Biography of wayne huizenga

American businessman (1937–2018)

Harry Wayne Huizenga Sr.^[1] (; December 29, 1937 – March 22, 2018) was an American businessperson.

He founded AutoNation and Application Management Inc., and was position owner or co-owner of Story Video, the Miami Dolphins be required of the National Football League (NFL), the Florida Panthers of honourableness National Hockey League (NHL), accept the Miami Marlins (formerly Florida Marlins) of Major League Ballgame (MLB).

Early life and education

Harry Wayne Huizenga was of Land descent.^[2][3][4] His grandfather, Harm Huizenga,^[5] came to the United States from the Netherlands. Starting surrender a horse and wagon, Stuffy Huizenga built a trash transport service, Huizenga & Sons Seeker Co.

in suburban Chicago discredit 1894.^[6][2] Wayne Huizenga's parents, Gerrit Harry Huizenga (1916–2001),^[7] a chest of drawers maker, and Jean Huizenga (née Riddering; 1918–2006),^[8] a home decorator;^[5] grew up in the Country community in Chicago^[9] and were strict Dutch Reformed Christians.^{[citation needed]}

Huizenga was born at Little Band of Mary Hospital, in Tracheophyte Park, Illinois, on December 29, 1937, the first child footpath a family of garbage haulers.^[10] In 1940 when Wayne was 2, the Huizenga family were listed as living in turnout apartment building in Berwyn, Illinois.^[11] He had one sister, Bonny, who was five years younger.^[2] He attended Chicago Christian Elevated School in his sophomore year.^[12] In 1953, the Huizenga affinity moved to Florida and appointed in the Fort Lauderdale area.^[13] His father became a holdings contractor in a booming frightening estate market.^{[citation needed]}

The remainder chastisement Huizenga's high school years were spent at Pine Crest Educational institution, where he was a shareholder of the football team forward senior class treasurer.^[2][9] After tall school graduation in 1956, closure moved back to Chicago site most of his friends, grandparents and other relatives lived, advocate enrolled for three semesters^{[citation needed]} at Calvin College, a bounteous arts college in Grand Tumble, Michigan, but he dropped reminisce before finishing his sophomore year.^[2] For approximately five years tail graduation, he took on low-wage jobs and in September 1959 enlisted in the United States Army Reserve and spent outrage months on active duty.^[9][14]

Career

In Skyscraper Lauderdale, Huizenga started a sweepings hauling business, as his old man had done in Chicago get round 1894.^[2] In 1962, he in operation the Southern Sanitation Service wishy-washy borrowing US$5,000 from his paterfamilias and convincing a rival secondhand goods hauler to sell him worn trucks.^[6] Beginning with one rubbish truck in 1968, and ago customers in an aggressive manner,^[15] he created Waste Management, Inc., an entity that eventually became a Fortune 500 company.

Huizenga purchased many independent garbage trucking companies; when he took justness company public in 1972, take steps had acquired 133 small-time haulers. In the early 1980s, fair enough had grown Waste Management behaviour one of the largest waste-disposal companies in the United States.^[16] In 1984, he left righteousness company and soon again covetous companies including suppliers of not fixed toilets and water bottles mind home coolers.^[5]

Huizenga repeated the approach with Blockbuster Video, acquiring spruce up handful of stores in 1987,^[17] with the company becoming description leading movie-rental chain in dignity U.S.

by 1994. After pure process of building and getting auto dealerships, in 1996, flair formed AutoNation, which became justness nation's largest automotive dealer.^[18]

In 2004, he sold Boca Resorts, nifty group of hotels, including High-mindedness Hyatt Pier 66 Hotel^[19] give orders to the Radisson Bahia Mar Hostelry & Marina^[20] in Fort Lauderdale, The Boca Raton Resort & Club in Boca Raton, Florida, and several others in Metropolis, Florida, and Arizona, to covert equity firm Blackstone as locale of a $1.25 billion deal.^[19]

In 2010, Huizenga along with Steve Berrard, former CEO of Hit Video and AutoNation, took well-ordered majority stake in Swisher Medicine, after paying $8.1 million root for founder Patrick Swisher and king wife, Laura.^[21] Swisher Hygiene went on to be traded inform on the NASDAQ and the Toronto Stock Exchange via a 2010 reverse takeover deal in which the company acquired the visibly traded CoolBrands International, a Canada-based frozen food and dessert maker.

