CEO Gary Tharaldson II Finds His Flame

Notable Templink Clients

• West Fargo Public Schools

• Detroit Lakes Schools

• Various senior care providers and food manufacturing businesses across the Upper Midwest.

The Double Life Of A North Dakota Kid From Vegas

Gary Tharaldson II didn’t grow up like most kids in North Dakota. In fact, he didn’t grow up in North Dakota at all—at least not fulltime. Born in Fargo but raised in Las Vegas, Tharaldson II spent his formative years toggling between two drastically different worlds. During the school year, he lived in Summerlin, a suburb on the edge of the Vegas sprawl. But come summer, he’d return to Fargo, then out to the lake, where he’d split his time between basketball camps and wakeboarding sessions.

“It kind of felt like I was living a double life,” he said. “I had my friends in Vegas and my friends in Fargo. During the summers, I was here. During the school year, I was there.”

This dual existence shaped Tharaldson II’s early identity. He was grounded by Fargo’s tight-knit, familiar rhythms but also had his life in Las Vegas that was dominated by sports.

“I played three sports until high school,” he said. “Football, soccer, basketball. But once I got older, I just stuck with basketball. I didn’t want to cut my summers short.”

Basketball, and later wakeboarding, became his passions. At the lake, he spent hours perfecting tricks—until a failed whirlybird led to a dislocated kneecap, a torn meniscus, and an eventual end to that chapter. It wasn’t the only time injuries forced Gary to pivot.

A Childhood Steeped In Business Conversations

Tharaldson II’s father is one of North Dakota’s most successful business figures. The billionaire hotelier whose name is synonymous with real estate and hospitality across the Midwest. But the family name wasn’t a shortcut or a crutch—it was more like background music.

“I was always in the loop,” Tharaldson II said. “He’d constantly be talking to me about deals. Not so much operations—he had people for that—but more high-level stuff, the financial side. My childhood was pretty normal, though. My dad didn’t force the business on me. However, when someone is as passionate about work as my dad is, you do talk about the business.”

During his sophomore basketball season, Tharaldson II sustained an elbow injury which required a procedure and caused him to miss a year of action. This slowed his progress and crushed his dreams of playing at the next level, the world of business started to open up as a real option.

“I didn’t really know what I was going to do,” Tharaldson II said. “Before then, I really didn’t think too far ahead of sports. So, I figured I’d figure it out in college.”

Templink’s Offerings

• Standard Temperature Sensor

• Leak Detectors

• Waterproof Sensors

• Meat Cook-Cycle Probe: Monitors cooking cycles in meat plants to ensure USDA compliance.

• Hands-Free Food Line Probe (Coming Soon)

• Dishwasher Pucks (In Development)

Humility is what my dad taught m e — and what I see in Gary.” -Gary Tharaldson Sr.

Gary Tharaldson Sr.’s Rules For Building A Business

Wisdom from one of North Dakota’s most successful entrepreneurs.

Treat people right. “It’s not just customers—employees, too. They build the company for you.”

Never stop learning. “Even at 80, I’m learning from every company I invest in.”

Be humble. “The best leaders are the ones who stay grounded.”

Share the wealth. “Profit-sharing pays back a hundredfold in loyalty and effort.”

Whatever you do, be the best at it. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a teacher, pastor, or CEO.”

From Site Scouting To Starting Something New

Tharaldson II’s first taste of work came in the summer of 2016, right before he began college at NDSU. He started scouting sites for potential hotel builds for his father’s company— learning the importance of location and understanding what made a property viable. Even then, it wasn’t glamorous work. He didn’t find a site that summer. But he did find purpose. “That summer taught me how big of a role location plays in success,” he said. “If all the stars align—traffic, nearby amenities, the right zoning—it can be a great site. But it’s harder than it sounds to find the right fit.”

He briefly detoured from the family company, working for a moving business. Then, he came back and was tasked with inspecting hotels due for renovation—noticing cracks, warped wallpaper, HVAC drips—anything that might drag down guest satisfaction.

Eventually, Tharaldson II felt a strong need to set out on his own so he could develop as a businessperson and as a leader. That’s when a dormant opportunity inside another company the family had invested in— BWR—presented itself.

“They had developed this temperature monitoring system as a side project to their hydrogen fuel cell work,” Tharaldson Sr. said. “It was shelved because they didn’t have the resources to focus on it.”

What others overlooked, the Tharaldsons saw as ready-to-launch.

In late 2023, together with his father and his brother-in-law Nick Clark—the company’s President—he rebranded the tech into a standalone company— TempLink—and got to work.

Rebooting The Product, Rebuilding The Brand

When TempLink officially launched in late 2023, it wasn’t a blank slate—but it wasn’t turnkey either. The tech had been partially developed under the brand Insight IoT. It worked, but it wasn’t complete. And it hadn’t been scaled. “We had one core product at the start,” Tharaldson II. said. “A standard temperature sensor and a gateway. That was it.”

But Tharaldson II and his team saw potential beyond cold storage monitoring. They began iterating, adding new types of sensors to meet demand in specific industries.

