As construction continues at Deer Valley Resort East Village, developers at Extell are turning their focus to the intricacies of staffing for once the project is complete, starting with hiring a general manager for the entire area.
“The village is coming to life,” said Kurt Krieg, Extell’s executive vice president of resort development. “This is an incredible opportunity for someone to lead and cultivate a sense of place.”
Extell plans to hire a general manager at the end of this year or early next year. Once hired, the general manager will have roughly 18 months to prepare before East Village is fully opened for the 2028-29 winter season.
Krieg said the general manager will mediate between Deer Valley, each of the hotels, homeowners associations within the village and retail operations. Krieg compared the manager’s responsibilities to that of a mayor.
As of now, East Village is expected to employ 50-70 full-time staff in the core area once completed. Krieg said the number of part-time staff will be determined by details related to features such as the ice skating rink or firepits, which are further down the line of development.
Wasatch County Councilor Erik Rowland, a Military Installation Development Authority liaison, estimated 6,000 workers will be employed at the East Village within the next decade. That number estimates how many people will work within the entire East Village area during peak season.
While East Village is developing for guest experiences, Extell is making progress on construction to support employees’ needs at Marina West.
The area, which is on the other side of U.S. 189 from East Village, next to Jordanelle Reservoir, is set to include different types of housing from dorms to condos, childcare services and what Krieg described as “community retail” like grocery and convenience stores. Close to 1,000 parking spaces are planned for the hotel areas, which will be accessible to employees.
Krieg said Extell has conducted market research in the Deer Valley demographic and by analyzing similar employee housing areas to make an optimal plan before construction advances.
The land used for the Marina West development is under Wasatch County land use authority, so any plans will go through normal county approval processes. On the west side of U.S. 40, the land for the East Village area is under MIDA authority. Rowland explained MIDA has its own approval processes separate from the county.
Rowland said the county is still waiting for a finalized proposal from Extell, which will come after market research is completed.
“(Extell has) been open and very willing to talk to the county,” Rowland said. “We want to keep that relationship and make things best for the community.”
The goal, Krieg said, is for employees and guests to experience and enjoy Deer Valley and the Wasatch Back in the same way.
“It’s important to us that (resort staff) are able to come and participate, because that’s what creates a sense of community,” Krieg said. “We value and really are looking to these employees to provide the experience that others haven’t recently. We need this energy.”