Jim Jorgensen
Encyclopedia
Jim Jorgensen is a serial entrepreneur. He has started over 25 enterprises since getting his MBA at Stanford Graduate School of Business
at the age of 24. Jorgensen’s industry selection for these new enterprises has been wide, running from retail to manufacturing, from Internet to mail order, and from oil exploration to insurance. Some of the entities remained small, while two of them reached market caps in excess of $1 billion.
certificate while working at KPMG
before and during his time as a graduate student. (Hoffman 2006) His first start in entrepreneurialism was to form the first New Enterprise Club at Stanford with classmate Rene “Ron” Sutton (the club later became the Stanford Entrepreneur Club).
During his second year of graduate school, Jorgensen met Billie Jean King
and her husband Larry. (Hoffman 2006) Jorgensen’s sports entrepreneurship started while still attending school. One of his first projects was to help negotiate the Battle of the Sexes (the tennis extravaganza between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs) with sports and entertainment mogul Jerry Perenchio
. The event become the most watched tennis event in history. Also at this time he helped in the formation of a new professional sports league, World Team Tennis
(Hoffman 2006)
Over the next five years, Jorgensen formed several new ventures with Billie Jean and Larry King, including:
Future Inc – a sports agency (Jorgensen was a co-founder and the CEO). An early entry in female sports representation, Future Inc.’s clients included; Billie Jean, Chris Evert
, Rosie Casals and golfers Sandra Palmer and Janie Blalock. It was eventually sold to Mark McCormack
’s IMG (Hoffman 2006)
King Enterprises – an international sports company. (Jorgensen was a co-founder and the CEO). Within three years, company created numerous tennis tournaments on and off the Women's Tennis Association
tour and around the world. By 1976, the company was the world’s largest promoter of professional tennis events, with the most events and the most attendance. Tournament cities included; London, San Francisco, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Osaka, Monterrey, Atlanta, Stuttgart, and Tampa. In 1976, as promoter of the Atlanta WTA tournament, Jorgensen made the decision to invite transsexual Renée Richards
to her first WTA event where she beat Rosie Casals in the opening round. (Hoffman 2006)
Inspired by Billie Jean’s friendship with Elton John
, the company tried music concerts with Ray Charles
and Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66. (hoffman 2006) The company also created the event and television series, Women’s Superstars with ABC
and IMG.
Soviet Union National Team – an entry in World Team Tennis in 1977. (Jorgensen was a co-founder and the President). The team played 44 matches in 33 cities in 65 days. It’s stars were Olga Morozova
and Alex Metreveli
– The other owners of the team were Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss
and commodity trader and New York Sets owner Sol Berg. The team’s most colorful event was held in Plains, Georgia and was hosted by Lillian Carter and Billy Carter
, the mother and brother of then President Jimmy Carter
. It was held on a tennis court the team built for the occasion near Miss Lillian’s home and subsequently donated to the city of Plains. (Hoffman 1977)
Women's Sports Foundation
– a foundation to foster the involvement of girls and women in sports participation. (Jorgensen was a co-founder and President) Jorgensen served as a Trustee for 15 years. He recruited Eva Auchincloss as Executive Director, and the Board of Trustees was expanded to include influential persons like Donna de Varona
, Peggy Fleming
, Peanuts
creator Charles M. Schulz
. Currently, the Women’s Sports Foundation is one of the most influential organizations in women’s sports.
womenSports magazine
– the first magazine dedicated to women in sports. (Jorgensen was a co-founder and the President).The magazine was launched as a 16 page insert in Glamour
magazine with Billie Jean King on the cover. The magazine was started in 1974 and sold to Redbook
’s publisher in 1976, having reached a monthly circulation of 200,000. During that brief two year period, the magazine got help from Ms. Magazine
publisher Gloria Steinem
and singer Helen Reddy
. Notable employees included editor Rosalie Wright (became the editor of Sunset), writer Anne Lamott
(now a serial book author) and intern Sally Ride
(who became America’s first female astronaut). (Hoffman 2006)
Women’s Professional Softball League – the first professional softball league. (Jorgensen was a co-founder with Joan Joyce
, Dennis Murphy (WHL and WTT) and Billie Jean King). The league struggled for four years before folding.
