Binyamin "Beny" Alagem (Hebrew: בנימין אלג'ם; born 1953) is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, business executive, hotelier and philanthropist. He is the founder and former chief executive of Packard Bell Computers. He is the owner of the Beverly Hilton Hotel and the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills, California.
Beny Alagem | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1953 (age 70–71) |
| Nationality | Israeli-American |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, business executive, hotelier, philanthropist |
| Spouse | Adele Alagem |
Early life
editBeny Alagem was born in Israel.[1][2] He was a tank driver.[3] Alagem studied at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona where he met fellow Israeli immigrants Jason Barzilay and Alex Sandel. In 1983, Alagem would partner up with Sandel and Barzilay to start Cal-Abco, a wholesaler of computer parts. In 1986, all three then invested into creating Packard Bell. As of 1995, Cal-Abco was still intact and was listed in the Packard Bell prospectus as a supplier of parts to Packard Bell with a shared credit line between the two companies.[4]
Career
editAlagem founded Packard Bell, a personal computer manufacturer, in 1986.[1][5] He served as its chief executive and president until 1998, when he resigned after he disagreed with NEC and Groupe Bull, the two other main shareholders.[5] In January 1999, he acquired the rights to the AST Research name from Samsung.[6][7]
Alagem serves as the chairman of the Alagem Capital Group, an asset management firm headquartered in Beverly Hills, California.[8][9][10] In December 2003, Alagem purchased the Beverly Hilton Hotel from entertainer Merv Griffin for US$130 million through Oasis West Realty LLC, where he serves as chief executive officer.[1][8][11] He proceeded to renovate it for an extra US$90 million.[1] He oversaw the development of the Beverly Hills Waldorf Astoria with Guggenheim Partners, which was dedicated in 2017.[1][8][9] Designed by the architectural firm Gensler,[12] it is adjacent to the Beverly Hilton Hotel.[8] The Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills was the first new luxury hotel for the brand on the West Coast.[13]
Philanthropy
editAlagem was appointed an honorary ambassador of the City of Tel Aviv in 1995.[14] He serves as an honorary member of the board of directors of the Israeli-American Council (IAC).[14] Indeed, he has been described by The Jewish Daily Forward as one of the "major donors" to the IAC.[15] For example, he underwrote the entire cost of the Council Leadership Gala on March 11, 2012.[16] He also serves on the advisory board of the American Friends of The Citizens' Empowerment Center in Israel, a non-profit organization headquartered in Beverly Hills which promotes peace in Israel through research and education.[17]
In 2004, Alagem held a fundraiser for the March of the Living, a non-profit organization which annual funds trips for 18,000 students to see the horror of the Auschwitz concentration camp, followed by trip to Israel on Independence Day.[18] The event, which took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and was attended by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Israeli ministers Ehud Olmert and Avraham Hirschenson, raised US$1 million.[18]
Alagem co-chaired a fundraiser for the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on December 17, 2009.[19] It raised US$5.2 million for the Israel Defense Forces.[20]
Alagem was the recipient of the Philanthropic Leadership Award from the board of governors of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in 2016.[21]
Personal life
editAlagem has a wife, Adele.[22] They reside in Bel Air, Los Angeles, California.[23]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e Roger Vincent, Checking in to grandeur: Designers show off plans for the Beverly Hills Waldorf Astoria, set to open in 2017, The Los Angeles Times, April 10, 2014
- ^ "A-Rod joins Sting, Denzel Washington, other rich and famous at 15 Central Park West" Archived 2010-03-02 at the Wayback Machine Owen Moritz, New York Daily News, 28 February 2010.
- ^ Christina Binkley, The 'Trophy' Hotel: Fabulous Fixer-Upper, The Wall Street Journal, February 18, 2004
- ^ Sprout, Alison. "PACKARD BELL SELLS MORE PCS IN THE U.S. THAN ANYONE. SO JUST WHO ARE THESE GUYS?". Fortune. Archived from the original on 2017-08-02. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
- ^ a b Chief of Packard Bell NEC Steps Down, The New York Times, July 1, 1998
- ^ Samsung Sells AST Brand of Computers, The New York Times, July 12, 1999
- ^ Packard Bell's Alagem Buys AST Research; Acquisition: A new company will be created from the Irvine-based Samsung unit to develop PCs, monitors, and Internet servers. Los Angeles Times, January 11, 1999; Business, PART- C, pp. 2; Financial Desk.
- ^ a b c d Alexandria Abramian, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts Unveils Plans for Beverly Hills, The Hollywood Reporter, 4/14/2014
- ^ a b Laura Coleman, Alagem, Hilton Start Building Beverly Hills Waldorf Astoria, The Beverly Hills Courier
- ^ Bloomberg: Alagem Capital Group
- ^ Alexandria Abramian, Guggenheim Partners to Bankroll Beverly Hilton's Transformation (Exclusive), The Hollywood Reporter, 10/18/2013
- ^ Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills[usurped], Emporis
- ^ Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts Unveils Plans for Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, waldorfastoria, April 11, 2014
- ^ a b Israeli American Council: Honorary Board of Directors Archived 2015-02-20 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Nathan Guttman, Israeli Immigrants Play Growing Role in American Jewish Community, The Jewish Daily Forward, January 17, 2014
- ^ Ex-pat Israelis celebrate success at Leadership Council Gala, The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, March 14, 2012
- ^ American Friends of The Citizens' Empowerment Center in Israel: Advisory Board Archived August 5, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Kelly Hartog, Circuit: Governor of Hope, The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, February 24, 2005
- ^ FIDF: Western Region Gala Raises $5.2 Million to Benefit Soldiers
- ^ Orit Arfa, Stars Shine on Friends of IDF Gala Fundraiser, The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, January 6, 2010
- ^ "Cedars-Sinai Board Of Governors Gala To Honor Adele & Beny Alagem and Sylvester Stallone". The Beverly Hills Courier. October 10, 2016.
- ^ Juliet Chung, Sara Lin, Packard Bell Founder Agrees to Sell New York Condo, The Wall Street Journal, October 2, 2009
- ^ Mark David, End of Week Pick Up Sticks: Brad Grey, Variety, September 21, 2013