John Pritzker

Last updated
John A. Pritzker
Born1953 (age 7071)
Chicago, Illinois, US
Education Menlo College (BA)
University of Denver
Occupation(s)Private equity, philanthropy
Known forFounding partner/director
SpouseMo KC Pritzker (m. 2021-)
Children3, including Adam
Parent(s) Jay Pritzker
Marian "Cindy" Friend
Relatives Thomas Pritzker (brother)
Daniel Pritzker (brother)
Jean "Gigi" Pritzker (sister)

John A. Pritzker (born 1953) is an American billionaire and investor. He is a member of the Pritzker family, the grandson of A.N. Pritzker and son of Jay Pritzker,

Contents

Early life and education

Pritzker was born in Chicago, Illinois, [1] the son of Marian "Cindy" (née Friend) and Jay Pritzker. [2] Pritzker graduated with a B.A. from Menlo College and attended University of Denver. [3] In 1957, Jay founded Hyatt Hotel and, along with his brothers Robert Pritzker and Donald Pritzker diversified the Chicago-based family business into the Marmon Group building it into a portfolio of over 60 diversified industrial corporations and owned Braniff Airlines from 1983 to 1988. [3] The family has been divesting its assets: in 2006, the family sold Conwood, a smokeless tobacco company, for $3.5 billion to cigarette company Reynolds American Inc; [4] in 2007, the family sold control of the Marmon Group to Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway for $4.5 billion; [3] and in 2010, the family sold its majority stake in Transunion, the Chicago-based credit reporting company, for an undisclosed amount to Chicago-based private-equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners. [4]

Career

In 1972, Pritzker started his career working in the family business, Hyatt Hotels, where in 1984, he rose to become Managing Director and Divisional Vice President. [5] In 1988, he left Hyatt to pursue his own entrepreneurial activities, [6] including Ticketmaster. [7] In 1996, he formed Mandara Spa, [8] a chain of 72 resort spas. In 2000, 40% of the company was sold to Shiseido Co. [9] In 2001, the remaining 60% was sold to Steiner Leisure Limited, a Nasdaq (STNR) listed company. [7] [10] In 2005, Pritzker founded the private equity firm Geolo Capital with his Mandara business partner Tom Gottlieb; [6] Geolo Capital focused on investments in hospitality, entertainment, and health & wellness companies. [11] In 2009, Geolo Capital bought the iconic Carmel Valley Ranch from Blackstone. The resort was reimagined and opened in 2012. Soon after the resort's opening, Geolo Capital purchased a majority interest in the Joie de Vivre boutique hotel chain. In October 2011, Geolo Capital merged the 30 hotel Joie de Vivre chain with the 12 hotel Thompson Hotel Group [11] to form Commune Hotels & Resorts. [3] [12] In 2012, Commune operated 46 hotels, which generated $450 million in revenues. [13] In January 2016, Commune Hotels merged with Destination Hotels to form Two Roads Hospitality. With that merger, the new company managed over 97 hotels across six brands and annual revenues of over $2.3 billion. [14] In November 2018, Two Roads Hospitality closed on its sale to Hyatt Corporation for a reported price of $480 million.

Personal life and philanthropy

Pritzker and his former wife Lisa Stone have three children. [3] [15] [16] He is the chair of the John Pritzker Family Fund, which invests in mental health and healthcare, democracy and civic health, Jewish life and the arts. The fund is a major supporter of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), where the JPFF funded the construction of the UCSF Nancy Friend Pritzker Building for Psychiatry and the Pritzker Center for Photography at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He serves as a trustee an on the Executive Committee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Executive Council of UCSF Health.

Pritzker serves on the board of the Bernard Osher Foundation, is a member of the Emeritus Board of Tipping Point Community and is a past president of the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation.[ citation needed ]

He married Mo KC Pritzker in 2021.

Related Research Articles

Hyatt Hotels Corporation, commonly known as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, is an American multinational hospitality company headquartered in the Riverside Plaza area of Chicago that manages and franchises luxury and business hotels, resorts, and vacation properties. Hyatt Hotels & Resorts is one of the businesses managed by the Pritzker family. Hyatt has more than 1350 hotels and all-inclusive properties in 69 countries, across South America, North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia

Robert Alan Pritzker was an American businessman and member of the wealthy Pritzker family.

