October 26, 2009
A Rant about Stephen Schwarzman, Blackstone Group’s Co-Founder
If you have not come across Stephen A. Schwarzman, you’ll find this interesting. A year ago Stephen was named as the fifty-third most well-to-do person in the country by Forbes Magazine, still it’s his patronage of the arts and education and his outstanding achivements that show him to be such a interesting man. Stephen’s biography is an inspiration to numerous people worldwide additionally he has made excellent use of his riches to change many people’s lives as well. Stephen Schwarzman and his partner Peter Peterson founded the private equity and financial advisory firm Blackstone Group in the eighties. At this moment the Blackstone Group is a household name boasting holdings as diverse as, for example, Graham Packaging and Celanese, to name but a few.
Stephen spent his childhood in surburban Philadelphia. After graduating from high school he chose to study at the illustrious Yale University and got his bachelor’s degree in 1969. He decided to further his education at the world renowned Harvard Business School, getting his Master’s degree in Business Administration in 1972. Then he started his career at Lehman Brothers investment bank, located in NYC. Before he celebrated his 32nd birthday Stephen was already a managing director.
Stephen A. Schwarzman gave his services as an assistant professor at the internationally esteemed Yale School of Management in addition to giving financial support to a number of non-profit organizations, educational programs, and the liberal arts. Beyond this, he is the 5th Chairman to the Board of Trustees at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in NYC. Additionally, he told the media in March of 2008 that he was contributing $100 million to the New York Public Library to fund their construction plan. They also called their new extension the “Stephen A. Schwarzman Building” to commemorate his generous gift. You won’t be surprised to learn, America’s elite look to Stephen as a role model – he was listed as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People on earth in acknowledgement of his many achievements. His quick rise in the business and financial industries is certainly miraculous, and no doubt his generosity has set America a new class of its own standard to live up to.
Considering all his wisdom and commitment, it would seem that there isn’t anything he cannot achieve. To sum up, Stephen has taken each business opportunity offered to him, but he has equally made exemplary use of his money and status as a way to enrich his community.
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