider. Coming now, when I'm about to graduate and make many decisions in my life, this event opened some doors and new possibilities that I would not otherwise have considered.”
Further opportunities for ULM students and this locally owned company are soon to be realized, with ULM's Office of Career Connections and Experiential Education working with the College of Business Administration and InterMountain to develop not only internships but also new career paths. Summarizing the feelings of all involved, Management Instructor Tom Denardin exclaims, "It is exciting to see education working directly with business, giving students the opportunity to see how their education correlates with actual business experience. This program is just one example of the great relationship between ULM and InterMountain Management.”