Tony Ressler

Last updated
Tony Ressler
Born (1960-10-12) October 12, 1960 (age 64)
Washington D.C., U.S.
Education Georgetown University (BSFS)
Columbia University (MBA)
Occupation(s)Investor, sports team owner
Known for
Spouse
​
(m. 1989)​
Children3
Relatives

Antony P. Ressler (born October 12, 1960) is an American businessman. He co-founded the private equity firms Apollo Global Management in 1990, [1] and Ares Management in 1997. [2] Ressler is also owner of the Atlanta Hawks basketball team, acquiring them in 2015. He is married to actress Jami Gertz. His net worth was estimated at $11.3 billion in 2024. [3]

Contents

Biography

Ressler was born in Washington D.C. on October 12, 1960, to a Jewish family, [4] [5] one of five children of Dorothy and Ira Ressler. [6] His father was an attorney and World War II veteran. [6] Ressler earned a BSFS from Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service and an MBA from Columbia Business School. [7] After graduating, he worked at Drexel Burnham Lambert, eventually reaching senior vice president in the high yield bond department with responsibility for the new issue/syndicate desk. [7]

In 1990, on the heels of the collapse of Drexel Burnham Lambert, he co-founded the private equity firm Apollo Global Management with Leon Black, Drexel's managing director, head of the Mergers & Acquisitions Group, and co-head of the Corporate Finance Department; John Hannan, Drexel's former co-director of international finance; Craig Cogut, a lawyer who worked with Drexel's high-yield division in Los Angeles; Arthur Bilger, the former head of the Drexel's corporate finance department; and Marc Rowan, Josh Harris and Michael Gross, all of whom worked under Black in the mergers and acquisitions department. [8] [9] [10] [11] In 1997, he co-founded Ares Management with former Apollo Global Management co-worker John H. Kissick and Bennett Rosenthal, who joined the group from the global leveraged finance group at Merrill Lynch. [12]

Ressler is a member of the executive committee of the board of directors of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; finance chair and member of the executive committee of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; a board member of Campbell Hall Episcopal School in Studio City, California; and one of the founding members of the board and finance chair of the Painted Turtle Camp, an organization that takes children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses on camping trips. Ressler is a supporter of military veterans through the work of The Greatest Generations Foundation. [7]

Sports

In 2005, he belonged to an investment group led by Mark Attanasio that acquired Major League Baseball's Milwaukee Brewers. [13]

In June 2015, he led a group that acquired the NBA's Atlanta Hawks basketball team for US$730 million. [14] It was ultimately sold to him for $850 million. [15] [16] Minority investors included Grant Hill, Sara Blakely, Jesse Itzler, Steven Price, and Rick Schnall. [17] [18]

Personal life

On June 16, 1989, he married actress Jami Gertz. [4] [19] [20] They live in Los Angeles, [3] and have three sons. Gertz-Ressler High Academy, a member of Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, is named after the couple. [21] They are members of the Wilshire Boulevard Temple. [4]

Ressler's sister, Broadway producer Debra Ressler, is married to Apollo co-founder Leon Black. [22] His brother, Richard Ressler, is a principal and founder of CIM Investment management. [23]

References

  1. ↑ Arash Massoudi (April 1, 2014). "Ares hopes to raise $500m in IPO". Financial Times.
  2. ↑ "People:Ares Management LP (ARES.K)". Reuters . Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Forbes profile: Antony Ressler". Forbes. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 Jewish Journal: "It's Always Gilda - Actress Jami Gertz wants to do justice to the memory of the late SNL comedienne" By Naomi Pfefferman April 25, 2002
  5. ↑ Atlanta Jewish Times: "Jewish Investor Buying Hawks" by David R. Cohen April 29, 2015
  6. 1 2 New York Times: "Paid Notice: Deaths RESSLER, IRA RICHARD" October 29, 2000
  7. 1 2 3 Ares Management website: "Tony Ressler - Senior Partner Archived 2012-11-05 at the Wayback Machine retrieved August 20, 2013
  8. ↑ Ex-Drexel Executives Arrange Aid for Fruit of the Loom, August 24, 1990
  9. ↑ Changes at Drexel Continue. New York Times, March 11, 1989
  10. ↑ Drexel's Uncertain Future. New York Times, October 15, 1989
  11. ↑ Drexel Divided on Settlement. New York Times, December 17, 1988
  12. ↑ Ares Management to Take New Fund Public. Los Angeles Times, April 22, 2004
  13. ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "Two Investors from L.A. in on deal" by Don Walker April 27, 2005
  14. ↑ Bloomberg: "NBA Governors Approve $730 Million Hawks Sale to Ressler's Group" By Scott Soshnick and Zeke Faux June 24, 2015
  15. ↑ "Atlanta Hawks Sold to Ares' Ressler for $850 million, Group Includes Sara Blakely and Grant Hill". Atlanta Business Chronicle. April 24, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  16. ↑ Atlanta Hawks Selling for $850 Million. The Wall Street Journal. Ben Cohen. April 22, 2015. accessed February 9, 2016
  17. ↑ Arnovitz, Kevin (April 22, 2015). "Hawks to be sold for nearly $850M to Antony Ressler-led group". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  18. ↑ NBA: "Group Led By Tony Ressler Completes Purchase of Atlanta Hawks" June 25, 2015 | "Other investors include seven-time NBA All-Star Grant Hill, who will serve as Vice Chair of the Board, Townsquare Media Chair and CEO Steven Price, Clayton Dubilier & Rice partner Rick Schnall, and Spanx founder Sara Blakely and Marquis Jet co-founder Jesse Itzler, who are married"
  19. ↑ "The 15 Most Charitable Celebrities in Hollywood". gotgravy.com. May 2, 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Hawks representative Jami Gertz had a great reason for being at the NBA lottery". The Washington Post . May 16, 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  21. ↑ Almendrala, Anna (15 June 2011). "'A Better Life' Hits Home For Inner-City Students At Movie Screening (VIDEO)". Huffington Post. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  22. ↑ Bloomberg: "Leon Black Loses to Carl Icahn as Apollo Sets New Credit Terms" By Anthony Effinger & Cristina Alesci July 7, 2010
  23. ↑ Huffington Post: "Tony and Richard Ressler" retrieved August 20, 2013
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