Jeremy Jacobs
Jeremy Jacobs, Sr.is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Delaware North Companies. Forbes magazine ranks him as #746 of the world's billionaires [1]. He and his wife Margaret reside in East Aurora, New York. They have six children, eighteen grandchildren and one great-grandchild. [2]
Jacobs is well known in the sports industry, including being listed for several years in a row as one of Sports Business Journal's Most Influential People in Sports. [3] He was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame in Western New York in October, 2006.
Jacobs owns and operates the Delaware North Companies, founded by his his father. Delaware North is a global hospitality and food service business headquartered in Buffalo, N.Y.. It is one of the largest privately held companies in North America.The company operates in the lodging, sporting, airport, gaming and entertainment industries. The company employs over 50,000 people worldwide and has over $2 billion in annual revenues.
Delaware North also owns and manages TD Banknorth Garden, home to the Bruins and the Boston Celtics, and one of the top concert and sports venues in North America.[4] Home to approximately 200 public events annually, the TD Banknorth Garden hosts well over 3.5 million people each year.
Boston Bruins
Since 1975 Mr. Jacobs has owned the National Hockey League's Boston Bruins. Jacobs represents the club on the NHL's Board of Governors, and serves on its Executive Committee. At the NHL Board of Governors meeting in June 2007, Jacobs was elected Chairman of the Board, replacing the Calgary Flames' Harley Hotchkiss, who stepped down after 12 years in the position.
See Boston Bruins for more information on the team.
Philanthropy & Other Activity
An active philanthropist, Jacobs gives millions of dollar to national and community based charities each year.[citation needed] Jacobs' work with the United Way has not only benefited the communities where the company operates, it has also earned him the designation as part of the Million-Dollar Roundtable of donors. Jacobs is also a member of the Jeremiah Milbank Society, recognizing him for his strong support the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. [5]
In 2007, Jacobs provided a $1 million gift with his family to support an endowed chair in Immunology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI). The gift was made to RPCI’s Leaders for Life endowment campaign in honor of Jacobs’ brother, the late Lawrence D. Jacobs, MD, an immunology researcher who died in 2001. [6]
The University at Buffalo announced on June 11, 2008, a $10 million gift from Jacobs, his wife, Margaret, and family to establish the Jacobs Institute, which will support research and clinical collaboration on the causes, treatment and prevention of heart and vascular diseases. Again, the gift was made in honor of his late brother, Lawrence. The Jacobs' gift is the largest single gift ever to UB and makes the Jacobs family the university's most generous donor, with gifts totaling $18.4 million.[7] Mr. Jacobs is also a benefactor of the University of Buffalo and has served as chairman, trustee and director of the UB Foundation, chairman of the President's Board of Visitors, and advisor to the School of Management in addition to serving as chairman of the University of Buffalo Council since 1998.
An alumnus of UB’s School of Management and the Harvard School of Business Advanced Management Program, he holds honorary doctorates from the University at Buffalo, Canisius College and Johnson and Wales University. [8].
He is currently serving his second term on the U.S. Department of Commerce Travel and Tourism Advisory Board[9]. Members of the board are selected by the Secretary of Commerce and advise the Secretary on government policies and programs that affect the U.S. travel and tourism industry.
Jacobs has made substantial contributions to the presidential campaigns of George W. Bush, John Kerry, Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton, Joe Lieberman, and John Edwards. [10]
Jacobs also owns an interest in NESN, the New England Sports Network, sharing ownership with John Henry, a friend and owner of the Boston Red Sox.
References
- ^ The World's Billionaires - Forbes.com
- ^ http://www.delawarenorth.com/aboutdnc/JeremyJacobs.asp Delaware North Companies Biography]
- ^ The 50 Most Influential People in Sports Business
- ^ tdbanknorthgarden.com
- ^ Delaware North Companies foundation
- ^ Roswell Park Cancer Institute
- ^ University at Buffalo NewsCenter
- ^ Harvard, UB, Johnson and Wales
- ^ U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board Members
- ^ The Huffington Post - FundRace 2008