Jeffrey Vinik

Jeffrey Vinik was born in Deal, New Jersey, which is fitting, considering he has been instrumental in some of the most prominent sports deals in history. After earning his undergraduate degree in civil engineering from Duke University in 1981 and his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1985 he went into business and became successful beyond his wildest dreams. From 1992 to 1996 he managed the Fidelity Magellan Fund and went on to start a hedge fund called Vinik Asset Management, which ended up grossing him and his investors upwards of $4.2 billion. In 2010 he ventured into the sports world and purchased the Tampa Bay Lightning for $170 million. Outside of business and sports he has become known as a dedicated philanthropist, giving millions to notable causes around the country. In 1998 he donated $1.25 million to endow a professorship at Duke University’s school of engineering and then turned around and donated $5 million more to their facilities the next year. In 2012 he sent another $10 million donation and has since donated $4 million to the building of a new Jewish Community Center in Tampa, Florida.