© Copyright 2006 - Strand Development
John Pharr : President
"Our formula for your success is simple yet profound: we treat each property as our most important property, each client our most important client, each guest our most important guest. In the final analysis, our business depends entirely on your success."
Under Pharr's direction, Strand Development Company, LLC has taken its place among the leading Hotel Management Companies in the Southeast. John Pharr is responsible for development, management, and operations of all properties and projects managed by the Company. It surprised no one when, May 2001, John was named Hotelier of the Year by the Myrtle Beach Hospitality Association - an honor reserved for very few out of hundreds managing the more than 75,000 hotel rooms along the Grand Strand.
John Pharr and Strand Development Company are, in the eyes of many, synonymous. With the Company from the start as General Manager of the Holiday Inn Downtown on the ocean in Myrtle Beach, Pharr has been at the helm since 1984. His skills as an administrator combined with his unparalleled knowledge of the hospitality business have made him an icon in the travel and tourism industry.
An honor graduate of Webster University with a Masters Degree in Business Administration and Management, Pharr received his undergraduate Bachelor of Arts Degree in Industrial Management from Michigan State University in 1969. As a Colonel in the United States Air Force Reserve, John Pharr has worked with the Air Force on Lodging and Hospitality projects worldwide. He is currently assigned to Headquarters Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Virginia. He also serves as an Air Force Academy Liaison Officer.
From 1969 through the present, John Pharr has served in the United States Air Force Reserve, Headquarters ACC Services, Langley AFB, Virginia. He is a consultant to the Air Force regarding worldwide hospitality issues and serves as an Admissions Counselor.
An active member of his community, Pharr is a board member of the Myrtle Beach Rotary Club and a former Board of Directors member of Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday - the promotional organization of the area's booming golf industry. He serves on the Board of Myrtle Beach National Course Inc. - the area's largest Golf Course/Accommodations operator. In addition to this he serves on the Advisory Boards for the University of South Carolina Hospitality School and Coastal Carolina University Hospitality Program. John also serves as on the Board of Directors of the South Carolina Hospitality Association and he is a former member of the Wingate Inns Presidents Advisory Council.
