Wayne huizenga biography book

American businessman (1937–2018)

Harry Wayne Huizenga Sr.^[1] (; December 29, 1937 – March 22, 2018) was an American tradesman.

He founded AutoNation and Treatment Management Inc., and was honesty owner or co-owner of Unusual Video, the Miami Dolphins admit the National Football League (NFL), the Florida Panthers of say publicly National Hockey League (NHL), instruct the Miami Marlins (formerly Florida Marlins) of Major League Ball (MLB).

Early life and education

Harry Wayne Huizenga was of Nation descent.^[2][3][4] His grandfather, Harm Huizenga,^[5] came to the United States from the Netherlands.

Starting partner a horse and wagon, Despoil Huizenga built a trash truckage service, Huizenga & Sons Hunter Co. in suburban Chicago prickly 1894.^[6][2] Wayne Huizenga's parents, Gerrit Harry Huizenga (1916–2001),^[7] a government maker, and Jean Huizenga (née Riddering; 1918–2006),^[8] a home decorator;^[5] grew up in the Land community in Chicago^[9] and were strict Dutch Reformed Christians.^{[citation needed]}

Huizenga was born at Little Convention of Mary Hospital, in Coniferous Park, Illinois, on December 29, 1937, the first child teeny weeny a family of garbage haulers.^[10] In 1940 when Wayne was 2, the Huizenga family were listed as living in effect apartment building in Berwyn, Illinois.^[11] He had one sister, Sightly, who was five years younger.^[2] He attended Chicago Christian Buoy up School in his sophomore year.^[12] In 1953, the Huizenga kinsfolk moved to Florida and lexible in the Fort Lauderdale area.^[13] His father became a assets contractor in a booming reach estate market.^{[citation needed]}

The remainder range Huizenga's high school years were spent at Pine Crest High school, where he was a partaker of the football team illustrious senior class treasurer.^[2][9] After elevated school graduation in 1956, significant moved back to Chicago swivel most of his friends, grandparents and other relatives lived, swallow enrolled for three semesters^{[citation needed]} at Calvin College, a altruistic arts college in Grand Plummet, Michigan, but he dropped dirt free before finishing his sophomore year.^[2] For approximately five years aft graduation, he took on low-wage jobs and in September 1959 enlisted in the United States Army Reserve and spent scandalize months on active duty.^[9][14]

Career

In Assemble Lauderdale, Huizenga started a waste hauling business, as his granddad had done in Chicago leisure pursuit 1894.^[2] In 1962, he under way the Southern Sanitation Service shy borrowing US$5,000 from his divine and convincing a rival crap hauler to sell him down at heel trucks.^[6] Beginning with one junk truck in 1968, and isolated customers in an aggressive manner,^[15] he created Waste Management, Inc., an entity that eventually became a Fortune 500 company.

Huizenga purchased many independent garbage shipping companies; when he took high-mindedness company public in 1972, why not? had acquired 133 small-time haulers. In the early 1980s, explicit had grown Waste Management look at one of the largest waste-disposal companies in the United States.^[16] In 1984, he left distinction company and soon again soldier of fortune companies including suppliers of not fixed toilets and water bottles target home coolers.^[5]

Huizenga repeated the action with Blockbuster Video, acquiring smart handful of stores in 1987,^[17] with the company becoming authority leading movie-rental chain in say publicly U.S.

by 1994. After a-one process of building and extraction auto dealerships, in 1996, operate formed AutoNation, which became rectitude nation's largest automotive dealer.^[18]

In 2004, he sold Boca Resorts, simple group of hotels, including Goodness Hyatt Pier 66 Hotel^[19] captain the Radisson Bahia Mar Guest-house & Marina^[20] in Fort Lauderdale, The Boca Raton Resort & Club in Boca Raton, Florida, and several others in Napoli, Florida, and Arizona, to hidden equity firm Blackstone as extent of a $1.25 billion deal.^[19]

In 2010, Huizenga along with Steve Berrard, former CEO of Bang Video and AutoNation, took span majority stake in Swisher Hygienics, after paying $8.1 million union founder Patrick Swisher and cap wife, Laura.^[21] Swisher Hygiene went on to be traded research the NASDAQ and the Toronto Stock Exchange via a 2010 reverse takeover deal in which the company acquired the undeceptive traded CoolBrands International, a Canada-based frozen food and dessert producer.

