Mark Wilf

Mark Wilf is the current President and co-owner of the Minnesota Vikings.

Biography

Born to a Jewish family, the son of Joseph and Elizabeth Wilf, are both Holocaust survivors from Nazi occupied Poland.^[1] He has one brother, Zygi Wilf.^[2] The Wilf family immigrated to the United States from Europe in the early 1950s and settled in Hillside, New Jersey. After a brief stint as used car salesmen, Joseph and his brother Harry Wilf began purchasing apartment buildings and renting units. Eventually, the brothers began building single-family homes and founded Garden Homes.^[3] A successful real estate developer, his two main family-run businesses, Garden Homes and Garden Commercial Properties, have constructed some 25,000 homes in 39 states across the country since their initial ventures; the two entities and their affiliates own and manage 25,000,000 square feet (2,300,000 m²) in retail and business property.^[4]

Wilf received a B.A. from Princeton University and then a J.D from the New York University School of Law.^[5] He then joined the family real estate business, Garden Homes, and in 2005, Wilf and his brother Zygi Wilf, took control of the Minnesota Vikings. Wilf was appointed president and his brother Zygi, CEO. As president, Wilf manages the day-to-day operations of the team and directs all its business departments.^[5]

Philanthropy

Wilf is a major donor to the Jewish community including Yad Vashem and the Holocaust memorial museum in Israel. Wilf served as National Campaign Chairman for the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and is currently vice chair of their board of trustees. He was also appointed by the JFNA to lead a new initiative that addresses the needs of impoverished Holocaust survivors living in the United States. He serves as a Trustee of Yeshiva University.^[6] He also serves on the board of trust of Vanderbilt University.^[7]

Personal life

In 1990, Wilf married Jane E. Frieder in a Jewish ceremony in Philadelphia;^[8] they have four children.^[5]

References