He co-founded Danaher Corporation with his brother Steven Rales in 1984 and the art museum Glenstone with his wife Emily Wei in 2006.

Rales is also the chairman of ESAB and a prominent limited partner of the National Football League (NFL) team Washington Commanders.

[1][2][3][4] Rales earned a degree in business administration at Miami University in 1978 and was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity.

[6][11] In 2017, Rales paid a fine of $720,000 to the Federal Trade Commission after inadvertently reporting purchases of shares in Colfax and Danaher were not above the filing threshold, which violated the Hart–Scott–Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act.

[14][15] He considered the opportunity to be "humbling", as he grew up a fan of the team and frequently attended home games at RFK Stadium.

[19] Glenstone displays the Rales's collection of post-World War II art, including paintings, sculptures, and both indoor and outdoor installations, and also functions as his personal residence.

[32][33] The same year, he was elected as a member of the Business, Corporate, and Philanthropic Leadership class of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.