Swiss born Roland Solenthaler started his career at prestigious food and beverage establishments in Switzerland. He became an Executive Chef by the age of twenty. He then worked in several Food and Beverage Manager positions at The Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto and San Francisco Clift Hotel.

Furthermore he was the General Manager at the Swiss Pavilion Restaurant at the 1986 World Expo in Vancouver. This led to his appointment as Director of Food & Beverage for the opening of The Peninsula Beverly Hills in Los Angeles, California.

A year later an article on the front page of The New York Magazine entitled “How to start your own business” fueled Roland Solenthaler’s ambition to establish himself as an entrepreneur in New York City.

Based on the historic swiss tale of William Tell and his famous shot through the big apple, and the birth of the Swiss confederacy in 1291, he then started the 1291 Corporation, modeled after the story’s charm and his nation’s success. The article still adorns his midtown Manhattan office wall, he looks back to over 25 years entrepreneurial experience in NY as a hotel operator and Swiss restaurant owner in Times Square in Manhattan.

He gave the next generation of Swiss apprentices a chance to make it in New York City.

As founder and owner of 1291, Roland Solenthaler sees his role as a mentor for young professionals within the hospitality field, and as a driving force for his ever expanding business ventures.

Roland’s business investments have also included restaurants, B&B-Hotels, film productions, a TV show, and rare coins he has collected since the age of twelve.
 Roland is co-owner of www.wips.ch, a 30 years old recruitment agency that was founded in Switzerland and now is based out of New York WIPS.CH, Worldwide International Placement Services.