Eric Ladd is a founder and operator across real estate, marketing, media, events, and outfitting, and the Founder and CEO of Outlaw Partners.

Founded in 2009, Outlaw Partners has grown into one of the Northern Rockies’ leading experiential real estate, media, marketing, events, and adventure travel companies, with offices in Big Sky and Bozeman, Montana. The company has become known for its diverse portfolio of businesses that together serve as a passport to the Western lifestyle. Guided by the pioneering principles of the Code of the West, Outlaw exists to inspire and connect people through powerful storytelling, unforgettable experiences, and purposeful development that elevates communities and protects the places we love.

Outlaw’s media platform includes award-winning publications such as Mountain Outlaw, Explore Big Sky, Town Crier, and Explore Yellowstone, reaching more than 10 million readers annually. The company is also recognized for producing premier live events, including the Wildlands Festival and the Big Sky PBR—a 12-time Event of the Year and one of the most celebrated events in professional bull riding. Through these platforms, Outlaw has produced acclaimed artists including Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews, Lukas Nelson, and Brandi Carlile.

A third-generation real estate professional with more than three decades of experience, Eric also leads Outlaw Realty, a boutique brokerage specializing in luxury real estate and complex development advisory across southwest Montana. With over $3 billion in career sales, he has played a key role in some of the region’s most iconic projects, including Yellowstone Club, Spanish Peaks Mountain Club, Moonlight Basin, and Mukul Resort, and is widely recognized for helping pioneer and shape the modern private club model that has become the standard for premier mountain resort communities.

Eric is also co-founder of Outlaw Real Estate Partners (OREP), a development and investment firm focused on creating thoughtful, community-driven projects that meet the demands of the region’s rapid growth. OREP has become a significant force in southwest Montana, with a diverse portfolio spanning residential, commercial, and mixed-use developments.

His passion for rivers and wilderness began at a young age and continues to shape both his life and business. In 2016, Eric founded Boundary Expeditions, offering exclusive, multi-day river journeys on Idaho’s Middle Fork of the Salmon River. His personal expeditions include the first descent of the Salween River in Tibet and a rare high-water descent of the Yangtze River in China.

Eric and his wife, Dr. Kaley Burns, live in Montana with their son, Haydon. He serves on the National Board of American Rivers and is actively involved with Big Sky Search and Rescue and AxeALS. Through the Outlaw Partners Foundation and its broader philanthropic efforts, the organization supports nonprofit and conservation initiatives focused on protecting the lands, rivers, and communities that define the American West. Eric remains driven by a simple belief: great places are worth protecting, and strong communities are built through shared purpose and action.