Lee R. Anderson Sr.

Last updated
Lee R. Anderson Sr.
Born
Lee Reuben Anderson Sr.

(1939-06-22) June 22, 1939 (age 84)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Nationality American
Education United States Military Academy (B.S.)
Years active1964-present
Spouse
Penny Anderson
​
(m. 1965)​
Children2

Lee Reuben Anderson Sr. (born June 22, 1939) is an American businessman and philanthropist. He was the owner and chairman of the Minnesota-based API Group Inc., [1] a holding company for numerous construction and fire-protection firms. His charitable interests include children's health, higher education, and the welfare of American military veterans.

Contents

Biography

Anderson, an only child, was born in Minneapolis, Minn., and attended the private Breck School, then in St. Paul. A lifelong outdoorsman, he spent much of his boyhood at the family home in the Brainerd lakes area north of the Twin Cities. [2] At the urging of his father, a successful plumbing contractor, he enrolled at the United States Military Academy at West Point and played football and basketball. After he graduated in 1961 with a B.S. in civil engineering, Anderson served in the U.S. Army at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix, Arizona, where he oversaw materials procurement and construction services and was promoted to first lieutenant.

In 1964, Anderson returned to the Twin Cities and took over A.P.I. Inc., an insulation contractor founded in 1926 as a division of his father's plumbing business. [1] After he purchased an industrial fire sprinkler company in 1969, Anderson continued to acquire other firms, primarily in the construction and fire-protection fields. The growing conglomerate was renamed APi Group Inc. in 1997. On October 1, 2019, Anderson sold his interest in APi Group, Inc. to J2 Acquisition Limited, a SPAC co-founded by Sir Martin E. Franklin. [3] [4]

Bank acquisitions

In the late 1970s, Anderson also began to purchase small banks in central and northern Minnesota. In 1997, he sold his banking assets to Norwest Corporation for a reported $75 million in stock. [5] Norwest's subsequent merger with Wells Fargo, in 1998, greatly enhanced the value of the shares Anderson had acquired in the original trade.

Philanthropy

In recent years, Anderson had committed a sizeable amount of his fortune to various charitable causes. In 2005, he and his wife, Penny, gave $60 million to the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul - the largest individual donation ever received by a Minnesota college or university at that time. [6] The Anderson Athletic and Recreation Complex opened on the St. Thomas campus in 2011. In 2023, the couple pledged $75 million for the construction of a multi-use arena on the St. Thomas campus. It is the largest single monetary donation ever made to a Minnesota university. The Lee and Penny Anderson Arena will be home to the university's men's and women's basketball and hockey teams when it opens in fall 2025. [7] In 2003, the Andersons pledged $6 million for the building of the Anderson Rugby Complex at West Point, which was dedicated in May 2007. As frequent contributors to West Point, he and his wife are recognized as the largest donors in the academy's history, in terms of financial support. [8] Since 2002, the Andersons have given $6 million to Children's Hospital Boston for research on a rare form of muscular dystrophy, mini-core myopathy, that afflicts one of their grandchildren. [9]

Military veterans

In 2011, the Andersons donated $2.5 million toward the building of the new Defenders Lodge, a $12.5 million hotel facility for veterans seeking care at the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Palo Alto, California. [10] Anderson also pledged to fund the first three years of Hiring Our Heroes, a program launched in 2011 by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, with support from veteran service organizations, to stage job fairs across the country. The initiative also recognizes firms that have made extraordinary efforts to help wounded service members and other veterans reenter the civilian workforce. [11]

Private life

Lee and Penny Anderson, who married in 1965, maintain homes in Minnesota and in Naples, Florida. They have a son, a daughter, and six grandchildren. Anderson, an avid hunter, is the funder of a conservation education program through the Boone and Crockett Club in the Montana Rockies. [12] The Andersons have also supported the St. David's Relief Foundation, a Texas-based Catholic nonprofit group that has assisted humanitarian efforts in Bosnia-Herzegovina following the Yugoslav Wars (1991–1995). After first visiting nearby Croatia in 2001, the couple subsequently opened a Relais & Chateaux Villa & Winery, Villa Korta Katarina & Winery [13] in Orebić, a seaside village on the Adriatic coast. [14]

He won Best of Show at the 2022 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. [15]

Memberships and awards

Anderson serves as director and trustee for numerous companies, organizations, outdoor groups, and academic institutions, including Breck School, the University of St. Thomas, and the Naples Children and Education Foundation. He is a director of the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C.; Pan-O-Gold Baking Company; and a member of the Minnesota Executive Organization, the Chief Executives Organization, and the World Presidents Organization. His recent awards include:

