David Nazarian

{{Infobox person

| name = David Nazarian

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| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1961}}

| birth_place = Tehran, Imperial State of Iran

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| nationality = American-Iranian

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| alma mater = California State University, Northridge
USC Marshall School of Business

| employer =

| occupation = Founder & CEO of Nimes Capital

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| spouse = Angella Maddahi

| children = 2 sons

| parents = Younes Nazarian
Soraya Nazarian

| relatives = Izak Parviz Nazarian (uncle)
Sam Nazarian (brother)
Shulamit Nazarian (sister)
Emina Cunmulaj (sister-in-law)

| website = [http://www.NimesCapital.com/ NimesCapital.com]

}}

David Nazarian is an American businessman, investor and philanthropist.

Early life

David Nazarian was born circa 1961 in Iran.{{Cite web |date=March 27, 2014 |title=David Nazarian, 1982 CSUN graduate, gives university $10 million, aims to raise $15 million more |url=https://www.dailynews.com/social-affairs/20140327/david-nazarian-1982-csun-graduate-gives-university-10-million-aims-to-raise-15-million-more/ |access-date=September 1, 2023 |website=Daily News |language=en-US}}[http://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/qa-david-nazarian-on-giving-back-to-his-alma-mater/ Q&A: David Nazarian on Giving Back to His Alma Mater], Los Angeles, April 3, 2014 His father, Younes Nazarian, was a businessman and philanthropist. His mother, Soraya Nazarian, is a philanthropist. His paternal uncle, Izak Parviz Nazarian, was also a businessman and philanthropist. Nazarian immigrated to the United States with his parents during the Iranian Revolution of 1979.

He graduated from California State University, Northridge, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in 1982.{{Cite web |title=David Nazarian, Nimes Capital LLC: Profile and Biography |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/person/15856022 |access-date=September 1, 2023 |website=Bloomberg.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=September 29, 2014 |title=Hillel Organization Honors David Nazarian for Major Gift to CSUN |url=https://csunshinetoday.csun.edu/csun-leaders/hillel-organization-honors-david-nazarian-for-major-gift-to-csun/ |access-date=September 1, 2023 |website=CSUN Today |language=en-US}} He received a Master of Business Administration from the USC Marshall School of Business.

Career

Nazarian is the founder of Nîmes Capital, an investment firm,{{Cite web |date=March 26, 2014 |title=CSUN Announces Naming of the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics |url=https://csunshinetoday.csun.edu/university-news/csun-announces-naming-of-the-david-nazarian-college-of-business-and-economics/ |access-date=September 1, 2023 |website=CSUN Today |language=en-US}} and serves as its chief executive officer. Nazarian and his family became early major shareholders of Qualcomm when one of their investments joined forces with the communication company in 1988.{{Cite news|url=https://www.wmagazine.com/story/persian-beverly-hills-2|title=The Persian Conquest|last=West|first=Kevin|work=W Magazine|access-date=May 1, 2018|language=en}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.socaltech.com/interview_with_david_nazarian_smart_technology_ventures_iii/s-0001412.html|title=Interview with David Nazarian, Smart Technology Ventures III - socaltech.com|website=www.socaltech.com|access-date=May 1, 2018}} He acquired real estate from the Resolution Trust Corporation in the first half of the 1990s. Additionally, he acquired hotels in the early 2000s and sold them for profit in 2008. He has also created venture funds that invested in wireless and broadband technology as well as clean energy.{{Cite web|url=https://csunshinetoday.csun.edu/university-news/csun-announces-naming-of-the-david-nazarian-college-of-business-and-economics/|title=CSUN Announces Naming of the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics {{!}} CSUN Today|website=csunshinetoday.csun.edu|date=March 26, 2014 |language=en-US|access-date=April 27, 2018}} In 2012, Nîmes Capital acquired TD Food Group, a fast food company which owns and operates Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants in Hawaii, Guam and Saipan,{{Cite web |title=TD Food Group Inc - Company Profile and News |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/512853Z:US |access-date=September 1, 2023 |website=Bloomberg.com |language=en}} from Brentwood Associates.{{Cite web |last=Silverstein |first=Stephanie |date=December 28, 2012 |title=Owner of Taco Bells, Pizza Huts sells to Nimes Capital |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/print-edition/2012/12/28/owner-of-taco-bells-pizza-huts-sells.html?page=all |access-date=September 1, 2023 |website=www.bizjournals.com}} Nîmes sold the company to Restaurant Brands New Zealand in 2017 for a reported $105 million.{{Cite web |title=Restaurant Brands Is To Acquire Hawaiian Taco Bell And Pizza Hut Franchisee |url=https://www.restaurantbrands.co.nz/news/restaurant-brands-is-to-acquire-hawaiian-taco-bell-and-pizza-hut-franchisee |access-date=September 1, 2023 |website=Restaurant Brands |language=en}}{{Cite book|url=http://peakstonegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Peakstone-Restaurant-Insights-January-2017.pdf|title=Spotlight On Fast Casual|publisher=Peakstone Group|date=January 2017}} In 2018, Nazarian acquired a portfolio of mid-sized operating companies and real estate holdings focused on multi-family, student housing and hotel assets.{{Cite web |title=Nimes Real Estate |url=https://nimesrealestate.com/ |access-date=September 1, 2023 |website=Nimes Real Estate |language=en-US}} Nîmes Real Estate, a subsidiary of his Nazarian Enterprises, in 2021 had $1 billion in acquisitions.

