Isaac Lidsky

Isaac Lidsky
Born Isaac Jared Lidsky
(1979-07-30) July 30, 1979
Miami, Florida, U.S.
Occupation Author, Speaker and CEO of ODC Construction
Spouse(s) Dorothy Johnston (2004–present)

Isaac Lidsky is a corporate speaker, author and entrepreneur. Before losing his sight he played Weasel on NBC's "Saved By The Bell: The New Class."[1] He is the only blind person to serve as a Law Clerk for the U.S. Supreme Court.[2] He currently serves as CEO of ODC Construction, Florida’s largest residential shell contractor.[3]

Early Life and Education

Lidsky was born in and grew up in Miami, FL. A childhood actor, he was in a diaper commercial when he was six months old, and he went on to perform in more than 100 commercials. In 1993, when he was 13, he was cast as “Weasel” in NBC’s “Saved By The Bell: The New Class.”[1] Also in 1993 he was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a retinal degenerative disease that leads to progressive sight loss and blindness.[3]

Lidsky left Los Angeles in 1994 to attend college. He graduated from Harvard in 1999, at age 19, with an honors degree in mathematics and computer science. In 2001 he returned to Harvard to study law. Lidsky graduated from Harvard Law School magna cum laude in 2004, as an Editor of the Harvard Law Review and a Fellow of the Berkman Center For Internet & Society.[4]

Professional career

In June 1999 Lidsky founded an internet advertising technology startup with Joe Zawadzki. Originally named “ru4.com,” the company eventually became [x+1] and was acquired in 2015 for $230 million.[5] Lidsky left the company after 2 years to attend Harvard Law School.

After Law School, Lidsky clerked for Judge Thomas Ambro on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.[6] He then joined the Appellate Staff of the Civil Division of the Justice Department. In two and a half years in that position, Lidsky argued more than twelve cases on behalf of the U.S. government in federal courts of appeal.

In 2008 Lidsky served as a Law Clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O’Connor [7] and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He is the only blind person to Clerk for the Court.[2]

After a brief stint practicing law for a large international law firm, in 2011 Lidsky partnered up with Harvard College roommate Zac Merriman to acquire a small business. They purchased the assets of Orlando Decorative Concrete, Inc. and created ODC Construction, LLC.[8] ODC Construction is a residential shell contractor. It builds the structural envelope of new homes, including the foundations, masonry, framing and trusses.

As ODC’s CEO, Lidsky has led an aggressive turnaround and growth plan. The company lost money on approximately $20 million in annual revenue in 2011. In 2015 the company was profitable on more than $80 million in revenue.

In 2014 Lidsky began speaking publicly about his experiences to corporations and organizations. In 2015 he sold his first book, “Eyes Wide Open: Overcoming Obstacles and Recognizing Opportunities In A World That Can’t See Clearly,"[9] to Penguin Random House. Eyes Wide Open was made available for preorder on June 27, 2016. The book will be published on March 14, 2017.

In 2016 Lidsky delivered a talk at TEDSummit held in Banff, Canada.[10] The talk received a standing ovation.

Lidsky is a member of the Young President’s Organization (YPO), the Chapter Chair for the Orlando Chapter and a member of the Regional Executive Committee for the Southeast U.S. and Caribbean Region. He is also a member of the Young Entrepreneurs Council.

Personal life

Lidsky is the CEO of a construction firm that focuses on the Central Florida area.[11] In 2014, the company had $70 million in revenue.[12]

Lidsky is the head of Hope For Vision.[11][13]

Lidsky met his wife Dorothy in 2002 when she was a senior at Harvard College studying art history and he was a first year law student. They married on June 13, 2004. On September 14, 2010, Dorothy gave birth to the couple’s triplets, Lily Louise, Phineas and Thaddeus.[14] On December 5, 2015 their fourth child was born, daughter Clementine. The family lives in Windermere, FL.

References

  1. 1 2 "Isaac Lidsky". IMDb. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
  2. 1 2 "Blindness doesn't deter law clerk from high court - CNN.com". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
  3. 1 2 "Local home builder Isaac Lidsky sees life, business through different lens". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
  4. ↑ "Isaac Lidsky | Berkman Center". cyber.law.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
  5. ↑ "Rocket Fuel Buys X+1 For $230 Million". adage.com. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
  6. ↑ "Supreme Foresight: Issac Lidsky '04, U.S. Supreme Court clerk - Harvard Law TodayHarvard Law Today". Harvard Law Today. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
  7. ↑ Journal, ABA. "Former Child Actor, Now Blind, Will Begin Stint as O'Connor Law Clerk". ABA Journal. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
  8. ↑ "The Incredibly Inspiring Journey of a Blind Entrepreneur Who Built a $70 Million Company". Inc.com. 2015-10-05. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
  9. ↑ "Isaac Lidsky". www.lidsky.com. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
  10. ↑ "A legacy that will outlive us: Notes from Session 1 of TEDSummit". 2016-06-27. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
  11. 1 2 Harwell, Drew (December 9, 2013). "Local home builder Isaac Lidsky sees life, business through different lens". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2013-12-09.
  12. ↑ Buchannan, Leigh (5 October 2015). "The Incredibly Inspiring Journey of a Blind Entrepreneur Who Built a $70 Million Company". Inc. (magazine). Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  13. ↑ Ex-actor to make pitch for eye research (Jorge Valencia, Miami Herald, September 27, 2007)
  14. ↑ "Human Factor: Losing sight, gaining a vision". Retrieved 2016-02-24.

External links

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