Gary Tharaldson

Gary Tharaldson, the founder of Tharaldson Hospitality Management, began his hospitality career by purchasing his first hotel in Valley City, N.D., in 1982. After the purchase, Gary began building hotels in regional markets. In 1987, he sold nine Super 8 motels for a net profit of over $5 million.

After the sale, he continued to acquire and build hotels, eventually exceeding 350 total properties and earning himself a spot on the Forbes 400 list of richest people in America in 1997. In 2006, Tharaldson sold 140 hotels to Whitehall Global Real Estate (Goldman Sachs) for approximately $1.25 billion. Prior to the sale, Tharaldson’s company was the largest privately held hotel company in the United States.

Tharaldson has appeared in a number of national publications. In 2010, he was given the first Hunter Conference Award for Excellence and Inspiration, an award created to celebrate an owner “who has exemplified high standards in leadership, citizenship and innovation and who has been an inspiration to the industry,” according to Hotel Business magazine.

Gary and his companies currently own 80 operating hotels, and he continues to develop new properties nationwide.