Reuben Anderson

Reuben Anderson, Lee Anderson's father, was the plumbing contractor for the White House renovation project in 1951. As noted by the historian David McCullough, President Harry S. Truman admired a poem by the elder Anderson, posted on the wall of the head engineer's temporary headquarters on the South Lawn. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)</span> Catholic university in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota

The University of St. Thomas is a private Catholic research university with campuses in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded in 1885 as a Catholic seminary, it is named after Thomas Aquinas, the medieval Catholic theologian and philosopher who is the patron saint of students. As of fall 2021, St. Thomas enrolled 9,347 students, making it Minnesota's largest private, nonprofit university.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell A. Alger</span> American politician (1836–1907)

Russell Alexander Alger was an American politician and businessman. He served as the 20th governor of Michigan, U.S. Senator, and U.S. Secretary of War. Alger life was a "rags-to-riches" success tale. He became an army officer, financier, lumber baron, railroad owner, and government official in several high offices. He was supposedly a distant relation of author Horatio Alger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherry Lansing</span> American film studio executive

Sherry Lansing is an American former film studio executive. The chairwoman of the Universal Music Group board of directors, she was the chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures and president of production at 20th Century Fox prior to her retirement. From 1999 to 2022, she was on the University of California Board of Regents. In 2005, she became the first female movie studio head to place hand and foot prints at the Grauman's Chinese Theater. In 2001, she was named one of the 30 most powerful women in the US by Ladies' Home Journal, and The Hollywood Reporter named her number 1 on its Power 100 list numerous times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Huntsman Sr.</span> American businessman and philanthropist (1937–2018)

Jon Meade Huntsman Sr. was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was the founder and executive chairman of Huntsman Corporation, a global manufacturer and marketer of specialty chemicals. Huntsman plastics are used in a wide variety of familiar objects, including (formerly) clamshell containers for McDonald's hamburgers. Huntsman Corporation also manufactures a wide variety of organic and inorganic chemicals that include polyurethanes, textiles, and pigments. Huntsman's philanthropic giving exceeded $1.5 billion, focusing on areas of cancer research, programs at various universities, and aid to Armenia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Nicholson (Secretary of Veterans Affairs)</span> American politician (born 1938)

Robert James Nicholson is an attorney, real estate developer, and a former Republican National Committee chairman. He was the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs from January 26, 2005, until October 1, 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nido Qubein</span> Lebanese-American businessman and motivational speaker

Nido Qubein is a Lebanese American businessman. He has been the president of High Point University since 2005. He is the chairman of Great Harvest Bread Company, and sits on the boards of several other companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linda G. Alvarado</span> American construction executive

Linda Alvarado is President and Chief Executive Officer of Alvarado Construction, Inc., a large commercial and industrial general contracting/site management and design/build firm in Denver, Colorado. She is also President of Palo Alto, Inc., co-owner of the Colorado Rockies baseball team, and currently a member of the board of 3M.

The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans is a nonprofit organization based in Alexandria, Virginia, that was founded in 1947 to honor the achievements of outstanding Americans who have succeeded in spite of adversity and to emphasize the importance of higher education. The association is named for Horatio Alger, a 19th-century author of hundreds of dime novels in the "rags-to-riches" genre who extolled the importance of perseverance and hard work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T. Denny Sanford</span> American businessman

Thomas Denny Sanford is a South Dakota businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder of First Premier Bank and the chairman and chief executive officer of its holding company, United National.

The Time Magazine Quality Dealer Award (TMQDA) is an annual Time Magazine-sponsored award, in partnership with Ally Financial, honoring new-car dealers in America who exhibit exceptional performance in their dealerships and perform distinguished community service. It is the automobile industry's most prestigious and coveted award for car dealerships. Dealers are nominated by members of the Automotive Trade Association Executives (ATAE). Finalists and winners are chosen by a panel of faculty members from the University of Michigan's Tauber Institute for Global Operations. The "TIME Magazine Dealer of the Year" award is presented at the annual National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) convention.

Earl W. Stafford, Sr. is an American entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is the founder of The Stafford Foundation, and was inducted into the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans in 2010.

Lee Anderson may refer to:

Robert H. Dedman Sr. (1926–2002) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He is best known as the founder and past chairman of ClubCorp.

James Si-Cheng Chao is a Chinese businessman, philanthropist, and former sea captain. He is the founder of the shipping company Foremost Group. He is also known as the father of Elaine Chao and father-in-law of United States Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Albert T. Annexstad is an American businessman and philanthropist.

Don Daseke is an American businessman, and the CEO, chairman and founder of the transportation company, Daseke Since the foundation of Daseke, Inc. he has helped to grow the company from $30 million in revenue in 2009 to an over $1.6 billion in 2018. In February 2017 Daseke became publicly listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange with the ticker symbol DSKE.