Thomas Pritzker is an American billionaire heir and businessman. A member of the Pritzker family, he is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Pritzker Organization (TPO), which manages the various Pritzker family business assets. Pritzker is also the executive chairman of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

The Pritzker family is an American family engaged in entrepreneurship and philanthropy, and one of the wealthiest families in the United States. Its fortune started in the 20th century, particularly through the founding and expansion of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Pritzker</span> Cofounder of Hyatt Hotels Corp

Jay Arthur Pritzker was an American entrepreneur, conglomerate organizer, and member of the Pritzker family. He was a founder of the Hyatt Corporation, having purchased the first Hyatt Hotel in 1957, and was responsible for the corporation's evolution into a multinational hospitality conglomerate.

Abram Nicholas Pritzker was an American businessman and member of the Pritzker family.

Destination Hotels is a privately held lodging management company headquartered in Englewood, Colorado. It is the United States' largest independent hospitality management company, representing 40 luxury and upscale hotels, resorts and golf clubs internationally. The collection includes a mix of mountain, beach and city properties across the United States and Scotland.

Nicholas J. Pritzker is an American real estate and venture entrepreneur in San Francisco, California. He served as the Chairman of the board and CEO of the Hyatt Development Corporation. He is a member of the wealthy Pritzker family, who owned chewing-tobacco giant Conwood before selling it to Reynolds American.

Anthony Nicholas Pritzker is a member of the Pritzker family and an heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune; he is managing partner of the Pritzker Group.

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Joie de Vivre Hospitality is a hotel and restaurant company based in San Francisco, California, and the second-largest operator of boutique hotels in the United States. Due to its ownership by Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, it is currently branded as JdV by Hyatt, under which five further sub-brands also operate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Le Méridien San Francisco</span>

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Gigi Pritzker is an American billionaire and film producer. She is a member of the Pritzker family.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Pritzker</span> American billionaire (born 1950)

Jennifer Natalya Pritzker is an American investor, philanthropist, and member of the Pritzker family. Pritzker retired as a lieutenant colonel from the Illinois Army National Guard (ILARNG) in 2001, and was later made an honorary Illinois colonel. Founder of the Tawani Foundation in 1995, Tawani Enterprises in 1996, and the Pritzker Military Library in 2003, Pritzker has been involved with civic applications of inherited and accrued wealth, including significant donations to broaden understanding and support for "citizen soldiers."

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References

  1. Monterey County Weekly: "Hyatt heir John Pritzker's vision of turning Carmel Valley Ranch into an always-open, everyone-welcome version of summer camp" By Josh Sens may 16, 2013
  2. CNN Money: "THE PRITZKERS UNVEILING A PRIVATE FAMILY" By Ford S. Worthy April 25, 1988
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Forbes: The World's Billionaires - John Pritzker June 2015
  4. 1 2 Chicago Tribune: "Pritzker family could soon own less than half of Hyatt" By Julie Wernau April 19, 2011
  5. Geolo Capital: John Pritzker - Founding Partner and Director retrieved July 21, 2013
  6. 1 2 W Magazine: "Pritzker's Prize by Jane Larkworthy August 2010
  7. 1 2 Hotel Management Magazine: "One on One with John Pritzker" By Ruthanne Terrero Archived 2015-06-10 at the Wayback Machine January 21, 2011
  8. BusinessWeek: "A Hyatt Heir Who Thinks Small Is Beautiful" by Nadja Brandt February 16, 2012
  9. Honolulu star Bulletin: "Spa firm taps Hawaii for worldwide base" By Russ Lynch May 16, 2000
  10. Travel Weekly: "Steiner Leisure to buy stake in Mandara Spa" July 2, 2001
  11. 1 2 Chicago Tribune: "The Pritzker family tree" By Melissa Harris and Julie Wernau December 18, 2011
  12. San Francisco Gate: John Pritzker, Hyatt heir, likes boutique hotels" by Nadja Brandt February 19, 2012
  13. San Francisco Business Journal: "Commune is all inn" by Renée Frojo November 30, 2012
  14. "Geolo Capital". www.geolo.com. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
  15. Harris, Melissa; Wernau, Julie (December 18, 2011). "Fortune's Fate". Chicago Tribune . pp.  1, 2 via Newspapers.com.
  16. Dolan, Kerry A. (May 10, 2021). "Billionaire John Pritzker And Lisa Stone Pritzker Donating Nearly $60 Million For Mental Health At U.C. San Francisco". Forbes . John Pritzker, a San Francisco billionaire, and his former wife, Lisa Stone Pritzker,