Dec 7, 2024 By Rick Shrum 3 min read

A hardy donation from the Hardy family is being used to enhance hospitality education at West Virginia University – and to, perhaps, ultimately boost the hospitality industry as well.

Maggie Hardy, owner and CEO of 84 Lumber and Nemacolin resort, and her family donated $7 million to WVU last year to develop the Nemacolin Hospitality Innovation and Technology Lab. The HIT Lab, as it is known colloquially, opened recently as part of the university’s John Chambers College of Business and Economics, based in Reynolds Hall.

Announcement of the huge gift to WVU took place more than a year ago, in November 2023, during Light-Up Night Nemacolin, east of Uniontown.

The endowment isn’t the only link the Hardys have to the school. The family’s name also is affixed to a bachelor’s degree program at the university: Hardy Family Hospitality and Tourism Management.

The lab is a state-of-the-art facility that is driven to drive innovation in the hospitality industry. Students, faculty and professionals work together, using cutting-edge tools and software applications to develop, test and evaluate new technologies, while gaining efficiency.

These tools include the Internet of Things, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality. This endowment also will help to fund faculty development, student scholarships and residency internship stipends, and provide experiences that could lead directly to hospitality industry jobs.

Hospitality and tourism are often viewed as a single and very large sector, which includes economic activities that directly or indirectly contribute to, or depend upon, travel, tourism and hospitality. Hotels, resorts, restaurants and catering are under this umbrella.

Maggie Hardy said in a prepared statement: “At Nemacolin, I’m passionate about nurturing the next generation of hospitality leaders. Our partnership with WVU’s Hardy Family Hospitality and Tourism Management program is a vital step in that journey.

“By providing students with hands-on experience and opportunities to learn from industry experts, we’re not only helping them build successful careers, but also strengthening the hospitality sector in the Appalachian region.

“The tourism industry is a cornerstone of our local economy, and I’m excited to be part of a program that equips future leaders to drive its growth and make a lasting impact on our community.”

West Virginia’s Hospitality and Tourism Management program has been in operation since 2011, said Frank DeMarco, teaching professor and program coordinator. He said it started as “an area of emphasis” before becoming a major in 2014, with a mere four students. The program developed a minor and an online major in the fall of 2020.

A total of 88 students were enrolled in the Hospitality and Tourism Management program this fall.

Nemacolin became involved in the university’s Hospitality and Tourism program early on, in 2012, thanks to a serendipitous set of circumstances. Maggie was in Morgantown, attending a speaking engagement featuring her late father, Joe, founder of 84 Lumber, when a student approached her, requesting a donation. She granted that request and became the program’s first donor.

Twelve years and $7 million later, the Hardys have invested much more.