George Gillett Jr.

Birthdate: Oct 22, 1938
Hometown: Racine, WI

If 2009 goes the way it does in George N. Gillett Jr.'s dreams the 70-year-old grandfather will join his family and teams on the track, ice rink or soccer pitch to help hoist Sprint Cup, Stanley Cup and Premier League trophies.
In reality, the international businessman would probably settle for one of those three dreams coming true, but never underestimate the owner of the NHL's Montreal Canadiens, FA's Liverpool Football Club and NASCAR's Richard Petty Motorsports.

His ability to think outside the box and attention to detail has brought much success in his business endeavors and his ownership of Richard Petty Motorsports is no exception. In 2009, Gillett hopes to build on the success of the 2008 season that brought three wins, six top fives, 22 top 10s and three poles among his three drivers.
After purchasing a majority interest in the race team from Ray Evernham in October 2007 and forming Gillett Evernham Motorsports, Gillett has begun molding the organization with one thought in mind - a championship. In his second full season, Gillett goes to the track in 2009 with a highly competitive organization led by drivers, Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler, Reed Sorenson and AJ Allmendinger.

Perhaps the biggest change is the merger between Gillett Evernham Motorsports and Petty Holdings in January that formed Richard Petty Motorsports. Gillett joined with Richard Petty - NASCAR's winningest driver to field the four-car team.

The Wisconsin native knows a lot about winning also. Gillett is founder and chairman of Booth Creek Management Corp., which oversees the Gillett family interests in diverse businesses including resorts, meat packing, car dealerships and professional sports. In addition to serving as chairman and director of most of these companies, Gillett is a member of the Board of Governors and a member of the executive committee of the National Hockey League.

Gillett attended Amherst (Mass.) College and graduated from Dominican College in Racine, Wis., in 1961. He started his career in marketing and management consulting, initially with McKinsey & Company. A sports enthusiast since childhood, by the mid-1960s he was business manager and minority partner of the Miami Dolphins. A year later, he became owner and CEO of the Harlem Globetrotters. He established Globetrotter Communications, a national broadcasting group that launched Saturday morning cartoon shows featuring the Harlem Globetrotters.

When Gillett bought Vail and Beaver Creek in 1985, it was his wife, Rose, and their four boys who cast the deciding votes for him to do so. That strong sense of family would permeate everything the Gilletts did at the resorts over the next seven years. Avid skiers and longtime visitors to Vail, the Gilletts knew what worked for a family on the slopes. Applying his business acumen and a focus on customer service, Gillett set out to create the ultimate family winter escape. Among his innovations: massive installation of high-speed detachable chairlifts and additional groomed slopes. He also introduced a "one-stop-shopping" approach for the skiing experience: a centralized reservations service offering lodging, lift tickets and airfare from a central source.

A true entrepreneur, Gillett formed Booth Creek Ski Holdings, Inc. in 1995. Booth Creek is the fourth largest ski resort operator in the country, consisting of five resorts across North America. In 1999, Ski magazine voted Gillett as one of the "100 Most Influential Skiers of All Time." Now owner and operator of Grand Targhee Resort in Wyoming, the Gillett family is again redefining the ski experience. Back home in Colorado, Gillett is a director and member of the executive committee of the Vail Valley Foundation and the Steadman Hawkins Research Foundation. He fostered the idea that a ski town can excel in the arenas of education, culture and healthcare. His innovative thinking and commitment to the ski community at large have left a lasting mark on Colorado and led to his election to the Colorado Ski and Snow Hall of Fame.