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The Floridian
Wayne Huizenga owned a massive aluminum-hulled yacht until recently; the “Floridian” is 69 meters long and features a helicopter landing pad. There is even a decompression chamber! According to a report in the Portland Press Herald, the “Floridian” visited Bar Harbor, Maine in 2006 to have its on-board helicopter serviced. Huizenga bought the Australian-made yacht from pro golfer Greg Norman in 2004. The yacht was previously named the “Aussie Rules” and is now called the “Nomad” under yet another owner.
Wayne Huizenga: Incredible Businessman & Generous Philanthropist
Wayne Huizenga is a highly successful businessman who started (or greatly expanded) several major U.S. companies during the course of his career. Mr. Huizenga’s path of success is paved with diversity, ingenuity and just plain good sense.
Huizenga began his life in Chicago. His mother and father were also born in Chicago, with ancestry of Dutch origin. He graduated from high school and enrolled in Michigan’s Calvin College. In 1959, he joined the U.S. Army reserve. He married a year later and again in 1972. Huizenga became a business owner for the first time in 1960, starting him on a path that would lead from small business owner to billionaire businessman.
Hometown of Wayne Huizenga
One of Huizenga’s first business moves was to purchase a small garbage collection business in Fort Lauderdale. The company later merged with a similar business in Chicago and became known as Waste Management. Through various acquisitions, Waste Management spread across the United States, and eventually worldwide. Wayne Huizenga left the company in 1984. Waste Management continues to play a major role in waste disposal services and the company’s logo is a common sight throughout the U.S… Mr. Huizenga had created his first household name.
A few years later, Huizenga made an eighteen-million dollar investment in Blockbuster Inc., taking control of the company. It was a small chain at the time, but did have a superior electronic tracking system created by the original owner. Blockbuster rapidly established new video rental stores and began overseas operations by 1990, helped by the gradually lower cost of Video Cassette Recorders. By when the chain was sold to Viacom in 1994, Blockbuster had increased from eight to 3,700 stores.
Wayne Huizenga has run various other businesses, as well; these include Republic Industries (similar to Waste Management), the Extended Stay America hotel chain, and the nationwide AutoNation chain of car dealers. He started Extended Stay America in 1995 and expanded it to almost five-hundred hotels by 2004. AutoNation sold 5,000,000 automobiles in just nine years. Huizenga also owned the Florida Marlins baseball team during the mid- and late-1990s. Even though the Marlins made it to the World Series, Mr. Huizenga decided to sell the Team to John Henry (owner of Boston Red Sox). His sports investments also include the Florida Panthers hockey team and Miami Dolphins football team. He largely exited the sports business scene in early 2009.
Huizenga has put a strong emphasis on philanthropy, giving over $100,000,000 dollars to charity. He donated $1 million to the Martin Memorial Foundation in Stuart, Florida in 2009. He also helped fund relief efforts after Hurricane Charley in 2004, donated $2 million to the Junior Financial Achievement Center in Coconut Creek, and has contributed to various educational institutions. His philanthropic efforts are mainly focused in the state of Florida.
In recognition of his achievements, the School of Business and Entrepreneurship at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale was named after Huizenga. The story of Wayne Huizenga shows that skills and ability can translate well within a wide range of businesses… for decades, Mr. Huizenga has been setting a very positive example for entrepreneurs everywhere.
SOURCES:
1. Encarta Encyclopedia 2005
2. The New Netherland Institute
3. MaineToday
4. Yacht Aussie Rules
5. Automotive Hall of Fame
6. The Chronicle of Philanthropy
7. Associated Press (via ESPN)
8. Florida Trend
9. Sun-Sentinel
10. Funding Universe
Tags: business, Florida Celebrities, mega yacht, wayne huizenga, yachting