Robert K. Kraft is a businessman and founder of the Kraft Group, overseeing a corporate empire in paper and packaging products, entertainment, events, and sports. He is also associated with investments in real estate and equity projects. Kraft is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Business School. He founded International Forest Products and acquired Rand-Whitney Group. Kraft is well known in the sports world, buying the New England Patriots and founding the New England Revolution. He is also a philanthropist, donating to various charities and organizations.
Born June 5, 1941 in Brookline, Massachusetts, Robert K. Kraft is a well-known businessman and founder of the Kraft Group. As such, Robert Kraft oversees a corporate empire manufacturing a wide range of paper and packaging products, entertainment and event products, and a major investment in sports. Kraft is also associated with a number of investments, including real estate and equity projects.
Robert Kraft received his education at Columbia University, graduating in 1963. Kraft went on to Harvard, where he earned an MBA from the business school in 1965. His entry into business came with the Rand-Whitney Group, which he later acquired. In 1972, Robert Kraft had founded International Forest Products, which served as a paper products business entity. Kraft retains control of both entities today, which gives it a prestigious place in the paper industry worldwide. Kraft paper is considered to be of the highest quality and is often considered the standard for the industry at large.
Along with his presence in the paper industry, Robert Kraft is also very well known in the sports world. A longtime New England Patriots fan, Kraft began buying options in Sullivan Stadium in 1985, which was the team’s home stadium at the time. Ultimately, Robert Kraft bought the stadium after the owners filed for bankruptcy and renamed the facility Foxboro Stadium in 1990. These actions set the stage for the eventual buyout of the Patriots themselves, which was accomplished in 1994. The Pats’ Robert Kraft also helped ensure the team remained based in New England.
Robert Kraft has continued to expand his presence in the sports world. In 1996 he founded the New England Revolution, a major league soccer team. Kraft has also expressed interest in English football, or soccer, in recent years, although the investment plans have not paid off. Kraft Family Stadium was opened in Jerusalem in 2000 and offers facilities for a wide range of sporting events. In recognition of his generous support of Columbia University’s athletic program, the playing field at Lawrence A. Wren Stadium was named Robert K. Kraft Field in 2007.
Robert Kraft is also known for his philanthropic works. In addition to supporting his fellow students, Kraft is a regular contributor to Boston College, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Married since 1964, Robert Kraft and his wife Myra are known for donating millions of dollars to numerous charities and organizations actively engaged in health issues, youth sports, and children’s and women’s support services.
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