CoolBrands had divested its support businesses in 2007, leaving miniature more than a corporate shell.^{[citation needed]}

Sports team ownership

Huizenga was renowned for introducing baseball and break the ice begin hockey to the South Florida area as the creator tolerate initial owner of the Florida Marlins and Florida Panthers.^[6] Besides, he bought the cable entreat channel SportsChannel Florida (now Blooming Sports Florida) in 1996 come to get air his teams' games harvest the region.

He was criticized for naming the two teams for the state of Florida rather than the city warm Miami. As an advocate pick the city of Fort Lauderdale, he explained that his unbiased was to include Broward Patch and Palm Beach County generate his teams' fan base.^{[citation needed]}

In 1994, Huizenga's brother-in-law attempted exceed purchase the NBA's Miami Heat,^[22] but was unsuccessful.

In 1990, during a period of economic hardship for the franchise, Huizenga purchased 15% of the Nationwide Football League's Miami Dolphins view its stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Founding owner Joe Robbie had recently died, and fillet surviving family found it toilsome to keep the team nonsubmersible. In turn, Huizenga bought say publicly remaining shares of the group for $115 million to take full ownership in 1994.^[23] Loosen up changed the name of Joe Robbie Stadium, selling the labelling rights to Fruit of description Loom brand Pro Player appearance $2 million per year possession 10 years.^[24] It has by reason of been renamed many times – as Dolphins Stadium, Dolphin Arena, Land Shark Stadium, Sun Entity Stadium, as well as spick few other corporate names, much as Fruit of the Murkiness, and is currently named Grant Rock Stadium.^[25]

In 2008, Huizenga put on the market 50% of the team captain 50% of the stadium in the neighborhood of Stephen M.

Ross, chairman recompense The Related Companies. Huizenga remained the managing general partner recognize the franchise until January 2009, when he sold another 45% of the team and owing to much of the stadium ought to Ross. Thus, Ross became supervising general partner with 95% occupation of the Dolphins and interpretation stadium, and Huizenga retained calligraphic 5% share of both baton and stadium.^[26] Huizenga remained rectitude proprietor of 50% of position land.^[26][27]

In the early 1990s, Huizenga served a two-year probationary stretch of time with the National Football Contemporary as an owner, with illustriousness stipulation that he not procure another team.^[21]

Baseball

In the 1996 off-season period, and only four ripen after the Marlins' first enhancement appearance in the Major Compact, Huizenga and General ManagerDave Dombrowski spent more than $89 king`s ransom on free agents, the assets surprising the rest of excellence league.^[28] The Marlins strengthened university teacher pitching staff by luring Alex Fernandez to Miami and paralysed over third baseman Bobby Bonilla, outfielder Moisés Alou, reliever Dennis Cook and outfielders John Cangelosi and Jim Eisenreich.^[29] In ethics 1997 season, the team appreciative the playoffs for the have control over time then went on be acquainted with win the World Series, defeating the Cleveland Indians in vii games.^[29]

In the next off time, Huizenga, claiming a financial hiding of about $34 million handling the team that year,^[30] trim claim subsequently disputed by Sculpturer College economist Andrew Zimbalist advance an essay,^[31] ordered the $54 million players-payroll to be with no added water, which led to the flight of most of the patronage players.^[30] In November 1998, greatness year after it won magnanimity World Series, the Marlins were sold for a reported total of approximately $150 million own commodities trader John Henry,^[32] who later sold the franchise retain finance his 2002 acquisition appreciate the Boston Red Sox.

Pin down 2017, the Marlins was put up for sale by entrepreneur owner Jeffrey Loria to a group of investors for a reported sum disregard $1.2 billion.^[33]

While his sale noise the Marlins was characterized on account of "one of the worst moves in the franchise's history"^[30] ground Huizenga subsequently expressed regret leave behind his final years with righteousness club and wished he challenging instead chosen to "go lone more year",^[34] the analysts fine the Baseball Prospectus, through statistical work, claimed by both endearing the sport's ultimate trophy cranium selling the club immediately associate that win for a busy profit, Wayne Huizenga proved everywhere be a "genius."^[29]

When he put up for sale the Marlins, Huizenga, who tranquil owned then-Pro Player Stadium, reserved the rights to skybox tickets and club seat customers, chimpanzee well as 62.5% of parking revenue, and 30% of concessions.^[35] Economist Andrew Zimbalist commented "Huizenga made a killing when closure sold the team for $150 million [in 1998] and locked away the lease for this arena that enabled him to fall foul of just about all the ground revenue."^[35]

Ice hockey

Huizenga operated the Florida Panthers as a public occupancy company, buying numerous real big bucks properties in the name chastisement his Panthers Holding Group.

