About Us

Russell started his life in the dude ranching business when he was 6 years old. He is a principal of Ranch Preservation Holdings, LLC, as well as one of the founders of True Ranch Hospitality with his partner, Jaye Wells. True Ranch Hospitality is expanding annually and currently includes four ranches in Arizona: White Stallion Ranch, Rancho de la Osa, Tombstone Monument Ranch and Kay El Bar Ranch, as well as two Montana Ranches: the Circle Bar Ranch and  perhaps the most historic guest ranch in the country,  the OTO Ranch.

Russell graduated from the University of Arizona in 1982 with a degree in Business Finance.  He grew up on the historic White Stallion Ranch in Tucson, Arizona, purchased by his parents in 1965.

Today, Russell, his brother Michael and their families own the White Stallion and under their management the ranch is consistently recognized as an award-winning property locally, nationally and internationally.

The ranch has been ranked No. 1 on TripAdvisor of 130 hotels in Tucson for 9 consecutive years and has received numerous TripAdvisor certificates and awards, including Certificates of Excellence, top customer service rankings and Hall of Fame honors. Additionally, the ranch was named “Best Family Resort” in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards in 2018.

Russell co-hosts the podcast “Cowboy Up” with H. Alan Day, swapping stories and life lessons with some truly fascinating guests.    He was co-founder and president of the Arizona Dude Ranch Association and served as the president of the national Dude Ranchers’ Association for two terms.

In 2017, Russell was inducted into the Arizona Tourism Hall of Fame and the Family Travel Association named him Person of the Year in 2019.

He is the author of 2 books published by Arcadia Publishing: Dude Ranching in Arizona and Dude Ranching in Wyoming, detailing the images and history of dude ranching in each state.  He is an avid reader of history and a highly respected and entertaining public speaker on the topics of ranching, history and hospitality.

Alan Day’s upbringing branded him a cowboy from the day he was born. He was part of the third generation to grow up on the 200,000-acre Lazy B cattle ranch straddling the high deserts of southern Arizona and New Mexico. The ranching and cowboy lifestyle appealed to him so greatly that after graduating from the University of Arizona, he returned to manage Lazy B for the next 40 years. During his career, he received numerous awards for his dedicated stewardship of the land. In 1989, Alan purchased a cattle ranch in Nebraska and soon after, a ranch in South Dakota. The latter became the first government-sponsored sanctuary for 1500 unadoptable wild horses. Alan is the author of three memoirs, Lazy B: Growing Up on a Cattle Ranch in the American Southwest, which he wrote with his sister Sandra Day O’Connor; The Horse Lover: A Cowboy’s Quest to Save the Wild Horses; and Cowboy Up! Life Lessons from Lazy B. A resident of Tucson, AZ, Alan currently is writing a novel.

Co-producer and guest booker Lynn Wiese Sneyd has had an extensive career in writing, editing, and book publicity. The owner of LWS Literary Services, she also serves as the literary consultant for the Tucson Festival of Books. Despite growing up in a suburb of Milwaukee, WI riding bicycles, not horses, Lynn co-authored two horse books with Alan Day, The Horse Lover and Cowboy Up!. She currently lives in Tucson, AZ, where most of her riding continues to be astride a bike.

Stan Hustad is a long-time storyteller, teacher, broadcaster, and business performance coach. He is the founder of What it Takes Radio: A Podcast & Publishing Company and is the leader of the Cowboy Spirit USA podcast platform and co-producer of The Cowboy Up Podcast. Email Stan at stan@witradio.net.