Tom Kaplan
Tom Kaplan has been a nationally recognized and respected name in the food and beverage and hospitality industries for over 41 years. As the Executive Vice President, Development and Design of the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group (WPFDG), Kaplan works alongside the renowned chef as a trusted partner and company thought leader. Throughout his tenure with WPFDG, Kaplan has nurtured key strategic partnerships with major casino resorts and luxury hotel brands such as Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International, Four Seasons, Dorchester Collection, Rosewood, Ritz Carlton, Park Hyatt Marriott, St. Regis, Pendry, and SBE, leading the company to extraordinary growth.
Together, Kaplan and Puck have taken the company from several individual restaurants to becoming one of the preeminent restaurant groups in the world, boasting an impressive and evolving collection of 22 domestic and international dining establishments. Day-to-day, Kaplan is responsible for strategic development, as well as playing an instrumental role in the supervision of design, construction, and philanthropy.
Intimately involved and passionate about community service, with a special focus on public policy, the arts, and the environment, Kaplan is a dedicated philanthropist and currently holds, or has held, numerous leadership positions on a variety of boards and councils.
He currently serves on the Brookings Institution Board of Trustees and is a member of their Metropolitan Leadership Council and Advisory Circle, working closely with Brookings Mountain West at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He is a Trustee of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Foundation Board, and serves as a Board Director of the Council for a Better Nevada and the Fulfillment Fund Las Vegas. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Alexander Dawson School and is an Emeritus Board member of the Animal Foundation.
He also served on the Board of Directors for the Marshall Retail Group from 2006 – 2015.
Kaplan served as a member of the Grassroots Network Committee for the Conservation Lands Foundation and was Vice President of the Puck Lazaroff Charitable Foundation benefitting the Los Angeles chapters of Meals on Wheels for more than 25 years and was a member of the City of Las Vegas Energy Advisory Committee.
Kaplan was named Nevada Restaurateur of the Year by the Las Vegas International Hotel & Restaurant Show in 2005 and one of the “50 Most Influential” in Nevada by In Business in 2008. In 2003, he was in the first induction group of the Las Vegas Dozen which honors men in the Vegas valley for their role in business and community involvement. In 2011, Kaplan was named “Humanitarian of the Year” by Greenspun Media Group’s publication Vegas Inc.
Raised in Stamford, Connecticut and New York City, Kaplan relocated to Los Angeles in 1980 after graduating Magna Cum Laude from Bowdoin College that same year with a bachelor’s degree in art history, visual arts, and a coordinate major in environmental studies. He has been a resident of Las Vegas since 1992.
To compete with the rigors of the hospitality world, Kaplan enjoys hiking, cycling, and skiing. His passions include architecture, art, music, travel as well supporting the NHL Vegas Golden Knights all shared with his wife, Liz and son, Austin.