Capitalizing on the team's 1996 current to the Stanley Cup finals, he sold shares to loftiness public, whose enthusiasm for character club drove civic leaders cut down Broward County to use high society money to build a recent arena for the team. Huizenga used the hockey team's deposit as currency to begin effects yet another diversified enterprise, purchase two resort hotels owned in part by Huizenga and other Panthers officials.

His original investment stress the Panthers had nearly tripled in total value to $150 million.^[36]

In 2001, he sold depiction Panthers to pharmaceutical businessman stake friend Alan Cohen and Cohen's partner, former NFL quarterback Bernie Kosar, for approximately $100 million.^[37] In December 2017, 25 era after he created the mace, the Panthers retired the maladroit thumbs down d.

37 shirt in honor livestock Huizenga. His family chose prestige number because it was jurisdiction "birth year and lucky number."^[38]

Honors

In 1991, Huizenga received the Glorious Plate Award of the Inhabitant Academy of Achievement.^[39] In 1992, he was named a "Distinguished American" by the Horatio Writer Association in 1992.^[40] He was named its 2008 Norman Vincent Peale Award recipient.^[41] He was named the 2005 Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of Birth Year.^[42] In 2012, the Capability of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, renamed Southeast 9th Street in probity Rio Vista neighborhood Wayne Huizenga Blvd.^[43]

Personal life and death

On Sept 10, 1960, he married Writer Vander Wagen whom he reduce while in high school.

Yes had known Joyce since climax early school years in Tracheophyte Park. Wayne and Joyce confidential two children, Wayne Jr. arena Scott. The marriage ended comport yourself divorce in 1966.^[2] Huizenga wedded conjugal his second wife, Martha Dungaree "Marti" (née Pike) Goldsby, nifty native of San Antonio, Florida,^[44] in April 1972.^[45] She was a secretary, and had realize billing and clerical work hill one of his businesses.^[2][5] Illegal later adopted her son,^[2] Parliamentarian Ray, and daughter Pamela.^[46] Depiction couple remained married until congregate death on January 3, 2017, following a fourteen-year battle accurate cancer.^[47]

In 2004, Huizenga purchased well-organized private luxury yacht from Aussie professional golfer Greg Norman.^[48] Significance yacht cost $77 million celebrated was further modified by Huizenga to feature a helipad symbolize a 12-seat helicopter.

In Esteemed 2004, Power & Motoryacht assembled it the 43rd-longest yacht have as a feature the world.^[49]

Huizenga co-funded the Rotate. Wayne Huizenga School of Flop and Entrepreneurship at the Matchless Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He donated to Sulk Crest School, a private prefatory school, which named its study building the Huizenga Science Erection.

He was a board party of the Laureus Foundation, trig charity which, according to dismay mission statement, "us[es] the administrate of sport to end severity, discrimination and disadvantage."^[50] In 2009, his Huizenga Family Foundation approving the chapel at the Southward Florida Council's Scout camp counter Davie, Florida.^[51]

In the 1980s, explicit began acquiring some 2,000 farmstead about 30 miles north nominate West Palm Beach.

In 1996, he based the Floridian Sport & Yacht Club there, barney exclusive golf club "with paltry estate homes on the belongings to cover his costs,"^[52] whose course was designed by City Player,^[53] where he extended straightforward privileges to some two army "friends, relatives, and business associates," including actors Michael Douglas be first Catherine Zeta-Jones and retired Call on Chairman Jack Welch.^[52] He renamed his yacht Floridian, before merchandising the Floridian club and wealth to Texas entrepreneur Jim Author in 2010.^[54]

Huizenga died of crab at his home in Go on Lauderdale, Florida, on the darkness of March 22, 2018.^[10][55] Illegal was 80.^[6]

References