The Info Fleamarket

If you have not come across Stephen A. Schwarzman, you must have been hiding below a rock for the last couple of years. In 2008 Stephen A. Schwarzman ranked fifty-three on the list of the richest individuals in the US, but it’s not simply money that makes this story so interesting but Stephen’s undreamt of rise to power in the business and finance sector and his patronage of the liberal arts. Stephen’s life story is an inspiration to many individuals all over the world and in addition it serves as a reminder that anyone can be financially successful through just a little determination.

In the eighties Stephen co-founded the Blackstone Group with his partner Peter Peterson, initially as a private-equity management and financial advisory firm. As the years passed, it has evolved into a world leader in M & A; but be aware that he wasn’t always part of a world-famous company.

Living for most of his formative years in Pennsylvania, Stephen got his early education in the Abingdon school district. After graduating from high school he opted to study further at the exalted Yale University in Connecticut and was awarded his degree in 1969. He chose to further his training at the well-known Harvard Business School, getting his MBA in 1972. Once he had completed his education, Stephen started a career in investment banking at Lehman Brothers. By the extremely young age of 31, he had already been appointed a managing director. Not only does Stephen offer his time and money to a wide range of non-profit organizations, but in addition he has also volunteered as a part-time professor at Yale. To illustrate his wide spectrum of engagement, he is Chairman to the Board of Trustees at the JFK Center for the Performing Arts. On top of all that, Stephen just last March gave the New York Public Library $100 million to back their recent construction project. They also called one of their new buildings the “Stephen A. Schwarzman Building”.

As you’d expect Stephen Schwarzman has become part of the United States’ elite — last year he was mentioned as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People on earth in recognition of his worldwide influence in finance. His supremacy in the business and financial world has certainly been nothing short of spectacular, and coupled with his readiness to donate to his own community as exemplified by his unstinting donations to the arts and education encourages those who see him as a role model. So the financial space waits in anticipation to see what Stephen will do next. So, to summarize, Stephen has taken every last opportunity which came his way, yet he has also employed his money and status to give his best to bolster his community.