The Story of One Successful American: Stephen Schwarzman
If you haven’t heard of Steve Schwarzman, you should give this your full attention. Last year Steve was named as the 53rd most wealthy person in America by Forbes Magazine, but it is his extraordinary rise to power in the business and finance sector in addition to his donations to non profit organizations which make this tale different. The Blackstone Group financial giant is an inspiration and his life exemplifies the fact that dedication and hard work are pivotal in achieving success. In the mid-eighties Steve launched the Blackstone Group with his business partner Peter Peterson; initially as a private-equity and financial advisory firm. As everyone knows, the Blackstone Group grew into the massive company it is known as now.
Spending most of childhood and adolescence in Pennsylvania, Steve went to school in the Philadelphia suburbs. Then he went on to graduate from Yale University in 1969. Harvard Business School near Boston was the obvious next step in his education, here he received his Master’s degree in Business Administration in 1972. Then Steve started his career at Lehman Brothers investment bank, located in Manhattan. By the very early age of 31, he was already one of their managing directors.
Steve Schwarzman gives financial support to a range of educational programs as well as teaching as an associate professor at the renowned Yale School of Management. Furthermore, he is Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Furthermore, he told the press on March 11th, 2008 that he was giving $100 million to the New York Public Library to help in funding their expansion. They also called one of their new buildings the “Stephen A. Schwarzman Building”. Stephen A. Schwarzman is an inspiration to a new generation of Americans: Times Magazine last year listed him as one of the one hundred most influential individuals on earth. His swift rise to power in the business and financial industries is nothing short of spectacular, not to mention the fact that his support of the arts and education has been an encouragement to everybody around him.
So the world waits with interest breath to see what Steve will do next. Stephen A. Schwarzman is no doubt a captivating business person who has made his mark on the USA and the world in general.
