Speaker: Larry Levy

Larry is a serial entrepreneur who brings his value-added approach to his many various endeavors, developments, investments and philanthropy.

Levy Restaurants – Founded in 1978, Larry built Levy Restaurants from a single delicatessen in Chicago into an internationally recognized specialized food service organization with the market leading share of sports and entertainment catering throughout North America and Europe and a network of acclaimed restaurants. Levy Restaurants disrupted sports concessions by providing restaurant quality dining and hospitality in sports and entertainment venues. Throughout the company’s 40-year history, Levy Restaurants has hosted and continues to cater marquee events such as the Kentucky Derby, Major League Baseball’s World Series, the All-Star Games of MLB, NHL & NBA, NFL’s Super Bowl, the GRAMMY Awards and the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament. Larry sold Levy Restaurants to the Compass Group of London in 2006, but remains Chairman Emeritus.

Levy Family Partners (LFP) – Larry and two of his sons manage LFP’s portfolio of operating businesses, real estate and other investments. LFP owns significant stakes in the Esperanza Resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, a portfolio of real estate assets, Del Taco Restaurants Inc. (NASDAQ:TACO), and Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza.

Real Estate – Larry has had a simultaneous career in real estate development and investment. Major projects have included the recently completed River Point, a 1.1 million square foot office building in partnership with Hines and Ivanhoe Cambridge; Chicago Mercantile Exchange Center; One South Dearborn, in partnership with Hines; One Magnificent Mile; and Woodfield Lake Office Campus and the redevelopment of 321 North Clark – in all, more than 10 million square feet developed. In addition, LFP has interests in Cresset Diversified Real Estate Capital, the co-sponsor of the Cresset + Diversified QOZ Fund which has provided equity for major real estate projects.

Awards and Recognition – Larry received the IFMA Gold Plate Award as Restaurateur of the Year in the United States and the Ivy Award, the restaurant industry’s Academy Award, for Spiaggia, Bistro 110 and Levy Restaurants. Larry and his wife Carol created and endowed the Levy Institute of Entrepreneurial Practice and the Levy Social Entrepreneur Lab at Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. He also received the 2001 Ernst & Young’s Master Entrepreneur of the Year Award and is the Sports Business Journal winner of the 2017 Champion of Sports Award.

Boards – The Art Institute of Chicago, Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Lincoln Park Zoo, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Northwestern University.