Warren Kanders
Warren Kanders | |
---|---|
Born | 1957 or 1958 New Jersey, U.S. |
Education | Brown University |
Occupation(s) | Businessperson and investor |
Warren Beatty Kanders (born 1957 or 1958) is an American businessman and investor. From 1996 until 2007, he was chairman of
An arts patron, Kanders joined the board of the Whitney Museum, in New York, in 2006. He resigned as vice chair in 2019 following protests over sales of tear gas by Safariland, a subsidiary of Cadre Holdings.
Early life
Warren Beatty Kanders was born in 1957 or 1958.
Business career
Finance
Kanders first worked in
Retail
Kanders was one of two bankers who created Benson Eyecare in 1992 from the merger of shell public company Ehrlich Bober, an optical retail chain and Benson Optical, which was acquired from the pension fund of
Defense and law enforcement
Kanders $3 million of his $30 million profit to buy 70% of the Florida-based American Body Armor, a company which was a predecessor to
Kanders began an effort in 2008 to become CEO of the Federal Signal Corporation after announcing he held a 5.7% stake in the company. He also criticized the company for the sale of a subsidiary and later publicly alleged that its chairman of "may have been involved in a coverup of insider trading". In response to the allegation, the company said that it was "nothing more than another desperate attempt to undermine the credibility of the company's highly qualified board of directors".[14][15] Also in 2008, Kanders bought outdoor equipment manufacturer Gregory Mountain Products, which was part of Armor Holdings when it was purchased by BAE Systems.[12] Kanders and Schiller were managers at Clarus Corporation, based in Connecticut, when in 2010, it purchased Gregory Mountain Products and the Utah-based Black Diamond Equipment, for a combined $135 million. Following the deal, the two companies were combined into one company, named Black Diamond, with Kanders as executive chairman.[16][17] Kanders returned to Safariland as its chairman and CEO after its purchase from BAE Systems for $124 million in 2012.[12][11]
Forbes estimated his net worth at $700 million in 2018, mostly derived from Safariland's value.[4] In 2021, the parent company of Safariland, Cadre Holdings, announced that it was going public, with Kanders remaining as CEO and maintaining a 51% voting interest.[18]
Arts patronage and protests
Kanders joined the board of the Whitney Museum in New York in 2006.[19] Kanders and his wife, Allison, redesigned their house in Greenwich, Connecticut, in 2013 to incorporate their collection of contemporary art; they owned works by John Baldessari, Jeff Koons, Gerhard Richter, and Cindy Sherman.[20] The New York Times in 2019 reported that Kanders donated more than $10 million to the Whitney Museum, among donations to "various charities" and Republican and Democratic Party politicians.[3]
The couple endowed $2.5 million to the Aspen Music Festival and School in Colorado in 2016.[21] They were major donors to the Aspen Art Museum for 2017 to 2018,[22] and his wife was a board member in 2018.[23]
Whitney Museum protests
Kanders was listed as a "significant contributor" to the Whitney Museum's
In December, the group Decolonize This Place organized a protest at the museum to protest Kanders's board membership.[25] In response to plans for the 2019 Whitney Biennial, Decolonize This Place launched a series of nine weekly protests from March 22 to May 17, calling for his removal from the board, and around two-thirds of the 75 Biennial participants signed a letter authored by various art critics, academics, and other figures that called for the same goal.[19][26][27] The New York Times reported that the protests had "reached a climax" during the opening of the Biennial, when a large tear gas sculpture was installed close to the entrance and protestors marched to Kanders's house in Greenwich Village.[3] After eight artists left the program in solidarity with the protests, on July 25, Kanders resigned from his position and his wife left her position as co-chair of the painting and sculpture committee.[3]
Kanders announced in 2020 that Safariland planned to divest itself of divisions producing "crowd-control solutions, including chemical agents, munitions and batons, to law enforcement and military agencies"—specifically
Brown University protests
An op-ed in The Brown Daily Herald authored by four fellow Brown University alumni in February 2018 criticized the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society (IBES) for allowing Kanders on its advisory council as they alleged Safariland's products had been used to "suppress protests, maim or kill activists and intimidate social movements." Kanders defended Safariland's products in a letter to the editor.[4] After protests by student groups, in October 2019, the university announced changes to its gift acceptance policy.[31][32]
Personal life
Family
Kanders married to Sarah Phillips in 1982.[33] Following a divorce, he married Allison Smith in 1998.[1] They have three children.[23]
Real estate
Kanders bought a 20-acre
They purchased the
Kanders and his brother, Alan, an investor and hotel owner, became owners of the Mayflower Inn & Spa in
References
- ^ a b c d "WEDDINGS; Allison Smith, Warren Kanders". The New York Times. June 28, 1998. Archived from the original on May 13, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
- ^ a b "Sarah E. Phillips Plans Wedding". The New York Times. July 25, 1982. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Pogrebin, Robin; Harris, Elizabeth (July 25, 2019). "Warren Kanders Quits Whitney Board After Tear Gas Protests". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Çam, Deniz (December 6, 2018). "Meet The Safariland Multimillionaire Getting Rich Off Tear Gas and More In The Defense Industry". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 6, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
- ^ a b "Board of Directors". Clarus Corporation. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
- ^ Petruno, Tom (January 3, 1993). "Stocks That Were Hot, Not So Hot in 1992: Year-End Tally: Stock of 'infomercial' company jumps 450%, while many health issues droop". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 12, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Gallagher, Leigh (October 27, 2003). "Master of the Mundane: Martin Franklin is making millions from kitchen matches, twine and canning jars". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 19, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
