Viad Corp provides experiential leisure travel and face-to-face events in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, and the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
via two divsions: GES and Pursuit.
Pursuit (formed in 2017) includes travel attractions and hotels in and around
Banff,
Denali
Denali (; also known as Mount McKinley, its former official name) is the highest mountain peak in North America, with a summit elevation of above sea level. With a topographic prominence of and a topographic isolation of , Denali is the thir ...
,
Glacier
A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...
,
Jasper
Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> ...
,
Kenai Fjords
Kenai Fjords National Park is an American national park that maintains the Harding Icefield, its outflowing glaciers, and coastal fjords and islands. The park covers an area of on the Kenai Peninsula in south-central Alaska, west of the town ...
, and
Waterton Lakes National Parks in Canada and the United States. Properties that Pursuit operates under its Glacier Park Collection include Grouse Mountain Lodge in
Whitefish,
Glacier Park Lodge
Glacier Park Lodge is located just outside the boundaries of Glacier National Park in the village of East Glacier Park, Montana, United States. The lodge was built in 1913 by the Glacier Park Company, a subsidiary of the Great Northern Railw ...
in
East Glacier, St. Mary Lodge and Resort in
St. Mary, Stewart Hotel near
Lake McDonald Lodge
The Lake McDonald Lodge is a historic lodge located within Glacier National Park, on the southeast shore of Lake McDonald. The lodge is a -story structure built in 1913 based on Kirtland Cutter's design. The foundation and first floor walls are ...
,
Prince of Wales Hotel
The Prince of Wales Hotel is a historic hotel located in Waterton, Alberta, Canada. It is situated within Waterton Lakes National Park, overlooking Upper Waterton Lakes. It was designed by and built for the Great Northern Railway company. It i ...
in
Waterton, Alberta. 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.
[
GES partners with show organizers, exhibitors, and brand marketers to create face-to-face events. The company handles design and production, material handling, rigging, electrical, and other on-site event services.][
The company evolved from The Greyhound Corporation, which established ]Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc. (commonly known as simply Greyhound) operates the largest intercity bus service in North America, including Greyhound Mexico. It also operates charter bus services, Amtrak Thruway services, commuter bus services, and pac ...
and later became a diversified conglomerate between the 1960s and the 1990s.
History
Viad Corp was founded in 1926 as Motor Transit Corporation after intercity bus operators Eric Wickman
Carl Eric Wickman (born Erik Wretman; August 7, 1887 – February 5, 1954) was the founder of Greyhound Lines.
Background
Wickman was born Erik Wretman at Martisgården, a family farm located near the small village of Limbäck in the parish of ...
and Orville Caesar joined forces and consolidated several bus operations. By 1930, more than 100 bus lines had been consolidated and recognizing the need for a more memorable name, the company was renamed The Greyhound Corporation. The Greyhound name had its origins in the inaugural run of a bus route from Superior, Wisconsin
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, ima ...
, to Wausau, Wisconsin
Wausau ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. The Wisconsin River divides the city into east and west. The city's suburbs include Schofield, Weston, Mosinee, Maine, Rib Mountain, Kronenwetter, an ...
. 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 a greyhound
The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurgenc ...
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.
Wickman retired as president of Greyhound in 1946 and was succeeded by Caesar. Wickman died at the age of 66 in 1954. 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
Armour & Company was an American company and was one of the five leading firms in the meat packing industry. It was founded in Chicago, in 1867, by the Armour brothers led by Philip Danforth Armour. By 1880, the company had become Chicago's mo ...
); food service (Prophet Company); restaurants (Horne's
The Joseph Horne Company, often referred to simply as Joseph Horne's or Horne's, was an iconic, regional department store chain based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The store was one of the oldest in the country being founded on February 22, 1849, ...
); airport services (Aircraft Services International); and ocean cruises (Premier Cruise Line
Premier Cruise Line, a subsidiary of Premier Cruises, was a cruise line that was headquartered in Cape Canaveral, Florida. From 1985 to 1993, it was licensed as the official cruise line of Walt Disney World and used the trademark "The Big Red Boat ...
).
Greyhound exited the transportation industry with the sale of Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc. (commonly known as simply Greyhound) operates the largest intercity bus service in North America, including Greyhound Mexico. It also operates charter bus services, Amtrak Thruway services, commuter bus services, and pac ...
in 1987. By then, The Dial Corporation
Henkel Corporation, doing business as Henkel North American Consumer Goods, and formerly The Dial Corporation, is an American company based in Stamford, Connecticut. It is a manufacturer of personal care and household cleaning products, and is a ...
