Michael S. Meldman (born (1958-12-30)30 December 1958) is an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Discovery Land Company and one of the three founders of Casamigos tequila with George Clooney and Rande Gerber.

Michael S. Meldman
Born (1958-12-30) December 30, 1958 (age 65)
OccupationBusinessman

Early life edit

Meldman was born in  Milwaukee, Wisconsin and grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona.[citation needed] He graduated from Stanford University in 1982.[1] He is Jewish.

Career edit

After Meldman graduated in 1982 he began a career in residential real estate in the Bay Area of Northern California. In 1994, he launched Discovery Land Company with his first development, The Estancia Club, in his hometown of Scottsdale.[2] Since Estancia, Meldman and Discovery Land Company have developed 25 total clubs in the Pacific, Caribbean, Europe, and North America.[3]

In 2007, Meldman launched the Discovery Land Company Foundation to support non-profit organizations that benefit children and families in the communities that surround the developments.[4]

In 2012, Meldman partnered with Rande Gerber and George Clooney to create Casamigos tequila.[5]  In June 2017, it was sold to Diageo for $700 million, with an additional $300 million possible depending on the company's performance over the next ten years.[6] Meldman's employees include Jack Brooksbank, husband of Princess Eugenie of York.[7]

References edit

  1. ^ "How Discovery Land Company's Mike Meldman Develops the World's Most Exclusive Private Clubs and Resort Communities". CSQ | C-Suite Quarterly. June 17, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  2. ^ Keates, Nancy (January 14, 2016). "Developer Mike Meldman Is Real Estate's Party Boy". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  3. ^ Vora, Shivani (March 9, 2019). "Looking Beyond the Golf Course (Published 2019)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  4. ^ Millington, Alison. "George Clooney and Rande Gerber have a third partner in their $1 billion tequila company, and he happens to be a real estate tycoon". Business Insider. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  5. ^ Swain, Peter. "Meet Mike Meldman, the US tequila tycoon making golf properties cool again". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  6. ^ Whitten, Sarah (June 21, 2017). "George Clooney just sold his tequila business for up to $1 billion". CNBC. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  7. ^ Tominey, Camilla (May 30, 2022). "Princess Eugenie and husband Jack move to Portugal as Sussexes renew Frogmore Cottage lease". The Telegraph. Retrieved May 30, 2022.