- ^ Serwer, Andrew E. (April 17, 1995). "A Man with a Vision Consolidates the Eye-Care Business". Fortune. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
- Bloomberg Business News. February 13, 1996. Archivedfrom the original on January 24, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Survivor". Forbes. October 14, 2006. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ a b Just, Olivia (July 31, 2012). "Kanders completes goal of buying body armor company". Connecticut Post. Archived from the original on May 15, 2024. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Bull, Roger (July 30, 2012). "Jacksonville manufacturer of body armor part of $124 million sale". The Florida Times-Union. Archived from the original on May 14, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
- ^ Newcomb, Peter (March 5, 2008). "America's 50 Richest Paydays". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ "Federal Signal lapse alleged". Chicago Tribune. August 19, 2008. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ Cundiff, Rick (July 1, 2008). "E-One firm candidate takes aim CEO hopeful ducks test, buys stock instead". Ocala StarBanner. Archived from the original on May 18, 2024. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
- ^ Lee, Richard (May 10, 2010). "Clarus purchase unites two outdoor equipment makers". Stamford Advocate. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
- ^ Gorrell, Mike (May 10, 2010). "Utah's Black Diamond Equipment sold for $90 million". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on May 12, 2024. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
- Jax Daily Record. Archivedfrom the original on May 15, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Greenberger, Alex (March 22, 2019). "The Whitney Museum and Warren B. Kanders: A Timeline of the Controversy". ARTnews. Archived from the original on May 15, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
- ^ a b Shaw, Dan (June 2013). "A Greenwich, Connecticut Home with Cutting-Edge Style". Architectural Digest. Archived from the original on June 5, 2013. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
- Aspen Public Radio. Archivedfrom the original on May 15, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ Williams, Maxwell (August 6, 2019). "Mega collectors raise $2.3m at Aspen Art Museum's annual ArtCrush benefit". The Art Newspaper. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Boodro, Michael (November 8, 2018). "On View: Allison and Warren Kanders Invite AD Into Their Art-Filled Sanctuary". Architectural Digest. Archived from the original on May 15, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ Steinhauer, Jillian (July 1, 2015). "The Unlikely Connection Between the Whitney Museum and Riot Gear". Hyperallergic. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
- ^ Greenberger, Alex (December 9, 2018). "'No Space for Profiteer of State Violence': Decolonize This Place Protests Whitney Vice Chair Warren B. Kanders". ARTnews. Archived from the original on December 10, 2018. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
- ^ Moynihan, Colin (May 18, 2019). "Protests at the Whitney Over a Board Member Whose Company Sells Tear Gas". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 27, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ "Decolonize This Place Launches "Nine Weeks of Art and Action" with Protest at Whitney Museum". Hyperallergic. March 23, 2019. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
- ^ Pogrebin, Robin (June 9, 2020). "Warren Kanders Says He Is Getting Out of the Tear Gas Business". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ Voon, Claire (June 7, 2022). "Former Whitney Museum vice chairman Warren Kanders still profits from tear gas sales despite claiming he would divest". The Art Newspaper. Archived from the original on May 14, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ "Ousted Whitney Trustee Warren Kanders Reneges on Promise Not to Sell Tear Gas". Artforum. June 6, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ Diep, Francie (October 31, 2019). "Universities Are Facing Criticism for Taking Dirty Money. Do Their Donor Policies Protect Them?". The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
- ^ Goldberg, Daniel (October 28, 2019). "University releases naming, gift acceptance policies to public". The Brown Daily Herald. Archived from the original on June 1, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
- ^ "Marriage of Phillips / Kanders". Daily Record. New Jersey. September 19, 1982. p. 48. Archived from the original on May 26, 2024. Retrieved May 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Thurman, Judith (October 1, 2001). "Mica Ertegun of MAC II Renovates an Estate on Long Island Sound". Architectural Digest. Archived from the original on May 14, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
- ^ Velsey, Kim (June 22, 2012). "Art Patron and Business Bigwig Moves From Greenwich to Greenwich Village, Into $18 M. Hovanian Townhouse". The New York Observer. Archived from the original on May 14, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
- ^ Marchant, Robert (July 15, 2020). "Demonstrators target Greenwich businessman who had ties to tear gas". Greenwich Time. Archived from the original on May 15, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ Hofheinz, Darrell (November 30, 2020). "Jimmy Buffett, wife sell house in Palm Beach for $6.9 million". Palm Beach Daily News. Archived from the original on May 15, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ Hofheinz, Darrell (June 3, 2022). "Lakeside Palm Beach house brings $39.9M after selling last year for $25.4M, records show". Palm Beach Daily News. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ a b Hofheinz, Darrell (June 27, 2022). "Lakeside estate sells for $56 million in off-market deal, Palm Beach deed shows". Palm Beach Daily News. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ Wagner, Jodie (January 3, 2023). "Palm Beach Police get donation of ultralight tactical gear". Palm Beach Daily News. Archived from the original on May 15, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ a b "Posh Mayflower Inn & Spa Has New Owners". Hartford Courant. July 28, 2011. Archived from the original on May 13, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
- ^ Tuz, Susan (August 10, 2013). "Mayflower joins Grace Hotel group". Greenwich Time. Archived from the original on May 15, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- CT Post. Retrieved May 18, 2024.