Cliff Viner

Last updated
Clifford G. Viner
Born1948 (age 75–76)
Brooklyn, New York
NationalityAmerican
EducationB.S. University of Pennsylvania
M.B.A. The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Occupationhedge fund founder
Known forpast owner of the Florida Panthers
Spouse(s)Jill Laurie Silver (divorced)
Eda Viner
Children4

Clifford G. Viner (born 1948) [1] is an American businessman who founded the III Finance hedge fund [2] and was previously a co-owner of the Florida Panthers from 2008 to 2013. [3]

Contents

Biography

Born in Brooklyn, New York, [4] Viner is of Jewish descent. [4] He graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. [1] After school, he worked as an analyst at Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance and then as a government securities trader at William Blair & Company in Chicago. In 1982, he co-founded III Offshore Partners, a hedge fund based in Boca Raton, Florida [1] with Warren Mosler. [5]

In 2001, Viner was part of a group of investors led by Alan Cohen that bought a majority interest in the Panthers from Wayne Huizenga (who kept a minority interest). [6] In November 2009, he became co-general partner with Cohen. [1] In 2010, Viner gained control as general partner of the Florida Panthers with minority partners including Stu Siegel, Alan Cohen, and Huizenga. [7] [8] In late 2013, they sold the franchise for $250 million to Vincent Viola. [7] [9]

Viner is a Registered General Securities Principal, General Securities Options Principal, and General Securities Representative of FINRA, a CFTC-Approved Principal, and an Associate Member of the NFA. [1] Viner is heavily involved with the Florida Panthers Foundation which focuses on pediatric oncology causes. [4]

Personal life

Viner has married twice. His first wife was Jill Laurie Silver, who co-founded the Barton G. Kids Hear Now Foundation with Barton G. Weiss. [10] [11] they had two children before divorcing. [12] [13] [14]

In 2010, Cliff Viner married Eda Viner. [15] He has two children from his first marriage [13] and two stepchildren.

Philanthropy

He and his wife founded the Eda and Cliff Viner Community Scholars Foundation in 2015 with a mission to educate and inspire compassionate young leaders to develop strong character with a vision for success. The Eda and Cliff Viner Community Scholars Foundation has been providing four year scholarships to public Florida Universities and Colleges to academically deserving High School students in Boca Raton and Delray who have financial needs and are community service driven. Eda sits on the board of Florence Fuller Child Development Centers and together they chaired the 2015 and 2016 Wee Dream Ball and raised over 1 Million dollars in Boca Raton, Florida. Cliff Viner sits on the board of the Urban League of the Palm Beaches and is currently the Founder and first President of the Urban League Foundation. Viner is past president and current member of B'nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton, Florida. [4] [16]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 BusinessWeek: "Clifford G. Viner" retrieved May 7, 2015
  2. ↑ New York Times: "Elyse Viner and Joshua Cromer" October 7, 2012
  3. ↑ Palm Beach Post: "Entrepreneur's journey: From Panthers to finance to nonprofits" by Susan Salisbury January 8, 2019
  4. 1 2 3 4 Hartz-Seeley, Deborah (March 30, 2011). "Coastal Star: He's all heart — and character, too!". The Coastal Star. Viner is active in B'nai Torah Congregation and has served as board member, chair of budget and finance, president of the B'nai Torah Foundation and president of B'nai Torah Congregation.
  5. ↑ III Capital Management retrieved May 7, 2015
  6. ↑ USA Today: "Panthers announce new majority owners" November 16, 2009
  7. 1 2 Florida Sun-Sentinel: "Panthers' $250M sale includes arena operations" by Craig Davis September 26, 2013
  8. ↑ NHL.com: "Cliff Viner Becomes Florida Panthers General Partner, Chairman & CEO - Stu Siegel returns to former role as Limited Partner after helping to shape the organization’s strategy for future success" July 23, 2010
  9. ↑ USA Today: "Report: Vincent Viola, N.Y. businessman, buys Florida Panthers" September 26, 2013
  10. ↑ Sheffield, Skip (October 4, 2011). "Boca's Jill Viner supports race to benefit hearing". The Boca Raton Tribune .
  11. ↑ "THE BARTON G. KIDS HEAR NOW FOUNDATION". bartong.com. As a company, Barton G. makes a concentrated and compassionate effort when it comes to being involved in the local community. Inspired by events close to his own heart, Barton co-founded the Barton G. Weiss Kids Hear Now Foundation with Jill Viner when he learned his daughter was born deaf and would require cochlear implants.
  12. ↑ Lambiet, Jose (April 24, 2015). "Insurance Lawsuit". Miami Herald . Viner, who's divorced from former Florida Panthers owner Cliff Viner...
  13. 1 2 "Elyse Viner and Joshua Cromer". The New York Times . October 7, 2012. Elyse Silver Viner and Joshua Robert Cromer were married Saturday at Center548, an event site in New York. Rabbi David M. Steinhardt officiated
  14. ↑ Thomason, John (February 17, 2023). "Across the Finish Line". Boca Magazine. Enrolling two kids in university on her income as a real estate agent...It's a second marriage for both of them, and together they raise a talented, blended brood of four children
  15. ↑ Salisbury, Susan (January 8, 2019). "Entrepreneur's journey: From Panthers to finance to nonprofits". Palm Beach Post . The couple were married for five years when they decided to start a project together to make a significant, but local impact...Cliff Viner...and his wife Eda created the non-profit Eda and Cliff Viner Community Scholars Foundation in 2015.
  16. ↑ "Ner Tamid Society Members". B'Nai Torah Congregation.
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