Ronald James Kruszewski is an American business executive. Kruszewski is the chairman, chief executive officer, and former president of Stifel. Earlier in his career, he was a Certified Public Accountant and audit supervisor for KPMG, and later a chief financial officer for Robert W. Baird & Co. Kruszewski was appointed to serve on the Federal Advisory Council by the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis in 2013. He has served on the boards of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, Saint Louis University, and the St. Louis Regional Chamber, among other organizations. He won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2007 and was recognized by the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans in 2019.

St. Thomas Ice Arena is a 1,000-seat ice hockey arena in Mendota Heights, Minnesota. Opened in 2003, it is home to the University of St. Thomas Tommies ice hockey programs in addition to the Saint Thomas Academy boys hockey team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee and Penny Anderson Arena</span> Proposed University of St. Thomas sports arena

Lee and Penny Anderson Arena is a proposed indoor arena located on the campus of the University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The facility is planned to be the home arena of the St. Thomas basketball and hockey teams.

References

  1. 1 2 "Lee Anderson, Sr". tcbmag.com. Twin Cities Business. April 1, 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  2. ↑ Davich, Sheri. "For the Love of Boats: Adirondack style boathouse deeply rooted on Nisswa Lake" Archived 2012-09-14 at the Wayback Machine , Lake and Home Magazine, October/November 2010. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  3. ↑ "New Brighton-based APi, owner of construction, life safety firms, sold for $2.9B"
  4. ↑ "Minnesota's APi Group increases visibility by listing on New York Stock Exchange". startribune.com. Star Tribune. May 3, 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  5. ↑ Beal, Dave. "APi's Low-Profile Empire", St. Paul Pioneer Press, 4 August 1999.
  6. ↑ Switzky, Bryant R.; Wyant, Carissa. "St. Thomas receives $60M gift", Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, 24 October 2007. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
  7. ↑ The Newsroom (17 January 2023). "St. Thomas Announces Record-Breaking, $75 Million Gift for Multiuse Arena". Newsroom | University of St. Thomas. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  8. ↑ "Donor Profile" Archived 2012-03-30 at the Wayback Machine , Army Rugby West Point website, Retrieved 10 March 2012.
  9. ↑ "Spirit of Giving" Archived 2012-01-20 at the Wayback Machine , Children's Hospital Boston, Fall 2007. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  10. ↑ "PenFed Foundation Receives $2.5 Million in Defenders Lodge Initiative", Philanthropy News Digest, 20 August 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
  11. ↑ "Hiring Our Heroes", U.S. Chamber of Commerce website, Retrieved March 13, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Lee and Penny Anderson Conservation Education Program", The Boone and Crockett Club, Retrieved 10 March 2012.
  13. ↑ Sabino, Catherine. "Inside Croatia's Amazing New Luxury Wine Resort". forbes.com. Forbes. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  14. ↑ Ward, Bill. "Zivejele (Welcome) to Croatian Varietals", Star Tribune, 14 April 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
  15. ↑ "All 68 Best of Show Winners at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance". Pebble Beach Resorts. 2019-07-10. Retrieved 2022-10-08.
  16. ↑ "Cause Announces Winners Of The London Medal For Distinguished Service: Lee And Penny Anderson", cause-usa.org, 18 Oct 2018.
  17. ↑ "Minnesota Executive and Renowned Philanthropist Lee R. Anderson Sr. Selected for Prestigious Horatio Alger Award – Class of 2014 ", horatioalger.org, 18 Nov 2013.
  18. ↑ "Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) announces 2014 award recipients : MOAA" Archived 2014-11-07 at the Wayback Machine , moaa.org, 24 Mar 2014.
  19. ↑ "CELEBRATE A LEGACY OF DEVOTION AT OUR 18TH ANNUAL GALA", "armydistaff.org, 19 September 2013.
  20. ↑ "Minnesotan Receives Highest West Point Honor", kstp.com, 21 May 2013.
  21. ↑ "Labovitz Award recipients announced" Archived 2013-06-29 at archive.today , duluthnewstribune.com, 27 April 2013.
  22. ↑ "NAADD Announces 2011 Award Winners", www.nacda.com, 7 March 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  23. ↑ "Videos of the 2010 Seton Award Recipients", National Catholic Educational Association, Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  24. ↑ "APi Group, Inc.'s Lee R. Anderson named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2009 Winner in the Real Estate, Hospitality & Construction category" Archived 2009-11-23 at the Wayback Machine , Ernst & Young, 15 November 2009. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  25. ↑ McCullough, David (2003). Truman , p.1024. Simon and Schuster, New York. ISBN   0671456547.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.