Spine thickness?? - Delaware North

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“I would be lying if I said we didn’t have some
very tough times and dark days,” says Jacobs.
“The trick was to keep the best aspects of my
father’s approach to business, while figuring out
how to change with the times.”
Jacobs’ youngest son, Charlie Jacobs, credits
his father with passing along the core values that
defined the company under LM Jacobs.
“Thanks to my dad, my grandfather’s practices
and management style are still carried through
today at Delaware North. Knowing your business.
Being the best operator you can be. Values that
work in every era and every situation.”
The eldest son, Jeremy Jacobs Jr., believes his
father’s success in building the company from
a few thousand employees in 1968 to 50,000
today is partly grounded in a knack for picking
great people.
“I think his insight into the human nature of
the people who work for him is uncanny,” says
Jacobs Jr. “He has an ability to get people to work
passionately for him and for the business. I think
that’s his greatest strength.”
Having good people on board, often for decades,
has allowed Jacobs to take the company well
beyond anything his father imagined. During
his 41-year tenure as chairman, Delaware North
has diversified into travel, hotels and parks, and
partnerships with major sports teams, as well as
ownership and operation of an array of gaming,
sports, and resort and entertainment facilities.
The company has served fans and athletes at
major sporting events such as the Olympics, the
Commonwealth Games, Australian Open, World
Series, all-star games, World Cup and Super Bowl.
Delaware North’s original food service business
is now more than 90 years old. Some of the
company’s customer relationships stretch back in
time to its founding, including an eight-decadelong
affiliation with baseball’s Detroit Tigers.
Following Delaware North’s expansion into travel
hospitality, Jacobs was appointed to the U.S.
Travel and Tourism Advisory Board by the U.S.
Department of Commerce. He is now serving his
third term. Colleagues on the 15-member board
have included the chairmen of Disney, Marriott,
American Express and other global companies.
On a more personal basis, Jacobs has continued
a family tradition by investing directly in sports
teams. In the 1940s, his father owned minor
league teams in baseball and hockey. In 1975,
Jacobs purchased one of the most valuable
franchises in professional sports: the Boston
Bruins. He remains the owner to this day.
Ownership of the Bruins and Boston’s celebrated
indoor arena for more than three decades
has taken Jacobs deeply into the world of
professional hockey and made him one of the
most prominent sports industry figures in the
world today. Besides leadership roles on the
National Hockey League’s Board of Governors –
including chairman of the board – he has been
instrumental in evolving the sport and expanding
its reach around the world.
Jacobs also pioneered the private-arena finance
model that has been used by major cities to build
sports arenas and stadiums without municipal
financing. He built Boston’s FleetCenter (now
known as TD Garden) for $168 million with no
public funds.