Robert Castellini

Robert ("Bob") Castellini is an American businessman from Cincinnati, Ohio. On January 19 2006, he became Chief Executive Officer of the Cincinnati Reds, leading a group that purchased a majority share of the MLB franchise from previous CEO Carl Lindner, Jr.

Castellini is the chairman of Castellini Co., a fruit and vegetable wholesaler.[1]

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Background

Bob earned a degree in economics from Georgetown University in 1963. He went on to earn his MBA from Wharton School in 1967. After graduating from Wharton, Castellini became executive vice-president at the Castellini Group of Companies, and then in 1970 became president of the company until 1992. He had been a part of the St. Louis Cardinals' ownership group and had previously invested in the Baltimore Orioles.[1]

In January 2006, Castellini was the head of a group who purchased the Cincinnati Reds baseball team. Castellini has been involved in baseball for over 30 years and once had a minor ownership stake in the Reds until it was sold in 1984. In 1989 he became a partner in the Texas Rangers and in 1993, the Baltimore Orioles. Castellini describes himself as a lifelong fan of the Cincinnati Reds.

Ownership of the Reds

After the 2005 season, the Reds had endured 5 consecutive losing seasons, their longest such streak in 50 years, under the ownership of Carl Lindner. Castellini led a group that purchased the Reds from Lindner for $270 million, and in January, 2006, Castellini was named the CEO of the franchise. One of Castellini's first moves as CEO was the firing of General Manager Dan O'Brien on January 23, 2006. Wayne Krivsky accepted the position from Castellini on February 8, 2006. The Reds were more competitive in 2006, finishing in 3rd place in the NL Central at 80-82. In the winter of 2006, Castellini introduced new uniforms, emphasizing his value of the tradition the Cincinnati Reds hold. On September 28, 2010 Castellini's Cincinnati Reds clinched their first National League Central division championship since 1995; Castellini was the first Reds majority owner to take Cincinnati to the postseason since the ownership tenure of the late Marge Schott.

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