Today, TempLink’s portfolio includes waterproof sensors, a meat cookcycle probe used in locker plants, and a soon-to-be-released, firstof-its-kind food line probe that operates independently of tablets or smartphones.

“No one else has anything like it,” Tharaldson II said. “The food line probe doesn’t require a device, which is huge in environments where hygiene matters. You just click the next item on the probe, and it sends data directly to the cloud.”

I didn’t want to just be part of something — I wanted to build something.” -Gary Tharaldson Jr.

Focusing To Scale: The Senior Living Pivot

One of the hardest early lessons for Tharaldson II came in the form of scattered sales. The product was flexible enough to serve many markets, but spreading too thin, too fast was stalling momentum.

“Every vertical has its own marketing strategy, its own regulatory requirements, its own culture,” Tharaldson II said. “We were trying to sell to everyone. It didn’t work.”

The shift came after a few big wins in senior living. Their first customer in that space needed nearly 30 sensors for one facility—an eyeopener compared to smaller school installations.

“Castleton needed four sensors total. Senior living was like, boom, one building, 30 sensors,” Tharaldson II said.

The numbers were compelling. With tens of thousands of senior care communities across the U.S., Tharaldson II made the call to focus in. Today, TempLink is heavily entrenched in both senior living and meat locker plants—its two largest verticals.

The result? Rapid growth. From just two employees under Insight IoT to twelve today, TempLink has evolved from a tech salvage operation into a high-growth startup with custom hardware, a direct sales approach, and national reach.

Shared Values, Separate Paths

Tharaldson II’s desire to prove himself wasn’t born from pressure— but from respect. From an early age, he soaked in conversations about project financing and hotel construction costs from his father. But those moments weren’t forced.

“I let him be,” Tharaldson Sr. said. “He was probably 21 the first time I brought him to something serious, like a bank meeting. I wanted him to work for someone else first. Learn how a business really runs before jumping into anything with me.”

That independence helped shape Tharaldson II’s work ethic—and solidified the line between mentorship and micromanagement. While Tharaldson Sr. provides guidance when asked, he gives his son room to fail, adapt, and learn.

“If I were too involved, I’d be curtailing his leadership,” Tharaldson Sr. said. “And he didn’t want that. He wanted to lead. That’s the only way he’ll really grow.”

Gary Tharaldson II’s Biggest Lessons So Far

Focus wins. Trying to serve everyone slowed us down. Once we focused on two main verticals, things clicked.”

Speed matters. “My dad taught me—if it needs to be done, don’t wait. Just do it.”

You can’t fake the grind. “Sales, operations, marketing—you have to know enough to steer the ship.”

Don’t go it alone. “My brother-in-law Nick has been critical. He’s in the weeds so I can stay above them.”

Mentorship, Legacy, And The Father-Son Dynamic

Through it all, Tharaldson II has drawn closer to his father. Their relationship—once framed around sports and updates from the family business—has deepened through shared professional experiences.

“I talk to him every day now,” Tharaldson II said. “If I’m stuck, he always has a solution. He’s incredibly sharp.”

Working with a billionaire father might intimidate some. But for Gary, the lessons haven’t come in lectures—they’ve come by example.

“He expects excellence, but he doesn’t micromanage me,” Tharaldson II said. “What I’ve picked up from him is the importance of having a sense of urgency. If something needs doing, he doesn’t wait. He just does it. That’s how he ends every day—with no to-do list.”

The Father’s Vision

Gary Tharaldson Sr. never set out to build an empire for his son to inherit. In fact, for much of his career, he assumed Tharaldson II might carve his own path entirely

“He was a great athlete,” Tharaldson Sr. said. “And I always said the children are the best part of my life. I enjoyed watching him grow up. If he ever wanted to enter business, I figured he’d find his place.” But when TempLink emerged as a potential opportunity—a shelved side project within a hydrogen fuel cell company Sr. had invested in—it offered something unique. Not just a viable business, but a blank canvas. Something Tharaldson II could grow and lead himself.

“At first, I didn’t even think about involving Gary,” Tharaldson Sr. said. “But once I saw the product and the potential, I brought it to him. He didn’t want me to run it. He wanted to do it himself.”

The result was exactly what a strong-willed father and an ambitious son both needed—a project that could be guided, but not controlled. “He loves being a leader. He loves building a company,” Tharaldson Sr. said.

ND Roots, Entrepreneurial Reach

If there’s one value Gary Sr. hopes his son carries into the future, it’s humility.

“Humility is what my dad taught me,” Tharaldson Sr. said. “And it’s what I’ve seen in Gary. If you treat people right—especially your employees—they’ll build the company for you.”

It’s a principle that echoes across Sr.’s own legacy: opening one hotel per month for 40 years, expanding into land, solar, and software. And even with his reach across industries and states, he never let business eclipse what matters most

“When you run a business, it’s important not to neglect the family,” Tharaldson Sr. said. “Those become your memories.”

And if anyone can balance ambition with that grounded philosophy, he believes it’s his son.

“He’s young. He’s learning. But he’s got it. I see it.”