Marian Ilitch

Marian Ilitch
Born (1933-01-07) January 7, 1933
Dearborn, Michigan
Residence Detroit, Michigan
Citizenship United States
Occupation entrepreneur, owner of Detroit Tigers & Detroit Red Wings, founder of Little Caesars Pizza
Spouse(s) Mike Ilitch (m. 1955)
Children 7

Marian Bayoff Ilitch (born January 7, 1933) is an American businesswoman who is the co-founder of Little Caesars Pizza with her husband, Mike Ilitch.

Personal life

Marian Bayoff was born in 1933[1][2] and raised in Dearborn, Michigan, the daughter of Macedonian immigrants.[3]

She met her future husband Mike Ilitch, also a child of Macedonian immigrants, in 1954 when the two went on a blind date arranged by his father. A year later, they married. The couple had seven children together.

Business

The Ilitches founded Little Caesars Pizza in 1959, which they expanded as a franchise. They have since expanded their interests to include restaurants, entertainment, sports and gaming.

Casinos and Indian gaming

One of the original investors in Detroit's MotorCity Casino, Ilitch realized an opportunity to purchase total interest in the casino resort complex from various minor stakeholders and Mandalay Resort Group in 2005. Michigan gaming laws prohibit one company from owning more than one Detroit casino property. With Ilitch as owner, MotorCity Casino is reportedly one of the largest independently owned casino enterprises in the United States—likely the largest woman-owned casino in the U.S.[4]

Ilitch and a partner, Michael J. Malik, Sr., have pursued other casino gambling interests outside of Detroit, and from coast to coast. They have acted as a developer of casinos for federally recognized tribes of Native Americans, who have started to use this as a means of generating revenues. They have worked with the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, developing Little River Casino Resort in Manistee, Michigan. Ilitch has partnered with the Shinnecock Indian Nation in Hampton Bays, New York on plans to develop a casino on Long Island. Ilitch also partnered with Barwest, LLC and the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians to develop casinos in Barstow, California.

Ilitch Holdings, Inc.

Ilitch is vice chairwoman and secretary-treasurer of Ilitch Holdings, Inc. her family's parent company. It includes Little Caesars Pizza, Blue Line Foodservice Distribution, Little Caesars Pizza Kit Fundraising Program, Champion Foods, Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers, Olympia Entertainment, Olympia Development and various food service and entertainment venues within these businesses.

The Detroit Red Wings have won four Stanley Cups in ice hockey: 1997, 1998, 2002, and 2008, under Ilitch family ownership. Marian Ilitch and three daughters are among only 12 women to have had their names engraved on the trophy.

Mike Ilitch's Detroit Tigers, a baseball team, logged losing records in 12 out of 13 seasons but turned the team around in 2006. They made the playoffs for the first time since 1987. The Ilitch's successfully spearheaded a public/private partnership with the taxpayers of the greater Detroit area to build a new home for the Tigers in downtown Detroit. The $300 million plus Comerica Park opened in April 2000. Ilitch Holdings, Inc. manages the stadium and parking.

Investing in the Community

Giving back to the community is Ilitch's trademark. Like most projects developed and owned by Ilitch, the MotorCity Casino is actively involved in the community; it contributed about $1 million to local charity groups in Detroit.

In 1985, Ilitch and her husband established the Little Caesars Love Kitchen Foundation, which consists of a mobile pizza restaurant. The Love Kitchen has fed more than 2 million people, aiding the hungry and disaster victims across the U.S. and Canada. Three presidents, President Ronald Reagan, President George Bush Sr, and President Bill Clinton have recognized the work of the Love Kitchen.

Besides donating millions of dollars to charitable organizations, Ilitch and her husband have established Ilitch Charities for Children, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children in the areas of health, education and recreation. The Charity has sponsored numerous programs in the Detroit area, including amateur sports sponsorships for hundreds of thousands of children.

Ilitch family

Ilitch and her husband have seven children: Christopher Paul Ilitch (born June 1965) is CEO and President of Ilitch Holdings, Inc.; Denise D. Ilitch (born November 1955) is an attorney and former co-President, with her brother, of Ilitch Holdings. Other children are Ronald "Ron" Tyrus Ilitch (born June 1957), Michael C. Ilitch, Jr., Lisa M. Ilitch Murray, Atanas Ilitch (born Thomas Ilitch) and Carole M. (Ilitch) Trepeck.

Legacy and honors

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ The Ilitch Family, Little Caesars
  4. ↑ , Macomb Daily, 13 April 2005
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 3/7/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.