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Stephen (Steve) Wahrlich
Board Vice-Chairman

Stephen Wahrlich

Stephen (Steve) Wahrlich serves as the Vice-Chairman for the Board of Directors, representing the interests of BWHSM Hotels' property owners in Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, as well as British Columbia, Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada.

Mr. Wahrlich has owned and operated BWH Hotels properties for over four decades. He currently is an owner of and operates the Best Western Plus Clocktower Inn and Stella’s Kitchen and Bakery, which has been a Best Western® Hotels & Resorts property since 1966. Known for its excellence, the hotel has received the renowned TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Award for the past seven years. In addition to his property in Billings, Mr. Wahrlich is a managing member and voting member of the Best Western Plus Hilltop in Redding, California, which has been in the BWH Hotels family since 1977. The Best Western Plus Hilltop is home to the locally celebrated C.R. Gibbs American Grille.

Mr. Wahrlich serves as Vice-Chair of RiverStone Health, the state’s largest community health care center, and he is also a member of the Board of Directors of the American Hotel & Lodging Association and the Montana Lodging & Hospitality Association.

Additionally, Mr. Wahrlich has served in a number of other industry leadership roles, including on the Board of Directors for the City of Billings Tourism Improvement District, the Downtown Billings Tax Improvement District, the Montana Lodging and Hospitality Association and numerous other local associations.

Mr. Wahrlich was raised in Denver, Colorado and earned his Real Estate Management and Finance Degree from the University of Colorado. His career has taken him to California and New York, and he now resides in Billings, Montana with his wife Vicki. Together, they have five children and six grandchildren.