Duane Hagadone
People who knew Hagadone believed Coeur d’Alene would be very different without him. He established Coeur d’Alene Resort as one of the West’s premier vacation spots, while his company owns newspapers and real estate assets.
Their hospitality, golf and media divisions include 17 newspapers. Real-estate holdings include a 338-room lakeshore hotel and golf course featuring the world’s only floating green.
Early Life and Education
Duane Hagadone left college after one month to sell advertising for the Coeur d’Alene Press, where his father was publisher. He worked evenings and weekends and saved all of his earnings while doing this job.
He established the Hagadone Corporation, with divisions for newspapers, marketing and media, golf, hospitality and marine. Their flagship property is the lakeshore Coeur d’Alene Resort featuring turrets and an underwater suite offering views of its rooftop pool.
Among his many accomplishments is creating the Horatio Alger Lola and Duane Hagadone Scholarship to assist Idaho students from Benewah, Boundary, Bonner, Kootenai and Latah counties attending either North Idaho College or Lewis-Clark State College. Since 2005, they have donated more than $1.2 Million dollars in awards to Idaho seniors.
Professional Career
Hagadone can be seen as being pivotal to Coeur d’Alene’s rise as a vacation destination, having played an instrumental role in promoting its golf course, hotels, restaurants and real estate as well as sponsoring community activities and generous giving. His homes can be found both in Coeur d’Alene and Palm Desert California.
He began his business career by becoming a newspaper delivery boy and later salesman. Later he dropped out of college to join his father’s newspaper Coeur d’Alene Press as eight-page Coeur d’Alene Press publisher; over time his media company would hold 18 Idaho dailies and weeklies under its ownership.
Hagadone has used his business success to donate millions to charity and local causes, earning recognition from both the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans and Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce.
Achievement and Honors
Hagadone expanded his company into a media empire. Today it includes newspaper publications, hospitality services, and golf operations – with his crown jewel being Coeur d’Alene Resort which features the world’s only floating green.
Hagadone Corporation has also constructed the famed Coeur d’Alene Inn and established their corporate headquarters in North Idaho. Additionally, Hagadone has donated millions to charity through various organizations, most notably Boys and Girls Club of Kootenai County.
He and Lola Hagadone co-founded the Horatio Alger Lola and Duane Hagadone Scholarship, providing Idaho students with annual awards of $7,000 for pursuit of their goals. Applicants must maintain at least a 2.0 GPA while also showing financial need; since its creation, 321 scholars have received support. Bonners Ferry High School athletes Sarah Machalski and Daniel Walker received this year’s Duane Hagadone Sportsmanship Award.
Personal Life
Hagadone was widely known for having diverse interests. His business ventures included publishing newspapers, golf courses and real estate ventures; additionally he was an outspoken critic of white supremacy movements like Northern Idaho’s Aryan Nations movement.
Duane Hagadone has given generously to charity. According to The Coeur d’Alene Press, he and his wife Lola established and funded the Horatio Alger Lola and Duane Hagadone Scholarship, awarded annually in Benewah, Boundary, Bonner, Kootenai Latah Shoshone counties of Idaho.
The couple maintains homes in Coeur d’Alene and Palm Desert, California, with three adult sons and eight grandchildren between them. Furthermore, they created the Hagadone Foundation which offers scholarships to Idaho students. Since its establishment, over $1.2 million have been distributed as scholarships through this foundation.
Net Worth
Duane Hagadone amassed his wealth through publishing. A hardworking, firm and fair man who loved his family deeply. Additionally, he donated generously to numerous causes. Duane was known to own one of Palm Desert’s largest estates as well as an extravagant yacht named after his wife Lola which bore her name.
He was born in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and began mowing lawns and doing landscaping as a kid. After dropping out of college he started working for his father’s newspaper as the proprietor. Subsequently his company, Hagadone Corporation, had 17 other publications as divisions focused on publishing, hospitality, real estate development and real estate investment – estimated net worth estimated to be over $800 Million.