Leslie Wexner
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Leslie H. Wexner (born September 8, 1937, in Dayton, Ohio) is a famous businessman from Columbus, Ohio, and currently chairman and CEO of the Limited Brands corporation. He is the founder of such nationwide chains as The Limited, Limited Too, and Victoria's Secret.
He graduated from Ohio State University with a bachelor's degree in 1959.
In 1963, after helping his parents (who were Russian immigrants) run their store in a suburban Columbus, Ohio, shopping center, Les Wexner borrowed $5,000 from his aunt to start The Limited—so named because the store focused on clothing for younger women, unlike his parents' general merchandise store. Over the years he built a large retailing and marketing conglomerate, which includes The Limited, Express, Bath and Body Works, Victoria's Secret, Aura Science, Henri Bendel and The White Barn Candle Company.
Formerly of Bexley, Ohio, where his mother still lives, Wexner now lives on a farm in New Albany, an old village outside of Columbus dating from the pioneer era which he developed with the New Albany company into a massive luxury village. Also nearby is the major shopping village of Easton, which Wexner and partners like Arnold Schwarzenegger also developed. As a pun on his name and his former residence in Bexley, the village of New Albany was known for some time as Wexley. Today, this Georgian-themed village inspires comparison to 18th century developments by wealthy aristocrats in England.
Mr. Wexner was recently recognized as the wealthiest man in the state of Ohio. He is well known for his philanthropy, often to Jewish projects. He was a major funder of the Wexner Center for the Arts, the name of which is actually intended to honor his father.
In 1984 Leslie Wexner together with his wife, Abigail Wexner, established the Wexner Foundation. It has both a Graduate Fellowship and a Israel Fellowship Program.
See also: List of billionaires
External links
- The Wexner Foundation (http://www.wexnerfoundation.org/)