VOL 26 | ISSUE 11 | MARCH 17, 2025
Delaware North has for many years employed college interns at its operating locations and corporate headquarters – and even formalized the process by launching an enterprisewide internship program in 2019.
The company’s website page for “Early Careers at Delaware North” beckons would-be interns with: “Are you looking to start your career with a global hospitality company that has endless opportunities for growth and development? If so, you’ve come to the right place!”
The objectives of the program are to “ensure they are engaging professional and development experiences that serve as a holistic evaluation of an intern’s knowledge and skills,” as well as “to develop a high intern-to-full-time-team member conversion
rate to help build a more robust pipeline of talent.”
In those respects, Delaware North Parks and Resorts has aced the internship exam with several former interns who now work in key positions in the division. Over the next few months, 360 will feature Q&A-style interviews with them, but in the meantime, here are a few insights they provided:
“While it may sound cliché, the sky truly is the limit. Delaware North offers abundant opportunities for growth, but success depends on your willingness to seize those opportunities,” said Erin Benike, general manager of the Yellowstone General Stores
in the national park, who while attending John Carroll University in Ohio served as an environmental & safety program intern at the stores.
Similarly, Tyson Budler, now general manager at Delaware North’s Holiday Inn West Yellowstone, began his Delaware North career as a general manager apprentice at Holiday Inn Estes Park in Colorado.
“One of the most impactful experiences during my internship was helping execute the Parks and Resorts General Manager Conference, which took place during my very first week,” Budler said. “Jumping into such a high-profile event right away challenged me to quickly adapt, collaborate with different teams and manage multiple responsibilities under pressure.”
Keeping the intern pipeline filled also continues to be a priority for Parks and Resorts, whose leaders in recent years have made recruitment visits to Cornell University and Penn State University for internship programs with those institutions. In addition, an advisory group of ambassadors from the division supports early career attraction and mentorship of interns.
Main caption: Erin Benike (top), general manager of Yellowstone General Stores, and Tyson Budler (left), general manager of Delaware North’s Holiday Inn West Yellowstone, are two of many examples of Parks and Resorts success stories in which former interns continued their Delaware North careers as full-time team members.