Jim Davis (businessman)
Jim Davis | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1943 (age 80–81) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Middlebury College |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Owner & chairman of New Balance Co-founder of Major League Lacrosse |
| Spouse | married |
| Children | two |
Jim Davis (born 1943) is an American billionaire businessman, the chairman of New Balance and a co-founder of Major League Lacrosse.[2][3][4][5]
Early life
James S. Davis was born in 1943,[2] the son of Greek immigrants.[6] He attended the Worcester Academy, and he received a Bachelor of Science in biology and chemistry from Middlebury College in 1966.[2][3][5][7] While in college, he played college football.[4][7]
Career
He started his career as a sales engineer at the LFE Corporation in Waltham, Massachusetts, and as marketing manager for the Applied Geodata Systems Division of Techven Associates of Cambridge, Massachusetts.[3][5] In 1972, he bought New Balance, then only a 6-employee firm in Boston, and turned it into a 4,000-employee global corporation with revenues averaging around $2.5 billion every year.[2][3][5] He has been a Board member of the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, the International Athletic Footwear & Apparel Manufacturers Association, and the Two/Ten Foundation.[5] He is a member of the Athletic Footwear Council and is on the Executive Committee of the Rubber and Plastic Footwear Manufacturers Association.[5] He also sits on the Board of Directors of the Citizen’s Bank in Providence, Rhode Island.[5]
He has donated $500,000 to Mitt Romney's Super PAC, Restore Our Future.[8][9] He has donated $5 million to the University of Maine.[2] He is the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from his alma mater, Middlebury College.[2] A library on its campus has also been named for him.[7] He formerly sat on its Board of Trustees, on the Worcester Academy's, and on Newbury College's.[5][10] He sits on the Board of Trustees of the Sports Museum of New England and formerly Boston Children's Museum.[5][11]
As of 2015, he is the 411th richest person in the world, and the 124th richest in the United States, with an estimated wealth of US$4.1 billion.[2]
Personal life
He is married, and has two children.[2] He lives in Newton, Massachusetts.[2]
References
- ^ Forbes: "The World's Billionaires - Jim Davis" November 2015
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Forbes profile
- ^ a b c d New Balance leadership
- ^ a b Daren Fonda, 'Sole Survivor', in Time Magazine, Nov. 01, 2004 [1]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Major League Lacross Founders
- ^ The Pappas Post: "Son of Greek immigrant leads New Balance to major expansion" April 3, 2012
- ^ a b c Sarah C. Ray, 'Library named for Jim Davis '66 and his family', May 7, 2010 [2]
- ^ Dan Eggen, 'New Balance distances itself from donation to Romney supporting ‘super PAC’', in The Washington Post, [3]
- ^ Glen Johnson, 'New Balance disavows chairman’s Romney donation', on Boston.com, 08/10/2011 [4]
- ^ Middlebury College Board of Trustees
- ^ Boston's Children Museum Board of Trustees