| Formerly | Viad Corp |
|---|---|
| Company type | Public |
| Founded | 1926; 99 years ago (1926) (as Motor Transit Corporation) 1930 (as The Greyhound Corporation) 1990; 35 years ago (1990) (as Greyhound Dial Corporation) 1991; 34 years ago (1991) (as The Dial Corp) 1996 (as Viad Corp) 2025 (as Pursuit Attractions and Hospitality, Inc.) |
| Founders | Eric Wickman Orville Caesar |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Area served | United States, Canada, Iceland. |
Key people |
|
| Revenue | $366 million(FY 2024) |
| $369 million(FY 2024) | |
| Total assets | $845 million(FY 2024) |
| Total equity | $617 million(FY 2024) |
Number of employees | 1,500 Year-round 2,500 Seasonal |
| Website | www |
| Footnotes / references [1] | |
Pursuit Attractions and Hospitality, Inc.NYSE: PRSU is a global attractions and hospitality company located in Canada, the United States, Iceland, and Costa Rica. Pursuit owns and operates attractions, accommodation, culinary experiences, retail and transportation in and around the Canadian Rockies including,Banff,Jasper, andWaterton; in Alaska in and aroundDenali,Kenai Fjords National Park, andTalkeetna; in Montana in and aroundGlacier; in Iceland, and in the Arenal region ofCosta Rica.
Globally visited attractions that Pursuit operates in Banff and Jasper include the Banff Gondola, Lake Minnewanka Boat Cruise, Columbia Icefield Adventure and Columbia Icefield Skywalk, Maligne Lake Cruise, Brewster Sightseeing, andJasper Skytram. Pursuit also owns and operates the Golden Skybridge in Golden, British Columbia and historicPrince of Wales Hotel in Waterton, Alberta.[2]
Accommodations that Pursuit operates under its Glacier Park Collection include Grouse Mountain Lodge inWhitefish, Glacier Park Lodge inEast Glacier, St. Mary VillageSt. Mary, Belton Chalet, Glacier Basecamp Lodge, Paddle Ridge, Motel Lake McDonaldLake McDonald Lodge, and Apgar Village Lodge and Cabins. Pursuit also owns Glacier Raft Co. and Glacier Anglers & Outfitters near Glacier National Park.
Pursuit's Alaska Collection includes Denali Backcountry Lodge, Denali Backcountry Adventure, Denali Cabins, Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge, Seward Windsong Lodge, Kenai Fjords Wilderness Lodge, Kenai Fjords Tours.[1][3]
Outside of North America, Pursuit also owns and operates the oceanside geothermal Sky Lagoon in Iceland, and most recently Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa in the Arenal region of Costa Rica.[4]
Prior to 2025, Pursuit was a division ofViad Corp that operated its travel and recreations business. Viad Corp was renamed Pursuit Attractions and Hospitality, Inc. on December 31, 2024 after the sale of its convention and events services business (GES). Viad Corp evolved fromThe Greyhound Corporation, which establishedGreyhound Lines and later became a diversified conglomerate between the 1960s and the 1990s. Greyhound entered the travel and recreations industry in 1981 when it acquired Glacier Park, Inc.[5]
Viad Corp was founded in 1926 asMotor Transit Corporation after intercity bus operatorsEric Wickman and Orville Caesar joined forces and consolidatedseveral bus operations.
By 1930, more than 100 bus lines had been consolidated and recognizing the need for a more memorable name, the company was renamedThe Greyhound Corporation. The Greyhound name had its origins in the inaugural run of a bus route fromSuperior, Wisconsin, toWausau, Wisconsin. While passing through a small town, Ed Stone, the route's operator, saw the reflection of his bus in a store window. The reflection reminded him of agreyhound and he adopted that name for that segment of the Blue Goose Lines. The Greyhound name became popular, and was applied to the entire bus network as well as the parent company.[6]
Wickman retired as president of Greyhound in 1946 and was succeeded by Caesar. Wickman died at the age of 66 in 1954.[7] Caesar died on May 19, 1965, a day before his 75th birthday.
In 1954, Greyhound established Greyhound Financial Corporation, the captive finance operation of the bus line. During the 1960s, Greyhound began its transformation into a conglomerate by diversifying into other industries: financial services (Travelers Express); food and consumer products (Armour and Company); food service (Prophet Company); restaurants (Horne's); airport services (Aircraft Services International); and ocean cruises (Premier Cruise Line). Greyhound acquired Glacier Park, Inc. in 1981.[8]
Greyhound exited the transportation industry with the sale ofGreyhound Lines in 1987. By then,The Dial Corporation (formerly, Armour-Dial, Inc., established in 1967 as a subsidiary of Armour and Company) was its largest subsidiary.
Greyhound was renamedGreyhound Dial Corporation in 1990[9] and asThe Dial Corp[10] the following year. After the renaming, the Dial consumer business became known as The Dial Corp Consumer Products Group.
The company exited the financial services industry in 1992 with the sale of GFC Financial Corporation (including Greyhound Financial Corporation, Greyhound European Financial Group and Verex Corporation).
In 1995, GFC Financial Corporation changed its name to The FINOVA Group, Inc. and Greyhound Financial Corporation to FINOVA Capital Corporation.[11] The FINOVA Group filed for bankruptcy in 2001 and was dissolved in 2009.[12][13]
In 1996, the company announced the splitting of its businesses into two entities.[14] The Dial consumer products business was spun-off as the new Dial Corporation.
After the split, the company was renamedViad Corp and consisted of companies involved in airline catering (Dobbs International Service); airplane fueling and ground handling (Aircraft Service International); convention and exhibit services (GES Exposition Services and Exhibitgroup/Giltspur); concession operations (Glacier Park, Inc.); contract food services (Restaura, Inc.); ocean cruises (Premier Cruise Lines); airport and cruise ship duty-free concessions (Greyhound Leisure Services); travel services (Brewster Transport, Jetsave, and Crystal Holidays); and payment services (Travelers Express).
By early 21st century, most of the businesses were sold except for travel and recreation services (Brewster Transport and Glacier Park) and convention and event services (GES Exposition Services, and Exhibitgroup/Giltspur).
In 2015, the company renamed the convention and event services division as GES; and the travel and recreation services division as Pursuit.[citation needed]
On October 21, 2024, Viad entered into a definitive agreement to sell GES to Truelink Capital.[15] The transaction was completed on December 31, 2024.[16] After the close of the transaction, Viad changed its corporate name toPursuit Attractions and Hospitality, Inc. (NYSE: PRSU).[17]