Early life and education

Ross was raised in a Jewish family in Detroit, where he went to Mumford High School, and later graduated from Miami Beach Senior High School. He attended the University of Florida and then transferred to the University of Michigan Business School, where he earned his bachelor's degree in accounting in 1962. He later received a Juris Doctor from the Wayne State School of Law in 1965 and an LL.M. degree in Taxation from the New York University School of Law in 1966. These later degrees were financed by a loan from his uncle, the businessman Max Fisher, who Ross has called, "the most important role model and inspiration for me in life".

Career

Ross began his career as a tax attorney at Coopers & Lybrand in Detroit. In 1968, he moved to New York City and accepted a position as an assistant vice president in the real estate subsidiary of Laird Inc. and then worked in the corporate finance department of Bear Stearns. In 1972, he left employment and living off $10,000 lent to him by his mother, he utilized his federal tax law knowledge to organize deals for wealthy investors allowing them to shelter income with the generous incentives granted by the federal government to promote the construction of federally subsidized affordable housing. He was very successful, earning $150,000 in his first year, and he was soon arranging more complicated transactions. Using his earnings along with his newfound experience, he started to develop real estate on his own and with an emphasis on high-quality architecture and engineering, he quickly earned a solid reputation in the American real estate arena. With a focus on the northeastern United States and Florida, he developed apartments, condominiums, retail, office parks and mixed-use developments. In 1972, he founded The Related Companies, a real estate development company.

The Related Companies

Related is a fully integrated and diversified real estate development company. Its business includes development, acquisitions, management, finance, marketing and sales. Headquartered in New York City, Related has offices and real estate developments in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, South Florida, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai. The company directly employs approximately 2,000 people. The company's existing portfolio of real estate assets, valued at over $15 billion, is made up of mixed-use, residential, retail, office, trade show and affordable properties in what the company calls "premier high-barrier-to-entry markets." Related is the largest owner of luxury residential rental properties in New York with over 5,000 units in its portfolio and has developed mixed-use projects such as Time Warner Center in New York and CityPlace in West Palm Beach and is currently developing the 26-acre Hudson Yards project on Manhattan's west side. Related also manages approximately $1.5 billion of equity capital on behalf of sovereign wealth funds, public pension plans, multi-managers, endowments, Taft Hartley plans and family offices.

Related also owns Equinox Fitness Clubs and a partnership interest in Union Square Events, the catering, culture, sports, and events business of Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group.

Miami Dolphins

In February 2008, Ross bought 50 percent of the Miami Dolphin franchise, Dolphin Stadium and surrounding land from then-owner Wayne Huizenga for $550 million, with an agreement to later become the Dolphins' managing general partner. On January 20, 2009, Ross closed on the purchase of an additional 45% of the team from Wayne Huizenga. The total value of the deal was $1.1 billion. This means Ross is now the owner of 95% of both the franchise and the stadium. Ross announced his intention to keep Bill Parcells as the director of football operations. Parcells later stepped down from his position shortly before the 2010 NFL season. Since buying the Dolphins, Ross has brought in Gloria Estefan, Marc Anthony, Venus Williams, and Serena Williams, as minority owners of the team. In 2013, Ross made a push to obtain multimillion-dollar public funding from the state of Florida and Miami-Dade taxpayers to help renovate Sun Life Stadium, the Dolphins' home field. After this effort failed in the Florida legislature, a team spokesman said that Ross does not intend to move the team but that under an eventual future owner the Dolphins' future in the Miami area is bleak. Although Ross said he intends to keep the Dolphins "in town", there has been speculation that the team may seek to move out of Miami to a nearby locale such as Palm Beach.

RSE Ventures

RSE Ventures is a multi-national sports and entertainment venture firm with a focus on new technologies. RSE Ventures was co-founded in 2012 by Ross and Matt Higgins (businessman), former Executive Vice President of the New York Jets and current Vice Chairman of the Miami Dolphins. RSE builds, owns and operates a variety of new companies, including Preplay Sports, Thuzio, Poptip and FanVision.

Kangaroo Media/FanVision

Ross and Carl Peterson own Kangaroo Media, producer of FanVision.

Civic and philanthropic leadership

Ross was co-chair of the University of Michigan's fund raising campaign, which was completed May 2007. He is currently serving on President Mary Sue Coleman's Advisory Group and the Director's Cabinet in the University's Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.

In 2004, Ross made the single largest contribution (at the time) to the University of Michigan by donating $100 million to the school. The University renamed its business school, Ross School of Business in his honor. On September 12, 2013, it was announced Ross had committed an additional $200 million gift to the University, to be distributed equally among the Ross School of Business and the University's athletic department. It replaced Charlie Munger's 2013 contribution of $115 million as the largest single gift in the University's history.

He was on the executive committee of NYC2012, New York's initiative to bring the summer Olympic Games to New York City in 2012, which failed when London won. Ross is chairman of Equinox Holdings, and chairperson emeritus of the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), the city's leading real estate trade association. As a member of the board of trustees of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Ross was involved in the planning of a major renovation of the Frank Lloyd Wright iconic building and other new museums. He is a trustee of New York Presbyterian Hospital, the Urban Land Institute, the NY Chapter of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International, the Levin Institute and is a director of the Jackie Robinson Foundation and the World Resources Institute. He also serves on the Executive Committee and is a trustee of Lincoln Center.

Honors and awards

Over the years, Ross has received numerous honors for his business, civic, and philanthropic activities. He was named the third Most Powerful Person in New York Real Estate by the New York Observer, Multi-Family Property Executive of the Year by Commercial Property News, and Housing Person of the Year by the National Housing Conference. He also received The National Building Museum Honor Award, REBNY's Harry B. Helmsley Distinguished New Yorker Award and the Jack D. Weiler Award from UJA. Crain's New York named Ross one of the 100 Most Influential Leaders in Business and he was recognized by NYC & Company with their Leadership in Tourism Award.

Political views

Ross was a major supporter and contributor to the 2012 presidential campaign of Mitt Romney.

Personal life

Ross and his wife Kara Ross (née Gaffney), an entrepreneur and jewelry designer, reside in New York with her two daughters from a previous marriage. Ross has two of his own children from his first marriage. The Rosses also own an 11,000 sq ft oceanfront mansion in Palm Beach.

Ross's uncle Max M. Fisher was a financier and philanthropist from Detroit, Michigan.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]