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| Born | October 7, 1987 Corazon, San Lorenzo |
| Organization | Shortman Hotels |
| Title | Chief Executive Officer |
| Predecessor | Miles Shortman |
| Successor | current |
| Spouse(s) | Helga Pataki Shortman |
| Children | 3 |
Arnold Phillip Shortman (born 7 October 1987) is an American businessman who currently serves as CEO of the Shortman Hotel Chain, a sponsor of California-based racing organization David Stone Racing since 2012. Shortman succeeded his father, Miles, as CEO in 2018 after the former retired, citing a desire to return to anthropology.
Early Life[edit | edit source]
Shortman was born in San Lorenzo on October 7, 1987 while his parents, Miles and Stella, were doing research on a sleeping sickness affecting the small Central American nation. The three returned to Miles' family home in Washington before Arnold's first birthday; he and Stella soon left to continue their mission and were not heard from for nearly a decade. During this time, Arnold was raised by his grandparents, Phil and Gertie. Phil had been a prominent stock car racer in the 1950's.
Arnold attended P.S. 118 in Centralia, before relocating to Seattle to complete high school. During his high school years, his father and grandfather turned their small boarding house into a fledgling hotel chain, which expanded rapidly during the early 2000's. Shortman attended college at the University of Washington, where he double-majored in anthropology and business.
Shortman Hotels[edit | edit source]
Personal Life[edit | edit source]
Shortman married Helga Geraldine Pataki in 2011 at age 24; the pair had known each other as children and dated in middle school before Shortman and his family relocated to Seattle for his high school years. The two reconnected during their senior year, where Pataki showed him letters she had written to him every night, telling him the she never lost hope that they'd see each other again. They dated through college and were engaged by 2007.
The pair have three children: Miles Philip (born 11 July 2016), Phoebe Rhonda (born 9 May 2018), and Edward Gerald (born 20 November 2020). Helga is an accomplished poet and novelist, having won multiple awards, including the 2015 Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize and being featured in the 2015 edition of the Yale Series of Younger Poets.