News

SUNY Schenectady is pleased to announce that George Goldhoff will be the Keynote Speaker during this year’s Commencement to take place on Thursday, May 21, at 2 p.m. at Proctors.

Goldhoff, a member of the SUNY Schenectady Class of 1984 (Hotel and Restaurant Management A.A.S.), was recently named President of Hard Rock Cincinnati, part of Hard Rock International. Previously, he was President and CEO of PURE Canadian Gaming, based in Edmonton, Alberta, and was the seventh highest rated CEO in Canada on Glassdoor with a 96 percent approval rating from Pure Canadian Gaming team members.

He was first recruited to assist in the opening of Steve Wynn’s Bellagio, the first Five-Diamond casino resort in Las Vegas, Nev. Goldhoff was an integral part of the team who led the $700 million restoration of Four-Diamond MGM’s Mississippi facility, following Hurricane Katrina, and continued to work with MGM Corporation, later becoming General Manager of Goldstrike Hotel and Casino in Tunica, Miss.

Throughout his career, Goldhoff has led teams at iconic hospitality venues including The Rainbow Room and The Plaza Hotel in New York City. He propelled The Rainbow Room average check to the highest in New York City, while having the distinction of the highest grossing privately held restaurant in the world. He has profitably built public, private, and private equity companies with revenues of up to $250 million.

After graduating from SUNY Schenectady, Goldhoff went on to earn his B.S. in Hotel, Restaurant and Travel Administration from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He holds an MBA in Management from Columbia University.

He is the recipient of numerous awards, and has filled a dozen speaking engagements and interviews, including with CNN. Goldhoff was named a Distinguished Alumnus of SUNY Schenectady in 2016 and was a member of the College’s Campaign Cabinet for the overwhelmingly successful $3.6 million Promise of Our Common Future Campaign.