Lewis Wolff
Lewis N. Wolff | |
---|---|
Born | 1935 (age 88–89) |
Occupation | Investor |
Known for | Former owner and current chairman emeritus for the Oakland Athletics Former owner of the San Jose Earthquakes |
Spouse | Jean Wolff |
Children | 3 |
Lewis N. Wolff (born December 13, 1935) is an American
Early life and education
Lewis "Lew" Wolff was born on December 13, 1935
Career
In 1958, Wolff took a job as a real estate appraiser in St. Louis.
In 1994, Wolff founded Maritz, Wolff & Co with Philip Maritz in
In the past, he has been a co-owner of the
OAKLAND A’S
Wolff was the Managing Partner of the Oakland A’s from 2005 -2015. Wolff and his partner, John Fisher invested $100 million and assumed $80 million in debt to acquire the team. During Wolff’s tenure, the team reached the play-offs 40% of the time, (Wolff credits Billy Beane with the team’s performance), never had a capital call and returned $58,400,000 of the initial $100 million investment.
Philanthropy
Under Wolff's ownership, the Oakland Athletics were community-minded. In 2011, Sony Pictures complied with Wolff's wishes in staging the motion picture premiere of Moneyball in Oakland, including a charity component that raised $370,000 for the Children's Hospital and Research Center Oakland and Stand Up To Cancer. Wolff is also an active participant in the A's Home Run Readers program.[17]
The San Jose Mercury-News ranked Wolff first in its annual listing of the Bay Area's 25 Most Powerful Sports Figures in both 2006 and 2007. In September, 2008, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group also presented Wolff with its prestigious "Community Cornerstone Award," given to "a Silicon Valley leader who has displayed a lifetime of impeccable ethics, business achievement and community engagement."[17] Wolff's Family Foundation supports numerous causes with emphasis on Stand-Up to Cancer, KIPP Charter schools, Planned Parenthood, Yavneh Day School, Los Gatos, California. The most recent activity is a personal campaign to research and address the impact of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) in the field of family law and children of divorce.
Stadium efforts
In 2015, Wolff claimed that the A's are "looking to stay in Oakland. ... We have not been looking at venues in other places in the Bay Area," he said. "And we are not planning to look."[18] In 2014, the A's signed a 10-year lease to stay in the Oakland Coliseum.[19] Shortly thereafter, the A's invested $10 million in new video boards at the Coliseum as part of the lease agreement.[20]
Personal life
Wolff is married to Jean Wolff and has three children and four grandchildren. They live in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles.[9]
References
- ^ "Lewis Wolff - Forbes". forbes.com. Archived from the original on March 12, 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
- ^ Ozanian, Mike (November 18, 2016). "Fisher Family Buys Remaining Stake Of Oakland Athletics From Wolff". Forbes. Archived from the original on November 13, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
- ^ "Oakland A's". LEW WOLFF. Archived from the original on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2017-04-16.
- ^ a b c Bloomberg: "Oakland A's Owner Wolff Seeks $1.8 Billion From Hotels as Sales Considered" By Nadja Brandt Archived 2015-01-14 at the Wayback Machine Apr 6, 2011
- ^ JWeekly: "Oakland A’s Ready for Their First Jewish Heritage Game" by Andy Altman-Ohr Archived 2013-07-28 at the Wayback Machine May 11, 2012
- ^ a b c d e f g h i San Francisco Gate: "A's NEW ERA / LEWIS WOLFF / A fan since childhood finally gets to own a team" by John Shea Archived 2013-06-18 at the Wayback Machine March 31, 2005
- ^ 2011 Pi Lambda Phi Membership Guide
- ^ Tyler Kepner (September 22, 2012). "Relocation of A's Has All the Plans but No Permit". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 28, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
- ^ a b MLB.com: "Lewis Wolff - Owner and Managing Partner Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine retrieved March 26, 2013
- ^ "Corporate profile: History". Maritz, Wolff & Co. Archived from the original on 2007-10-21. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
- ^ "Portfolio". Maritz, Wolff & Co. Archived from the original on 2007-10-21. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
- ^ "Executive profile: Lewis N. Wolff". Maritz, Wolff & Co. Archived from the original on 2007-11-30. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
- ^ Bloomberg: "Why The Oakland A’s Don’t Belong in Oakland" By Jonathan Mahler Archived 2012-11-09 at the Wayback Machine Oct 9, 2012
- ^ "Lewis Wolff". Oakland Athletics. Archived from the original on 2007-11-07. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
- ^ Michelle Smith (May 25, 2006). "A's gain rights to revive Quakes". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on June 12, 2006. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
- ^ "Earthquakes return to San Jose in 2008". USA Today. 2007-07-18. Archived from the original on 2008-03-16. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
- ^ a b "Executive Bio". Oakland Athletics. Archived from the original on 2016-02-04. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
- ^ "A's co-owner Wolff not interested in sharing Coliseum site with Raiders". www.mercurynews.com. 21 June 2015. Archived from the original on 2022-07-14. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
- ^ "A's lease settled after Lew Wolff accepts Oakland's changes". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2016-02-15. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
- ^ "A's upgrading Coliseum with new video boards". Sporting News. Retrieved 2016-02-03.