T. Denny Sanford
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T. Denny Sanford (born 1935) is a South Dakota businessman and philanthropist. He is currently the chairman and CEO of United National Corp.
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[edit] Business ventures
Sanford made his fortune as the owner of First Premier Bank, and Premier Bankcard, both among the nation's leading credit card providers.[1] Sanford's net worth is roughly $2.8 billion, and he is ranked as #412 in Forbes list of richest people in the world.[1]
[edit] Philanthropy
Sanford has been as generous in his philanthropy as he has been successful in his business ventures. BusinessWeek magazine listed him as one of the top 50 most generous philanthropists in November, 2006.[2]
On Saturday, February 3, 2007, Sanford announced a $400 million gift to Sioux Valley Hospitals and Health System, which renamed itself Sanford Health.[3] Sanford's total philanthropic gifts have exceeded $500 million, and are generally geared toward improving the quality of life for children. Others receiving significant gifts include:
- Children's Home Society of South Dakota, which cares for abused and neglected children,
- The State of South Dakota's Science and Technology Authority, to help secure a deep underground science and engineering laboratory at the former site of the Homestake Gold Mine, and
- The University of South Dakota School of Medicine, which was renamed the Sanford School of Medicine of the University of South Dakota.
- The University of South Dakota Business, which was renamed the Miles Beacom School of Business after Miles Beacom, the CEO of Sanford's company, Premier Bankcard.
- The William Sanford Welcome Center at Bethesda Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota.
- The T. Denny Sanford Pediatric Center at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Despite being worth over $2 billion dollars, Sanford has stated that he wants to "die broke".[4]
[edit] University of Minnesota
T. Denny graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1958 with a degree in psychology. In 2003 Sanford and the University of Minnesota announced that Sanford would donate $35 million towards a proposed new football stadium for the Minnesota Gophers football team; a deal which would've given him full naming rights.[5] However, that deal fell through in late 2003 when the two parties were unable to reach an agreement on terms of the funding. Later in 2005, TCF Bank won the bid to receive naming rights for the new stadium.[6][7]
[edit] References
- ^ a b The World's Billionaires. Forbes (2008-03-05). Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
- ^ The 50 Most Generous Philanthropists. Business Week Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-03-07.
- ^ Hamilton, Lindsay (2007-02-03). Man Gives Away $400 Million to Hospitals. ABC News. Retrieved on 2007-03-07.
- ^ Lerner, Maura (2007-02-19). Billionaire has healthy goal for his wealth. Minneapolis Star Tribune. Retrieved on 2007-03-07.
- ^ University of Minnesota (2003-09-05). "T. Denny Sanford Press Conference Statement". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-03-07.
- ^ Tibbetts, Than (2005-03-23). U may reveal stadium plan. Minnesota Daily. Retrieved on 2007-03-07.
- ^ TCF Financial Corporation gives $35 million. University of Minnesota (2005-03-24). Retrieved on 2006-01-10.
