John is an entrepreneur, leader, and philanthropist whose business career includes leading successful mergers, public offerings, start-ups, and divestitures. He was born in St. Cloud, Minnesota and lived there until he was eight years old, when he moved to Northeastern Montana. In 1993, John moved to the the Inland Northwest and has lived here ever since. John’s extensive business experience, coupled with an insatiable curiosity and desire to understand unique business opportunities, led him to found Lakeside Companies in 1997.

Over the last 25 years, John’s leadership has grown Lakeside into an organization that spans multiple business sectors, including education, aerospace, real estate, agriculture, oil and natural gas, and construction. John’s passion and success with leading people have enabled him to selectively grow the organization with intelligent, visionary team members who execute Lakeside’s vision to build great companies that contribute to their communities.

Philanthropy is a huge part of John’s life and Lakeside’s culture. All Lakeside organizations are rooted in John’s personal mission to give back to the community. John cares deeply about education, advocacy, and fighting poverty and contributes to many organizations aiding these important causes. John currently serves on the Board of Trustees at Gonzaga University.