CoolBrands had divested its kernel businesses in 2007, leaving roughly more than a corporate shell.^{[citation needed]}

Sports team ownership

Huizenga was inspiring for introducing baseball and kick off hockey to the South Florida area as the creator endure initial owner of the Florida Marlins and Florida Panthers.^[6] Additionally, he bought the cable bear on channel SportsChannel Florida (now Blinking Sports Florida) in 1996 hold forth air his teams' games cover the region.

He was criticized for naming the two teams for the state of Florida rather than the city illustrate Miami. As an advocate long for the city of Fort Lauderdale, he explained that his reason was to include Broward Patch and Palm Beach County steadily his teams' fan base.^{[citation needed]}

In 1994, Huizenga's brother-in-law attempted find time for purchase the NBA's Miami Heat,^[22] but was unsuccessful.

In 1990, during a period of pecuniary hardship for the franchise, Huizenga purchased 15% of the Official Football League's Miami Dolphins tell off its stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Founding owner Joe Robbie had recently died, and emperor surviving family found it gruelling to keep the team nonsubmersible. In turn, Huizenga bought ethics remaining shares of the gang for $115 million to get hold of full ownership in 1994.^[23] Yes changed the name of Joe Robbie Stadium, selling the identification rights to Fruit of significance Loom brand Pro Player storeroom $2 million per year affection 10 years.^[24] It has by reason of been renamed many times – as Dolphins Stadium, Dolphin Field, Land Shark Stadium, Sun Plainspoken Stadium, as well as unadorned few other corporate names, specified as Fruit of the Jut, and is currently named Untouched Rock Stadium.^[25]

In 2008, Huizenga put on the market 50% of the team present-day 50% of the stadium form Stephen M.

Ross, chairman take The Related Companies. Huizenga remained the managing general partner expose the franchise until January 2009, when he sold another 45% of the team and thanks to much of the stadium criticize Ross. Thus, Ross became directorate general partner with 95% control of the Dolphins and birth stadium, and Huizenga retained uncomplicated 5% share of both billy and stadium.^[26] Huizenga remained representation proprietor of 50% of loftiness land.^[26][27]

In the early 1990s, Huizenga served a two-year probationary copy out with the National Football Contemporary as an owner, with excellence stipulation that he not get another team.^[21]

Baseball

In the 1996 off-season period, and only four epoch after the Marlins' first enhancement appearance in the Major Coalition, Huizenga and General ManagerDave Dombrowski spent more than $89 gazillion on free agents, the key in surprising the rest of influence league.^[28] The Marlins strengthened warmth pitching staff by luring Alex Fernandez to Miami and wiped out over third baseman Bobby Bonilla, outfielder Moisés Alou, reliever Dennis Cook and outfielders John Cangelosi and Jim Eisenreich.^[29] In primacy 1997 season, the team forced the playoffs for the chief time then went on agreement win the World Series, defeating the Cleveland Indians in sevener games.^[29]

In the next off opportunity ripe, Huizenga, claiming a financial hiding of about $34 million possible the team that year,^[30] put in order claim subsequently disputed by Explorer College economist Andrew Zimbalist draw an essay,^[31] ordered the $54 million players-payroll to be uncomplicated, which led to the getaway of most of the patronage players.^[30] In November 1998, say publicly year after it won honesty World Series, the Marlins were sold for a reported first of approximately $150 million assessment commodities trader John Henry,^[32] who later sold the franchise leak finance his 2002 acquisition disagree with the Boston Red Sox.

Encumber 2017, the Marlins was sell by entrepreneur owner Jeffrey Loria to a group of investors for a reported sum tablets $1.2 billion.^[33]

While his sale advice the Marlins was characterized since "one of the worst moves in the franchise's history"^[30] soar Huizenga subsequently expressed regret date his final years with representation club and wished he challenging instead chosen to "go sidle more year",^[34] the analysts method the Baseball Prospectus, through statistical work, claimed by both sweetened the sport's ultimate trophy abstruse selling the club immediately back that win for a cool profit, Wayne Huizenga proved be selected for be a "genius."^[29]

When he vend the Marlins, Huizenga, who termination owned then-Pro Player Stadium, booked the rights to skybox tickets and club seat customers, because well as 62.5% of parking revenue, and 30% of concessions.^[35] Economist Andrew Zimbalist commented "Huizenga made a killing when type sold the team for $150 million [in 1998] and esoteric the lease for this stage that enabled him to restrain just about all the square revenue."^[35]

Ice hockey

Huizenga operated the Florida Panthers as a public period of office company, buying numerous real cash properties in the name supplementary his Panthers Holding Group.

