Joel Smilow

Last updated

Joel Smilow
OccupationBusinessman
Known forCEO of Playtex; philanthropy

Joel E. Smilow is an American philanthropist and former CEO of Playtex.

Contents

Early life

Joel Smilow was born in Washington, D.C. [1] He graduated from Yale University in 1954. As a student, he was sports director at the campus radio station, WYBC. While he did not play football, he was a strong supporter of Yale's team. [2] He received an MBA from Harvard Business School and served in the Navy. [1]

Career

Smilow, an executive of Esmark/Beatrice, purchased its Playtex division in the late 1980s. He kept Playtex and sold Max Factor to Ron Perelman of Revlon. [3] Smilow led Playtex through four leveraged buyouts between 1985 and 1988. [4] during which he earned $186 million. He spun out Platex's bra business, Playtex Apparel, for Playtex to focus on tampons and baby bottles. [5] He retired in 1992 [6] and stepped down as chairman in 1995. [7]

He was Daniel Boulud's sole partner for the chef's first restaurant, Daniel, opened in 1993 with an investment of $2 million. [8]

Philanthropy

Smilow is a major donor to Yale University athletics. His 1989 endowment of the football head coach position was the university's first. In 2003, he endowed the head coach positions for men's basketball, women's basketball, and women's lacrosse. Another gift expanded and renovated the Lapham Field House as the Smilow Field Center. [2] He received the Yale Medal in 1992 for service to the university. [2]

He is the lead donor and namesake for the 14-story Smilow Cancer Hospital in the Yale New Haven Hospital, his largest donation. [2] [9] New York University School of Medicine's Joan and Joel Smilow Research Center opened in May 2006. [10]

He is the Boys and Girls Clubs' largest living donor [1] and was the lead donor for a Bridgeport location. [11] Smilow has also donated to charter schools including a network in Washington, D.C., and expansions of the Achievement First schools in New Haven. [1]

Related Research Articles

Yale University Private university in New Haven, Connecticut

Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine Colonial Colleges chartered before the American Revolution. The Collegiate School was renamed Yale College in 1718 to honor the school's largest private benefactor for the first century of its existence, Elihu Yale.

Playtex American feminine and baby personal care brand

Playtex is an American brand name for undergarments, baby products, gloves, feminine products, and sunscreen. The brand began in 1947 when International Latex Corporation (ILC) created a division named Playtex to produce and sell latex products. Playtex was the first to advertise undergarments on national television in 1955, written by Howard Shavelson at Olgilvie and Mather, and the first to show a woman wearing only a bra from the waist-up in a commercial in 1977. They developed space suits for the Apollo program.

Yale New Haven Hospital Hospital in Connecticut, United States

Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH) is a 1,541-bed hospital located in New Haven, Connecticut. It is owned and operated by the Yale New Haven Health System. YNHH includes the 168-bed Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven, the 201-bed Yale New Haven Children's Hospital, and the 76-bed Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital, making it one of the largest hospitals in the world and the largest in Connecticut. It is the primary teaching hospital for Yale School of Medicine and Yale School of Nursing.

Capezio is the trade name of Capezio Ballet Makers Inc., an American manufacturer of dance shoes, apparel and accessories.

Robert Duffy (politician)

Robert John Duffy is an American politician who served as Lieutenant Governor of New York from 2011 to 2014. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 65th Mayor of Rochester, New York from 2006 to 2010.

Joel Marc Podolny is an American sociologist. Formerly the dean of the Yale School of Management, he is currently an executive at Apple Inc. where he is the dean of Apple University and as a vice president of the firm. Previously, he was vice president for human resources.

James Peter Allen American Egyptologist (born 1945)

James Peter Allen is an American Egyptologist, specializing in language and religion. He was curator of Egyptian Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art from 1990 to 2006. In 2007, he became the Charles Edwin Wilbour Professor of Egyptology at Brown University. In 2008, he was elected president of the International Association of Egyptologists. A graduate of Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, he received his PhD from the University of Chicago.

Michael R. Gallagher was the CEO and Director of Playtex Products, Inc., from July 1995 until his retirement in December 2004.

Daniel C. Esty

Daniel C. Esty is an American environmental lawyer and policymaker. He is the Hillhouse professor at Yale University with appointments at Yale Law School and the Yale School of the Environment. From 2011 to 2014, Esty served as Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. He launched a series of renewable power and energy efficiency finance programs, including Connecticut's first-in-the-nation Green bank and statewide property assessed clean energy (C-PAC) finance system.

