Kyle Kirkland
Education & Early Life
Kyle was born in Virginia to Kenneth and Christine Kirkland. At a young age, his family moved to Maine where he learned small town values, hard work and self-reliance. Valedictorian of his high school, he attended Harvard College where he received an A.B. magna cum laude in 1984 and then received an MBA from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University in 1988. At Harvard, Mr. Kirkland received several academic awards including the James B. Conant Science Prize and was a John Harvard and Rotary Foundation Scholar.
Early in his career, Mr. Kirkland worked at Drexel Burnham in Beverly Hills (1988-90) and Bain & Company in Boston (1984-86). In 1994, Mr. Kirkland co-founded Kirkland Messina, Inc., an investment banking firm and has also been involved in several corporate turnarounds and has served on the boards of three public companies.
Career
From 1993 to 2011, Mr. Kirkland was Chairman of Steinway Musical Instruments (NYSE: LVB), the largest manufacturer of musical instruments in the United States. In 1993, Mr. Kirkland and his business partner led an investor group that purchased the company and took it public in 1996. The transaction was the subject of articles in Forbes and the New York Times and a Harvard Business School case “Steinway & Sons – Buying A Legend” that continues to be used in graduate schools today. When Mr. Kirkland left Steinway, its profitability and product quality were the highest in its 150+ year history.
Kyle Kirkland is the President of Club One Casino, Inc. in Fresno, California. Mr. Kirkland is a 50% owner and oversees the day-to-day operations of the casino, its management and compliance. Prior to COVID-19 closures, Club One Casino had been in operation for almost 25 years, was one of Fresno’s largest taxpayers and employed over 300 people in its facility.
Mr. Kirkland is also the President of the California Gaming Association, the trade association that represents the $5.6 billion California cardroom industry. Under his leadership, the CGA established its legal and public affairs presence and has advocated for the industry, its 18,000 employees and the California communities that rely on cardroom tax revenue for essential services. Mr. Kirkland is a frequent spokesperson on industry panels and to legislators, regulators and the media.
Non-Profit
Today, Mr. Kirkland serves as a director and board chair of the globally acclaimed Fresno Chaffee Zoo and oversees the Kirkland Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to animal rescue efforts in the Central Valley. The Kirkland Foundation rescues over 1,500 domestic animals each year and has been the subject of media reports for its selfless work.
