Milton "Milt" G. Kuolt II was an American

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...

, who most notably founded

Horizon Air Horizon Air is an American regional airline headquartered in SeaTac, Washington, within the Seattle metropolitan area. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Alaska Air Group and it is paid by fellow group member Alaska Airlines to staff, ope ...

, a

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

-based

regional airline A regional airline is a general classification of airline which typically operates scheduled passenger air service, using regional aircraft, between communities lacking sufficient demand or infrastructure to attract mainline flights. In North ...

. He also founded Thousand Trails, a chain of private membership campgrounds. He died on May 30, 2008, due to complications from

emphysema Emphysema is any air-filled enlargement in the body's tissues. Most commonly emphysema refers to the permanent enlargement of air spaces (alveoli) in the lungs, and is also known as pulmonary emphysema. Emphysema is a lower respiratory tract di ...

Early life and education

Kuolt, born in 1927 in India to

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

missionaries, relocated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1940. He lived in

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

and in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, and was voted (in absentia) "Least likely to succeed" by his high school class. Due to failing grades, Kuolt enlisted in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

before graduating from high school. After serving in the Navy for 18 months, he returned home, enrolling at

Central Washington University Central Washington University (CWU) is a public university in Ellensburg, Washington, United States. Founded in 1891, the university consists of four divisions: the President's Division, Business and Financial Affairs, Operations, and Academi ...

, then called Central Washington College of Education. He graduated from Central Washington College of Education with a degree in

Economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

in 1951.

Career

The Boeing Company

Immediately after college graduation, Kuolt began to work at

The Boeing Company The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...

. Shortly after beginning his career, Kuolt was promoted to a corporate facilities planning and layout position, eventually becoming a business planning manager for the 737 and 747 aircraft program. While at Boeing, he bought and sold real estate to supplement his income.

Thousand Trails

In 1969, after purchasing a real estate investment, Kuolt founded Thousand Trails, the first private, members-only RV campground chain. The company's success led Kuolt to resign from Boeing and focus solely on Thousand Trails and other business ventures. Later, in 1981, Kuolt sold his ownership in Thousand Trails for $40 million. Today, the company owns over 80 private campgrounds nationwide and in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Horizon Air

In 1981, the same year that he sold Thousand Trails, Kuolt created

. The airline, one of the first

s in the

, began service on September 1, 1981, from

Yakima Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the state's 11th most populous city. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The ...

using two

Fairchild F27 The Fairchild F-27 and Fairchild Hiller FH-227 are versions of the Fokker F27 Friendship twin-engined, turboprop, passenger aircraft formerly manufactured under license by Fairchild Hiller in the United States. The Fairchild F-27 was similar t ...

aircraft. The airline began operation with 36 employees and went public three years later. In 1987, Horizon Air, which had grown to become the fifth-largest regional airline with service to over 30 cities, was purchased by

Alaska Air Group Alaska Air Group, Inc. is an American airline holding company based in SeaTac, Washington, United States. The group owns two mainline carriers, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, along with a regional airline, Horizon Air. Alaska Airlines ...

for over $68 million.

Elkhorn Resort

in 1984, After leaving

Horizon The horizon is the apparent curve that separates the surface of a celestial body from its sky when viewed from the perspective of an observer on or near the surface of the relevant body. This curve divides all viewing directions based on whethe ...

, Kuolt bought Elkhorn Resort, a struggling, 300-room property in

Sun Valley, Idaho Sun Valley is a resort city in the western United States, in Blaine County, Idaho, adjacent to the city of Ketchum in the Wood River valley. The population was 1,783 at the 2020 census. The elevation of Sun Valley (at the Lodge) is above se ...

, to provide a destination to reward Horizon’s frequent fliers with golfing and skiing opportunities.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuolt, Milton 1927 births 2008 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople Boeing people Central Washington University alumni