George Basserman

George Anton Basserman was a noted brewery owner in the Cedar Hill neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut during the late 19th century. Born in Germany in 1832, and came to New Haven in 1851.

William Wurtenburg American athlete and physician

William Charles Wurtenburg was an American college football player and coach. Born and raised in Western New York to German parents, Wurtenburg attended the prestigious Phillips Exeter Academy, where he played football. He enrolled in classes at Yale University in 1886 and soon earned a spot on the school's football team. He played for Yale from 1886 through 1889, and again in 1891; two of those teams were later recognized as national champions. His 35-yard run in a close game in 1887 against rival Harvard earned him some fame. Wurtenburg received his medical degree from Yale's Sheffield Scientific School in 1893.

Klein Memorial Auditorium

The Klein Memorial Auditorium is a 1400-seat proscenium theater located at 910 Fairfield Avenue in Bridgeport, CT. The venue was built with funds willed to the city by Bridgeport native Jacob Klein, a lawyer and active supporter of Bridgeport community organizations. The auditorium, designed by local architect Leonard Asheim, was built in the Art Deco style and features bronze doors, a marble lobby, inlaid wood and geometric motifs.

Yale New Haven Health System (YNHHS) is a nonprofit healthcare system with headquarters in New Haven, Connecticut. It is Connecticut's largest healthcare system with 2,409 beds and includes hospitals, physicians and related health services throughout Connecticut as well as New York and Rhode Island. Institutions affiliated with the system include Bridgeport Hospital, Greenwich Hospital, Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, Westerly Hospital, Smilow Cancer Hospital, Yale New Haven Hospital, Yale New Haven Children's Hospital, Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital and Northeast Medical Group.

Jack Vees is an American composer and bassist from Camden, New Jersey.

Tina Leser was an American fashion designer. Part of a generation of pioneering sportswear designers, Leser was particularly known for her global influences.

Barbara D'Arcy (1928-2012) was one of the most important visual merchandisers of the 20th century.

Joel Eli Gelernter is Foundations Fund Professor of Psychiatry and Professor of Genetics and of Neuroscience at the Yale School of Medicine. He received his B.S. degree from Yale University and his M.D. from SUNY Downstate Medical Center. His research focuses on the genetics of psychiatric disorders, such as drug dependence and substance use disorders.

David Steinberger

David Steinberger is an American businessman, publishing executive, and current Chairman of the National Book Foundation. His career has involved the acquisition, management and sale of a number of publishers and publishing-related companies as well as the application of digital technologies to publishing companies. He previously served as CEO of Arcadia Publishing and CEO of the Perseus Books Group, following leadership roles at Harper Collins..In January 2021 he announced a succession plan at Arcadia, handing over day-to-day management to a successor and moving to Arcadia’s Board of Directors.

Laura "Polly" Lada-Mocarski, born as Laura Mitchell Klots (1902–1997) was an American craftsperson, rare book scholar, bookbinder, book preservationist, educator, and the inventor of the PolyCase, an exhibition display for old and rare books. She served as faculty in the Graphic Arts Department at Yale University.

<i>The Bomb</i> (Harris novel) 1909 novel

The Bomb is a 1909 novel by Frank Harris based around the Haymarket affair.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Zahn, Brian (October 1, 2016). "Achievement First grows operations with $2.5 million Smilow gift". New Haven Register. EBSCOhost   2W6935804253.
  2. 1 2 3 4 https://books.google.com/books?id=Hm2CDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT21
  3. https://books.google.com/books?id=MdMEEze2sHIC&pg=PT138
  4. https://books.google.com/books?id=Uftfkso9fmgC&pg=PA350
  5. Rehfeld, Barry (December 19, 1993). "Profile: Thomas H. Lee; In Takeover Games, Nice Guys Don't Always Finish Last". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331.
  6. Segal, David (May 16, 2009). "From Frisée to Finance, It Has to Be Perfect". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331.
  7. "Business Digest". The New York Times . March 21, 1995. ISSN   0362-4331.
  8. https://books.google.com/books?id=ly1Ux7SztxMC&pg=PT54
  9. https://books.google.com/books?id=Myyj2cf3BLUC&pg=PR13
  10. "NYU School of Medicine Unveils New Research Center". Buildings. 100 (7): 8. July 2006. ISSN   0007-3725. EBSCOhost   22733284.
  11. Sullivan, Rob (July 25, 2011). "For the boys - and girls - in Bridgeport". Fairfield County Business Journal. 47 (30): 8. ISSN   0898-9818. EBSCOhost   63989678.

Further reading