Capitalizing on the team's 1996 coerce to the Stanley Cup finals, he sold shares to authority public, whose enthusiasm for honourableness club drove civic leaders boardwalk Broward County to use universal money to build a pristine arena for the team. Huizenga used the hockey team's emergency supply as currency to begin holdings yet another diversified enterprise, purchasing two resort hotels owned seemingly by Huizenga and other Panthers officials.

His original investment behave the Panthers had nearly tripled in total value to $150 million.^[36]

In 2001, he sold blue blood the gentry Panthers to pharmaceutical businessman remarkable friend Alan Cohen and Cohen's partner, former NFL quarterback Bernie Kosar, for approximately $100 million.^[37] In December 2017, 25 days after he created the truncheon, the Panthers retired the cack-handed.

37 shirt in honor discount Huizenga. His family chose significance number because it was consummate "birth year and lucky number."^[38]

Honors

In 1991, Huizenga received the Yellowish Plate Award of the Earth Academy of Achievement.^[39] In 1992, he was named a "Distinguished American" by the Horatio Author Association in 1992.^[40] He was named its 2008 Norman Vincent Peale Award recipient.^[41] He was named the 2005 Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of Honourableness Year.^[42] In 2012, the Discard of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, renamed Southeast 9th Street in nobleness Rio Vista neighborhood Wayne Huizenga Blvd.^[43]

Personal life and death

On Sep 10, 1960, he married Writer Vander Wagen whom he trip over while in high school.

Unwind had known Joyce since emperor early school years in Tracheophyte Park. Wayne and Joyce challenging two children, Wayne Jr. at an earlier time Scott. The marriage ended shaggy dog story divorce in 1966.^[2] Huizenga wed his second wife, Martha Dungaree "Marti" (née Pike) Goldsby, neat native of San Antonio, Florida,^[44] in April 1972.^[45] She was a secretary, and had power billing and clerical work patent one of his businesses.^[2][5] Pacify later adopted her son,^[2] Parliamentarian Ray, and daughter Pamela.^[46] Illustriousness couple remained married until coffee break death on January 3, 2017, following a fourteen-year battle obey cancer.^[47]

In 2004, Huizenga purchased cool private luxury yacht from Inhabitant professional golfer Greg Norman.^[48] Integrity yacht cost $77 million promote was further modified by Huizenga to feature a helipad senseless a 12-seat helicopter.

In Lordly 2004, Power & Motoryacht hierarchal it the 43rd-longest yacht give back the world.^[49]

Huizenga co-funded the Revolve. Wayne Huizenga School of Job and Entrepreneurship at the Evening star Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He donated to Hanker Crest School, a private basic school, which named its body of laws building the Huizenga Science Estate.

He was a board affiliate of the Laureus Foundation, unornamented charity which, according to close-fitting mission statement, "us[es] the strength of character of sport to end cruelty, discrimination and disadvantage."^[50] In 2009, his Huizenga Family Foundation eulogistic the chapel at the Southernmost Florida Council's Scout camp boil Davie, Florida.^[51]

In the 1980s, forbidden began acquiring some 2,000 acreage about 30 miles north after everything else West Palm Beach.

In 1996, he based the Floridian Sport & Yacht Club there, put down exclusive golf club "with ample supply estate homes on the fortune to cover his costs,"^[52] whose course was designed by City Player,^[53] where he extended autonomous privileges to some two few "friends, relatives, and business associates," including actors Michael Douglas most recent Catherine Zeta-Jones and retired Drop Chairman Jack Welch.^[52] He renamed his yacht Floridian, before contracts the Floridian club and big money to Texas entrepreneur Jim Extend in 2010.^[54]

Huizenga died of mortal at his home in Sore Lauderdale, Florida, on the shadows of March 22, 2018.^[10][55] Elegance was 80.^[6]

References