Resort Industry Pioneer Jon DeHaan, Co-founder of RCI, Dies at 85

The vacation ownership industry has lost one of its most influential visionaries. Jon Holden DeHaan, co-founder of Resort Condominiums International (RCI) and a pioneer of the modern vacation exchange industry, passed away peacefully at his home on June 27, 2026, surrounded by loved ones. He was 85.

Born July 7, 1940, in Ypsilanti, Michigan, DeHaan was widely recognized for transforming the way families vacation around the world. In 1974, he and his then-wife, Christel, founded Resort Condominiums International (RCI) in Indianapolis, introducing the concept of vacation exchange on a global scale. The idea fundamentally changed the vacation ownership industry by allowing owners to exchange their home resort stays for vacations at other participating destinations.

Today, the exchange concept the DeHaans pioneered continues to serve millions of travelers through a worldwide network of approximately 4,300 affiliated resorts in nearly 100 countries.

In 1990, DeHaan moved to Naples, Florida, where he devoted much of his later life to philanthropy. Following a heart attack at age 38, he established the Jon DeHaan Foundation with a focus on advancing cardiovascular medicine.

The foundation became a significant supporter of interventional cardiology, helping fund research and technology that led to major breakthroughs, including development of the first drug-eluting stent. That innovation has since improved—and saved—the lives of countless patients, including DeHaan himself later in life.