Legendary Developer Passes - He changed the face of Utah's ski and tourist industry.
He made Utah into a ski resort juggernaut
Edgar B. Stern Jr.
1922-2008
By Mike Gorrell
The Salt Lake Tribune
Edgar B. Stern Jr., the New Orleans businessman who helped put Utah skiing on the world map through his creation of Deer Valley Resort and his earlier ownership of what is now Park City Mountain Resort, has died. He was 86.
His death Sunday in Seattle comes four months after that of Nick Badami, who bought Park City Resort from Stern in 1975. That freed Stern to pursue the development of Deer Valley into one of the country's poshest communities.
"It's the changing of an era," said Tom Welch, who received financial and moral support from both men in bringing the 2002 Winter Olympics to Utah. "Edgar was one of the early visionaries of what the Olympics could do to change the image of Utah skiing, in particular Park City. He was one of the first to reach into his pockets and help fund the campaign."
An heir of a Sears, Roebuck & Co. chairman, Stern expanded his fortune by opening the first commercial television station in Louisiana, in 1948; developing luxury hotels in New Orleans and San Francisco; and building the first air-conditioned shopping center in the Gulf Coast region.
He moved to Aspen in 1968, advancing its transformation into a jet-set haven through real estate development and support for community culture.
He took his first look at Park City that year, admitting later, "I was a little shocked at how everything was terribly run down." Stern helped change that image.
Cognizant that newly constructed Interstate 80 would make Park City a quick commute from Salt Lake City International Airport, he bought Treasure Mountains Resort in 1969 from United Park City Mines and turned it into Park City Resort.
Stern invested heavily in building lifts and base facilities. He also brought along Norwegian Olympic champion and ski legend Stein Eriksen to set up the ski program and give the resort broader recognition.
After some ups and downs, Stern sold Park City Resort to Badami, former chairman of underwear company BVD and owner of Alpine Meadows ski area in California. Badami had come to ski Park City with son Craig and met Stern while staying at the C'est Bon Hotel, built by Stern's business group.
As part of the deal, Stern's Royal Street Land Co. retained the rights to 1,700 acres of private land nearby. That became Deer Valley, the venue for three Olympic events in 2002 and Ski magazine's designee as North America's top resort for two years running.
"That was his land. He decided what took place. One reason Deer Valley is No. 1 is because he had a marvelous dedication to servicing the customer," said Skip Branch, a Salt Lake City advertising executive whose former company, Harris & Love, was Deer Valley's agency.
"He hated hyperbole. Never promise more than you can deliver was his mantra, and it fed through everything - the staff and all of the communication about Deer Valley," Branch recalled. "He was concerned about every aspect of Deer Valley and its brand. That brand was quality."
Although Stern had lived on San Juan Island, Wash., since 1986, he remained chairman of Royal Street Corp. until handing over the reins to his son, Lessing, in 2007. The elder Stern was inducted into the Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame in 2005 and received the University of Utah Ski Archives' top honor, the S.J. Quinney Award, a year later.
Stern is survived by his wife of 61 years, Polly, one daughter, three sons, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild. The family is having a private memorial service but intends to have a public celebration of his life later in Park City.
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