An Evansville native, Dunn began his business career in Evansville after an honorable discharge from the United States Air Force in 1959. He began at Fuqua Industries in 1959, which owned WROZ Radio and WTVW Channel 7. Dunn started in the Sales Department and by 1964 had been promoted to Vice President and General Manager of WROZ and in 1968 transferred to television.

In 1969, he and a business partner created Medco Centers Nursing Homes. By 1978, there were 28 Medco Centers throughout Indiana and Kentucky, which also included pharmaceutical and physical therapy subsidiaries. In 1978, Dunn sold these properties to a Canadian firm to focus on new ventures – the hotel industry, radio stations, television stations, land development.

In 1978, Dunn re-entered the broadcast business by purchasing radio stations in Rhode Island, New Mexico and Texas. At this same time, he also built his first hotel, The Williamsburg Inn in Evansville, Indiana.

Dunn eventually divested himself of the radio stations but ventured into television broadcasting with two Evansville low-power television stations (WTSN-CD Channel 20 and WYYW-CD Channel 15), which he continues to operate today.

Over the past 40+ years, Dunn Hospitality Group, the management company founded by Dunn in 1978, has built or acquired over 50 hotels in Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky and is now building hotels in Huntsville, Alabama.

In 1990, Dunn and Bill Koester formed a joint venture to develop a 70-acre parcel of land on Evansville’s east side, now known as Eagle Crest Commerce Centre. At the groundbreaking for the first business to be located there, Dunn’s 143-room Hampton Inn, then-Mayor Frank McDonald recognized the vision of Dunn and Koester by proclaiming Eagle Crest as Evansville’s “New Front Door.”

In 2018, Dunn formed Dunn Hospitality Group of Florida to embark on a new project of developing residential and retail condominiums in Sarasota.

Throughout the years Dunn has endeavored to enrich the local community by restoring historical buildings – the Carpenter Home, which most recently housed the WNIN-Channel 9 facility, but was originally restored and used as the corporate offices for the Medco Centers; and the McCurdy Residential Center was initially the McCurdy Hotel.

Dunn is Chairman and CEO of Dunn Hospitality Group, whose corporate offices are located in Evansville. He is also Chairman of the Board of Directors for Tri-State Youth for Christ and Past Chairman and Director of the Oakland City University Foundation; Past Chairman of the Board of Trustees for University of Southern Indiana and Past Chairman and Director of Welborn Baptist Hospital and Welborn Baptist Foundation. He has retired from the Corporate Board of Directors for South Central

Communications, Inc., Old National Bank and Vectren, Inc. He also served on the Board of Directors for community groups that include Boys and Girls Club of Evansville, Past President of St. Mary’s Health Systems Seton Corporation, and WNIN-TV/FM88; and formerly on the Boards for Southern Indiana Chamber of Commerce, YMCA and the Salvation Army.

Dunn is a member of the Advisory Council for Indiana University Medical School, Treasurer of the P-47 Foundation of Evansville, and a Trustee and member of Church of the Cross in Evansville.

Dunn is an alumnus of Oakland City University and served on its Board of Trustees for 12 years and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities. He was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Southern Indiana.

He has been recognized by Evansville Rotarians, SW Indiana Chamber of Commerce, Buffalo Trace Council and the ROTC for his leadership, and received numerous other awards for his accomplishments in the business community.

Dunn is also a member of Evansville Country Club, Palm Aire Country Club of Sarasota, FL and a Rotarian.

Dunn is married to Gail A. (Russell) Dunn. They are parents to two sons and three daughters, and have ten grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.