Something You Really Have to See — Blackstone Groups’ Co-Founder, Stephen Schwarzman
The story of Stephen Schwarzman is one of altruism and hard work. A year ago Stephen was named the fifty third wealthiest in the United States published by Forbes Magazine, but it isn’t money that makes this story so interesting but also his undreamt of success in the business world and his patronage of the arts. Stephen’s biography has inspired individuals all over the world and it serves as a reminder that anyone may be successful with just a modicum of hard work.
Stephen Schwarzman and his partner Peter Peterson founded the private equity management and financial advisory company Blackstone Group in the 1980’s. More recently, it has set the pace in m&a, but he wasn’t always part of a world-famous company. Living for many of his childhood years in near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Stephen commenced his schooling in the Philadelphia suburbs. He went on to get his degree from Yale University in 1969. He set about taking a program of post graduate study at the respected Harvard Business school near Boston, MA. Eventually he would join the investment team at the illustrious investment bank Lehman Brothers. Steve was given the role of managing director at the age of only 31. Not only does Stephen give of his time to a variety of not for profit organizations, but he has also been a part-time professor at Yale. Moreover, he is the fifth Chairman to the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. And, to return even more to his community, Stephen just last March gifted to the New York Public Library a hundred million dollars to back their expansion program. In fact, the New York Public Library called their new extension the “Stephen A. Schwarzman Building” to commemorate his lavish donation. Stephen Schwarzman is nowadays a role model to a new generation of entrepreneurs — As one of Times Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People alive today, Stephen is these days in the focus of media attention and influencing markets all over the world. His swift rise in the business and financial communities is nothing short of amazing, and no doubt his willingness to give back to the community has set business leaders an entirely new benchmark to emulate. So the financial space waits in anticipation to see what Stephen will do next. All in all, Stephen A. Schwarzman has, in retrospect, made an enormous difference to the business and financial communities and to the world at large.
