Andrew N. Todd, President & CEO
Andrew N. Todd is chief executive officer and president of Xanterra Parks & Resorts, responsible for the strategic direction of the company, and for the oversight of the company’s operation, development, legal, financial, marketing, social, environmental initiatives and activities.
Prior to being appointed chief executive officer and president of Xanterra in 1994, Todd was senior vice president of portfolio management for Chicago-based JMB Realty Corporation, where he orchestrated the acquisition of TW Recreational Services, Inc., the operator of Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, Zion and other key national park contracts. The merger of TW Recreational Services with JMB’s Xanterra Parks & Resorts Division resulted in Xanterra Parks & Resorts becoming the largest park concessions management company in the United States, providing lodging, food and beverage, retail, and other guest services to eight national parks, eight state parks, one marina, two railways, and two privately owned resorts.
Todd has a strong personal commitment to the environment. Through his leadership, Xanterra Parks & Resorts has become widely recognized for the environmental stewardship practiced at all of its locations. Xanterra is the first hospitality company and the eighth company worldwide to commit to an absolute reduction target in greenhouse gas emissions and the first ever in the tourism industry to create and utilize measurable environmental performance metrics specific to the hospitality industry. Todd’s vision and the establishment of company-wide environmental standards have led to numerous awards for Xanterra, including the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s Good Earthkeeping Award (2010), the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Environmental Achievement Award (2009), the Global Hospitality and Design Award (2008), the Sustainable Hotel of the Year Award from HotelWorld (2007) and the coveted Performance Track Corporate Leader Award from the Environmental Protection Agency (2006).
Xanterra properties include the Furnace Creek Resort at Death Valley National Park, El Tovar Hotel at South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, and Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone National Park. Other high-profile Xanterra operations are located at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Zion National Park, Crater Lake National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, and eight Ohio State Parks.
Xanterra also owns and operates the Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel in Williams, Arizona. In July 2010, Xanterra acquired the Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, VA. In 2009, Xanterra purchased rail cars, which are undergoing a significant renovation. A new luxury passenger train called American Railway Explorer will begin overnight excursions to national parks and other U.S. destinations in 2011.
A native of Indiana, Todd began his career at KPMG in 1979 soon after obtaining his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Indiana University. He is a Certified Public Accountant, a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Young President’s Organization. Todd chaired the Washington, DC–based National Park Hospitality Association for a period of five years and in 2008 was named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the category of Real Estate, Hospitality & Engineering.
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