Stewart W. Bainum Jr. has been Chairman of Choice Hotels International since October 1997 and has been affiliated with Choice since 1976. He has overseen its growth from a franchisor of 339 hotels under one brand in the United States to a global enterprise with nearly 7,500 hotels in 46 countries and territories. Bainum also served as Chairman and CEO of Manor Care from 1987 to 1998, when it merged with Health Care and Retirement Corp. Bainum’s 26-year tenure at Manor Care was distinguished not only by its growth in market value from $12 million to over $3.5 billion and its generation of high average annual shareholder returns, but also by Bainum’s implementation of a customer-focused culture at Manor Care for the benefit of both customers and the company’s 50,000 employees. Bainum founded Somerford Place Corp. in 1998 and Artis Senior Living in 2012, both memory care assisted living companies.
Bainum served with distinction as a delegate and senator in the Maryland General Assembly from 1979 to 1987, where he was a member of each house’s budget and tax committee. Described by Forbes as a “fiscal-minded Democrat,” he was also seen as a strong progressive voice in Annapolis. Bainum’s legislative achievements earned him recognition from the NAACP, Maryland Common Cause and the Maryland League of Conservation Voters.
Bainum has remained active in Democratic politics and in the community, serving as a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1984, 1992 and 2008, and serving on the board of trustees of Johns Hopkins University; the University of Maryland Medical System; St. Mary’s College; the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; and Bowdoin College.