Philanthropy

He serves on the board of governors of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He serves as the chair of the investment committee and a member of the board of directors of the UCLA Foundation.{{Cite web |title=Board of Directors {{!}} UCLA Investment Company |url=https://uclainvestmentcompany.org/board-of-directors/ |access-date=September 1, 2023 |language=en-US}} He also serves on the board of leaders of the USC Marshall School of Business and the Harvard Graduate School Leadership Institute.{{Cite web |url=http://hgsli.com/people/board/ |title=Harvard Graduate School Leadership Institute: Board of Directors |access-date=April 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150421144600/http://hgsli.com/people/board/ |archive-date=April 21, 2015 |url-status=dead }}

With his wife, he endowed the David and Angella Nazarian Youth Leadership Program at Sinai Temple, a conservative synagogue in Westwood, for children from the 9th to the 12th grade.{{Cite web |last=Greenger |first=Nurit |title=Hillel 818 Honors David & Angella Nazarian |url=http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/hillel-818-honors-david-angella-nazarian/ |access-date=September 1, 2023 |website=blogs.timesofisrael.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.chaischool.org/nazarian-fellowship|title=Nazarian Youth Leadership Program|website=chaischool|language=en|access-date=April 27, 2018|archive-date=April 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180427184417/https://www.chaischool.org/nazarian-fellowship|url-status=dead}} In 2014, they were also honored for their Jewish and pro-Israel philanthropy by [http://www.hillel818.org Hillel 818], the chapter of Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life for students at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), Pierce College and the Los Angeles Valley College. Additionally, they endowed the Angella and David Nazarian Social Innovators in Residence program at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.{{Cite web |title=Nazarian Social Innovator in Residence |url=https://esg.wharton.upenn.edu/students/nazarian-social-innovator-residence/ |access-date=September 1, 2023 |website=Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Initiative |language=en-US}}

In 2014, he made a charitable contribution of $10 million to his alma mater, CSUN. He also chairs a campaign to fundraise an additional $15 million. As a result, the CSUN David Nazarian College of Business and Economics was named in his honor. He was also a member of the leadership board of the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation.{{Cite web |date=2021-04-26 |title=Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation Announces Inaugural Leadership Board |url=https://terasaki.org/institute/news/pr/inaugural-leadership-board.html |access-date=2025-04-24 |website=Terasaki Institute |language=en-gb}}

Personal life

He is married to Angella Maddahi, a former academic, non-fiction author, conference organizer and philanthropist.{{Cite news |last=Kahn |first=Gabriel |date=November 5, 2013 |title=Something to Talk About: How Angella Nazarian's First "Women A.R.E." Conference Came to Be |url=https://lamag.com/news/something-to-talk-about-how-angella-nazarians-first-women-are-conference-came-to-be |access-date=September 1, 2023 |website=LAmag - Culture, Food, Fashion, News & Los Angeles |language=en}} They have two sons.

Awards

Nazarian and his wife Angella were recipients of the 2018 Ellis Island Medal of Honor, which are awarded to “American citizens whom exemplify a life dedicated to community service. These are individuals who preserve and celebrate the history, traditions and values of their ancestry while exemplifying the values of the American way of life, and who are dedicated to creating a better world for us all.”{{Cite web|url=http://www.neco.org/medal-of-honor/2018-medalists%20//%20http://www.neco.org/medal-of-honor/criteria|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180427184525/http://www.neco.org/medal-of-honor/2018-medalists%20//%20http://www.neco.org/medal-of-honor/criteria|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 27, 2018|title=Medalist Criteria|website=www.neco.org|language=en|access-date=April 27, 2018}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.neco.org/medal-of-honor/2018-medalists|title=2018 Ellis Island Medal of Honor Recipients|website=www.neco.org|language=en|access-date=April 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313153356/http://www.neco.org/medal-of-honor/2018-medalists|archive-date=March 13, 2018|url-status=dead}}

References

External links

[http://www.nimescapital.com/ Nimes Capital]
[http://www.csun.edu/busecon/ CSUN David Nazarian College of Business and Economics]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TthWP1bt4c8 Video presentation about the CSUN David Nazarian College of Business and Economics]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20141218051359/http://nazarianfellowship.org/ The David and Angella Nazarian Leadership Program at Sinai Temple]

Category:Living people

Category:American billionaires

Category:American chief executives

Category:American company founders

Category:American construction businesspeople

Category:American manufacturing businesspeople

Category:American people of Iranian-Jewish descent

Category:American transportation businesspeople

Category:American venture capitalists

Category:Businesspeople from Los Angeles

Category:California State University, Northridge alumni

Category:Conservative Jews