(formerly, Armour-Dial, Inc., established in 1967 as a subsidiary of Armour and Company) was its largest subsidiary. Greyhound was renamed Greyhound Dial Corporation in 1990 and as The Dial Corp 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.
The FINOVA Group filed for bankruptcy in 2001 and was dissolved in 2009.
In 1996, the company announced the splitting of its businesses into two entities. The Dial consumer products business was spun-off as the new Dial Corporation.
After the split, the company was renamed Viad 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
Premier Cruise Line, a subsidiary of Premier Cruises, was a cruise line that was headquartered in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Cape Canaveral, Florida. From 1985 to 1993, it was licensed as the official cruise line of Walt Disney World Resort, Walt Di ...
); 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 Travelers Express, Glacier Park, GES Exposition Services, and Exhibitgroup/Giltspur.
In 2003, Viad began the process of engineering a reverse tax-free spinoff of Travelers Express. Thus, a new subsidiary was formed, MoneyGram International, Inc., which early in 2004 received the payment services business and its stock was distributed to Viad stockholders. Viad then conducted a one-for-four reverse stock split.
Between 1981 and 2013, Glacier Park Inc. was also the concessionaire for Lake McDonald Lodge, Apgar Village
Apgar is one of the main villages in Glacier National Park. Apgar is located on the west side of the park about one mile in from the West Entrance. Apgar has one of the most popular campgrounds in Glacier Park, and is always quite filled. It is ...
Inn, Rising Sun Auto Camp
The Rising Sun Auto Camp, also known as the Roes Creek Auto Camp, East Glacier Auto Camp or simply Rising Sun preserves a portion of the built-up area of Glacier National Park that documents the second phase of tourist development in the park. R ...
, Swiftcurrent Inn, Many Glacier Hotel
Many Glacier Hotel is a historic hotel located on the east shore of Swiftcurrent Lake in Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. The building is designed as a series of chalets, up to four stories tall, and stretches for a substantia ...
, Two Medicine Store
Two Medicine Store, formerly part of Two Medicine Chalets, is a historic building in Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. The chalet was originally built in 1914 by the Glacier Park Hotel Company, a subsidiary of the Great Northe ...
, and the Red Jammers
Red Jammers are the vintage White Motor Company/Bender Body Company Model 706 buses used at Glacier National Park in the United States to transport park visitors since 1936. While the buses are called ''reds'' for their distinctive livery, painte ...
within Glacier National Park. The National Park Service awarded this concession to Xanterra Parks and Resorts
Xanterra Travel Collection (formerly Xanterra Parks & Resorts, Amfac Resorts and Amfac Parks & Resorts) is a privately owned American park and resort management company based in Greenwood Village, Colorado, controlled by entertainment magnate P ...
starting in 2014.
In 2010, the company established GES (Global Experience Specialists, Inc., formerly GES Exposition Services, Inc.) by merging GES Exposition Services, Inc., Exhibitgroup/Giltspur, and Becker Group.
In 2012, Pursuit acquired the 162-room Banff International Hotel. Pursuit also operates other Banff and Jasper area attractions under the Brewster Travel Canada brand, including Banff's 133-room Mount Royal Hotel, Jasper National Park's 32-room Glacier View Lodge, Banff Lake Cruises and the Banff Gondola.
In 2017, the company established its Pursuit division and acquired FlyOver Canada, a 60-seat flight simulation experience in Canada Place
Canada Place is a building situated on the Burrard Inlet in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is home to the Vancouver Convention Centre, the Pan Pacific Vancouver Hotel, the Vancouver World Trade Centre, and the virtual flight ride Fl ...
, Vancouver, British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
which features various Canadian landmarks.
References
External links
Viad Corp official website
GES official website
Pursuit Collection official website
"Northland Greyhound Lines" (at ''Bluehounds and Redhounds''), including the early history of The Greyhound Corporation
''Bluehounds and Redhounds'', the history of Greyhound and Trailways
"Greyhound Lines after WW2" (at ''Bluehounds and Redhounds'')
"The Scenicruiser" at ''Bluehounds and Redhounds''
{{Authority control
Companies based in Scottsdale, Arizona
Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange
American companies established in 1926
American companies established in 1996
Corporate spin-offs
Marketing companies of the United States
Marketing companies established in 1926
Marketing companies established in 1996