Beny Alagem

Beny Alagem
Born 1953 (age 62–63)
Israel
Residence Bel Air, Los Angeles, California, USA
Nationality Israeli-American
Occupation Entrepreneur, business executive, hotelier, philanthropist
Spouse(s) Adele Alagem

Beny Alagem (born 1953 in Israel) 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 Beverly Hills Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills, California.

Early life

Beny Alagem was born in Israel.[1][2] He was a tank driver.[3]

Career

Alagem founded Packard Bell, a personal computer manufacturer, in 1986.[1][4] 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.[4] In January 1999, he acquired the rights to the AST Research name from Samsung.[5][6]

Plate. Monument "The Tel Aviv foundation". Tel Aviv. Israel.

Alagem serves as the Chairman of the Alagem Capital Group, an asset management firm headquartered in Beverly Hills, California.[7][8][9] 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][7][10] He proceeded it to renovate it for an extra US$90 million.[1] He is overseeing the development of the Beverly Hills Waldorf Astoria with Guggenheim Partners, which is scheduled to be dedicated in 2017.[1][7][8] Designed by the architectural firm Gensler,[11] it is adjacent to the Beverly Hilton Hotel.[7] The Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills will be the first new luxury hotel for the brand on the West Coast.[12]

Philanthropy

Alagem was appointed an Honorary Ambassador of the City of Tel Aviv in 1995.[13] He serves as an honorary member of the Board of Directors of the Israeli-American Council (IAC).[13] Indeed, he has been described by The Jewish Daily Forward as one of the "major donors" to the IAC.[14] For example, he underwrote the entire cost of the Council Leadership Gala on March 11, 2012.[15] 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.[16]

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.[17] 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.[17]

Alagem co-chaired a fundraiser for the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on December 17, 2009.[18] It raised US$5.2 million for the Israel Defense Forces.[19]

Alagem was the recipient of the Philanthropic Leadership Award from the Board of Governors of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in 2016.[20]

Personal life

Alagem has a wife, Adele.[21] They owned a three-bedroom apartment at 15 Central Park West on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, which he sold for a US$4 million profit to investor Stuart Peterson.[2][21] They reside in Bel Air, Los Angeles, California.[22] In 2011, they attended a fundraiser for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.[23] According to the Center for Investigative Reporting, Alagem uses "at least 2 million" gallons of water per year to irrigate his Bel Air estate.[24]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 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
  2. 1 2 "A-Rod joins Sting, Denzel Washington, other rich and famous at 15 Central Park West" Owen Moritz, New York Daily News, 28 February 2010. Archived March 1, 2010, at WebCite
  3. ↑ Christina Binkley, The 'Trophy' Hotel: Fabulous Fixer-Upper, The Wall Street Journal, February 18, 2004
  4. 1 2 Chief of Packard Bell NEC Steps Down, The New York Times, July 1, 1998
  5. ↑ Samsung Sells AST Brand of Computers, The New York Times, July 12, 1999
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Alexandria Abramian, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts Unveils Plans for Beverly Hills, The Hollywood Reporter, 4/14/2014
  8. 1 2 Laura Coleman, Alagem, Hilton Start Building Beverly Hills Waldorf Astoria, The Beverly Hills Courier
  9. ↑ Bloomberg: Alagem Capital Group
  10. ↑ Alexandria Abramian, Guggenheim Partners to Bankroll Beverly Hilton's Transformation (Exclusive), The Hollywood Reporter, 10/18/2013
  11. ↑ Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, Emporis
  12. ↑ Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts Unveils Plans for Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, waldorfastoria, April 11, 2014
  13. 1 2 Israeli American Council: Honorary Board of Directors
  14. ↑ Nathan Guttman, Israeli Immigrants Play Growing Role in American Jewish Community, The Jewish Daily Forward, January 17, 2014
  15. ↑ Ex-pat Israelis celebrate success at Leadership Council Gala, The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, March 14, 2012
  16. ↑ American Friends of The Citizens' Empowerment Center in Israel: Advisory Board Archived August 5, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
  17. 1 2 Kelly Hartog, Circuit: Governor of Hope, The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, February 24, 2005
  18. ↑ FIDF: Western Region Gala Raises $5.2 Million to Benefit Soldiers
  19. ↑ Orit Arfa, Stars Shine on Friends of IDF Gala Fundraiser, The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, January 6, 2010
  20. ↑ "Cedars-Sinai Board Of Governors Gala To Honor Adele & Beny Alagem and Sylvester Stallone". The Beverly Hills Courier. October 10, 2016.
  21. 1 2 Juliet Chung, Sara Lin, Packard Bell Founder Agrees to Sell New York Condo, The Wall Street Journal, October 2, 2009
  22. ↑ Mark David, End of Week Pick Up Sticks: Brad Grey, Variety, September 21, 2013
  23. ↑ Tina Daunt, Hollywood Stays Away as Mitt Romney Raises More Than $1 Million in Beverly Hills, The Hollywood Reporter, 12/7/2011
  24. ↑ https://www.revealnews.org/article/who-is-the-wet-prince-of-bel-air-here-are-the-likely-culprits/
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