Beny Alagem
Encyclopedia
Beny Alagem is an Israeli American
entrepreneur
, developer, and the founder of Packard Bell
Electronics, a leading American computer
manufacturer during the late 1980s
and early 1990s
.
Packard Bell was the name of a manufacturer of television
s and radio
s in the United States for several decades in the 20th century, but the name largely disappeared from the marketplace after 1968. Hoping to cash in on old name recognition, Alagem bought the rights and launched a new company in 1986, selling inexpensive computers at retail much like Commodore president Jack Tramiel
had earlier in the decade. In addition, his company became the first to offer toll-free technical support. In the mid-1990s Packard Bell lost market share as Compaq
started to undercut its prices. Alagem merged his company with NEC in 1996, staying on as president of the division. Alagem suffered a heart attack
in September 1997. A year later, amid continuing price pressure and mounting losses, Alagem left the company. Official statements cited health concerns but Alagem later cited disagreements with investors and other executives.
In January 1999 Alagem bought the rights to the AST Research name from Samsung
. AST had been a top five computer vendor in the early 1990s. However Alagem, who planned to sell PCs direct and at retail, was unable to duplicate his earlier success in 1999's tougher market and by the summer of 2001 AST disappeared from the market.
In December 2003 Alagem purchased the Beverly Hilton Hotel
from entertainer Merv Griffin
. The deal was estimated at $130 million. Alagem continues to invest in real estate and is involved in various telecommunications ventures. In April 2006, Alagem purchased the Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort for an estimated $91 million. In a January 18, 2007 press release, Alagem and Hilton Hotels Corporation announced the development of the first new west coast Waldorf-Astoria hotel as part of a $500 million long-term plan to revitalize the Beverly Hilton on the nine-acre hotel property at the corner of Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards in Beverly Hills.
Israeli American
Israeli Americans are Americans of Israeli descent. According to the 2000 census, there were 106,839 people of Israeli ancestry in the United States.- Demographics :...
entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, developer, and the founder of Packard Bell
Packard Bell
Packard Bell is a Dutch computer manufacturer and a subsidiary of Acer. The name was previously used by Packard Bell, an American radio manufacturer founded in 1926. In 1986, Israeli investors bought the name for a newly formed personal computer manufacturer. Originally the company produced...
Electronics, a leading American computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
manufacturer during the late 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
and early 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
.
Packard Bell was the name of a manufacturer of television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
s and radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
s in the United States for several decades in the 20th century, but the name largely disappeared from the marketplace after 1968. Hoping to cash in on old name recognition, Alagem bought the rights and launched a new company in 1986, selling inexpensive computers at retail much like Commodore president Jack Tramiel
Jack Tramiel
Jack Tramiel is an American businessman, best known for founding Commodore International - manufacturer of the Commodore PET, Commodore 64, Commodore 128, Commodore Amiga, and other Commodore models of home computers.-Biography:...
had earlier in the decade. In addition, his company became the first to offer toll-free technical support. In the mid-1990s Packard Bell lost market share as Compaq
Compaq
Compaq Computer Corporation is a personal computer company founded in 1982. Once the largest supplier of personal computing systems in the world, Compaq existed as an independent corporation until 2002, when it was acquired for US$25 billion by Hewlett-Packard....
started to undercut its prices. Alagem merged his company with NEC in 1996, staying on as president of the division. Alagem suffered a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in September 1997. A year later, amid continuing price pressure and mounting losses, Alagem left the company. Official statements cited health concerns but Alagem later cited disagreements with investors and other executives.
In January 1999 Alagem bought the rights to the AST Research name from Samsung
Samsung
The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
. AST had been a top five computer vendor in the early 1990s. However Alagem, who planned to sell PCs direct and at retail, was unable to duplicate his earlier success in 1999's tougher market and by the summer of 2001 AST disappeared from the market.
In December 2003 Alagem purchased the Beverly Hilton Hotel
Beverly Hilton Hotel
The Beverly Hilton is a hotel located on an property at the intersection of Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards in Beverly Hills, California, USA...
from entertainer Merv Griffin
Merv Griffin
Mervyn Edward "Merv" Griffin, Jr. was an American television host, musician, actor, and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer who went on to appear in movies and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986 Griffin hosted his own talk show, The Merv Griffin Show on Group W Broadcasting...
. The deal was estimated at $130 million. Alagem continues to invest in real estate and is involved in various telecommunications ventures. In April 2006, Alagem purchased the Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort for an estimated $91 million. In a January 18, 2007 press release, Alagem and Hilton Hotels Corporation announced the development of the first new west coast Waldorf-Astoria hotel as part of a $500 million long-term plan to revitalize the Beverly Hilton on the nine-acre hotel property at the corner of Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards in Beverly Hills.