Joe Porter has spent most of his working life in the hospitality industry. After graduating from La Pine High School he started working at resorts and hotels throughout Central Oregon including Mt. Bachelor Village, Sunriver, Comfort Suites and Black Butte Ranch.
As he worked his way into supervisory roles, he decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management. He enrolled at Central Oregon Community College, transferred to Oregon State University - Cascades and graduated in 2014. One month after he graduated from OSU-Cascades Joe was offered the housekeeping and maintenance manager position at Seventh Mountain Resort in Bend.
“Bend is a perfect place for hospitality students,” said Joe. “We have amazing restaurants and resorts at our fingertips. Even if you are already in the industry, I encourage people to invest in themselves and work toward a degree in hospitality management.”
The hospitality program at OSU-Cascades includes classes on emerging technologies in the field, and Joe describes those courses as some of the most important a student can take.
“Our industry sometimes has an ‘old guard’ mentality,” said Joe. “We need to build more of an entrepreneurial atmosphere and look for better ways to provide great service to our guests.”
Seventh Mountain Resort in Bend is managed by WorldMark, the third largest vacation ownership program in the world. As a manager with Seventh Mountain Resort, Joe was part of a task force that traveled to other WorldMark resorts around the Pacific Northwest to help train and support staff during times of transition.
In November Joe will move into the role of assistant general manager at the WorldMark Resort in Seaside. “OSU-Cascades prepared me for this role,” said Joe. “My success is a direct reflection of the education I received in the hospitality management program.”