Larry Levy

"Larry Levy is Co-Founder and Chairman of the Chicago-based Levy Restaurants as well as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of his real estate development company, The Levy Organization. Since its founding in 1978, Larry has built Levy Restaurants into a dynamic culinary and hospitality business known nationwide for award-winning restaurants and as the innovator and market leader of sports and entertainment dining. With Larry’s guiding creativity, Levy Restaurants has blossomed from a single delicatessen in Chicago into a specialized food service organization with a network of internationally acclaimed restaurants and the leading market share of high-end sports and entertainment facilities throughout North America and England. Larry’s commitment to excellence and passion for quality in each of the business groups has made Levy Restaurants one of the fastest growing foodservice companies in America. Larry sold Levy Restaurants to the Compass Group of London in 2006 and he remains Chairman. Levy Restaurants pioneered the concept of premium dining in sports and entertainment venues back in 1982. From its base of award-winning restaurants, including Spiaggia and Café Spiaggia in Chicago, and Fulton’s Crab House and Portobello Yacht Club at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, the company has grown to 79 sports and entertainment locations including convention facilities, music/performance venues, and stadiums and arenas for all major sports leagues in 40 markets worldwide. Throughout the company’s 33 year history, Levy Restaurants has hosted and continues to cater events such as the Kentucky Derby, World Series, Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game, Super Bowl, GRAMMY Awards, U.S. Open Tennis Tournament, and the NHL and NBA All-Star Games. Larry’s vision for real estate has also guided many major real estate projects in the last three decades including One Magnificent Mile, Woodfield Lake Office Campus, Waterfall Glen Office Park, Chicago Mercantile Exchange Center, One South Dearborn and Butterfield Center for Business. The Levy Organization, in partnership with Hines, is Managing Partner for River Bend, a one million square foot mixed use development on the Chicago River and for One South Dearborn. Larry has been recognized by his industry and peers with numerous awards including the 1999 IFMA Gold Plate Award as Restaurateur of the Year in the United States as well as the Ivy Award, the restaurant industry’s Academy Award, in 1992 for Spiaggia, for Bistro 110 in 1993, and in 2003, Levy Restaurants received the first Ivy Award ever given to a sports and entertainment foodservice company. Larry was awarded the prestigious Northwestern University Alumni Award in 1982, the Kellogg School’s Shaffner Award in 2003. Larry and his wife, Carol, created and endowed the Levy Institute of Entrepreneurial Practice and the Levy Social Entrepreneur Lab at Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, where Larry is a Trustee. Most recently, SportsBusiness Journal included Larry in its ranking of the “20 Most Influential People in Sports Facilities.” In 2001, Larry received Ernst & Young’s Master Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Larry received his B.S. and M.B.A. at Northwestern University. He was the Chairman of the Chicago Chapter of the Young Presidents Organization and continues to serve on many civic, corporate and charitable boards."