In 1978, Jorgensen moved to Los Angeles to head up a television production company and shortly thereafter went back to starting companies. Some of these were:
Jorgensen & Company – a celebrity business management company. (Jorgensen was the founder and senior partner) – Clients included; actors, Sharon Stone
, Teri Hatcher
, Lily Tomlin
, Sharon Gless
, Judge Reinhold
, Shawn Weatherly (Miss Universe and Baywatch
) and Tracy Scoggins
– writers Douglas Adams
(Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe) John Hughes (Home Alone
, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Ferris Bueller's Day Off
, The Breakfast Club
), Ron Shusett (Alien
, Total Recall
), Dan O’Bannon, Diane English
(Murphy Brown
) and Jane Wagner
(The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe), – directors Toby Hooper (Poltergeist
), William Dear
(Harry and the Hendersons), and Gary Sherman (Vice Squad), – celebrity PR executive Pat Kingsley and Senator Alan Cranston
. (Hoffman 2006)
Western Equity – a real estate development and investment company (Jorgensen was a co- founder and general partner with Dr. David Schoenstadt). (Hoffman 2006) The company developed several historic rehabilitations in Chicago and Kansas City as well as developing commercial and warehouse facilities in the Midwest.
Ronnie’s Ranch – a restaurant in Los Angeles. (Jorgensen was a co-founder with Ronnie Burns
, son of George Burns
and Gracie Allen
, and film editor Robert Estrin. It was last of three different restaurants Jorgensen tried over the years, all of which failed.
All American Indoor Sports – a chain of indoor sports malls. (Jorgensen was a so-founder with Ron Matsch and Dr, David Schoenstadt.) The company built indoor sports malls in the Midwest. The malls featured sports like; soccer, basketball, baseball, gymnastics, dance, and hockey with restaurants and stores to service participants and fans.
Bedrock Capital Management – a registered investment advisor and asset allocation fund. (Jorgensen was a co-founder with Stanford classmate, Jerry Tomanek). (Hoffman 2006) The company has grown to more than $100 million under management.
Preferred Physicians Mutual Risk Retention Group – a medical malpractice insurance company. Jorgensen was a co-founder with Dr. David Schoenstadt. (Hoffman 2006) The company specializes in malpractice insurance solely for anesthesiologists.
– an indoor active play center for children. (Jorgensen was a co-founder and the CEO.) The company grew from one store opened in January 1990 to almost 500 stores within 5 years. In 1993, Discovery Zone completed an IPO with a NASDAQ listed stock. The market value of the company rose quickly to $1.2 billion. In 1995, under control of Wayne Huizenga
and Don Flynn who also controlled Blockbuster Video, the company’s operations were merged with Blockbuster’s parent company Viacom
. (Hoffman 2006)
Challenger Sports – a sports training company. (Jorgensen was a co-founder with Ron Matsch). (Hoffman 2006) Headquartered in Lenexa, Kansas, the company is a leading soccer training company.
AllAdvantage
–an Internet infomediary community (Jorgensen was a co-founder and the CEO with co-founders Carl Anderson, Johannes Pohle and Oliver Brock). The company had a meteoric rise and fall with in a two year period. Launched on March 30, 1999, within 12 months the company had:
On April 2, 2000, AllAdvantage held a first anniversary event at Jorgensen’s Stanford campus home. The Democratic Party celebrated the company’s anniversary with a fund raising dinner on Jorgensen’s tented tennis court.
The keynote speaker was President Bill Clinton
and music provided by Grateful Dead
members Mickey Hart
and Bob Weir
. (Hoffman 2006)
Political attendees included Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, Representatives Patrick Kennedy
, Zoe Lofgren
, Bob Menendez, Ellen Tauscher
, Nancy Pelosi
, Charlie Rangel, Anna Eshoo
, Martin Frost
, Barbara Lee
, Tom Lantos
, Cal Dooley
, David Wu
, Mike Honda
and California Governor Gray Davis
Other attendees included; the President’s daughter, Chelsea Clinton
, venture capitalist John Doerr
of Kleiner Perkins, Frank Quattrone
, winemaker Ernest Gallo
, Oracle founder Larry Ellison
, Intuit CEO Steve Bennett, Eric Schmidt now Google
’s CEO, Chief Privacy Officer Ray Everett-Church
, HR VP Jan Daniel, eBay CFO Gary Bengier, Microsoft Chief Strategist Craig Mundie
, Dr. Dean Ornish
, PayPal founder Elon Musk
, and Overstock founder and CEO Patrick Byrne
This dinner marked the high point of AllAdvantage. The NASDAQ continued its slide from its peak three weeks earlier, causing the company’s IPO to stop. The company eventually closed its consumer service in January 2001. (Hoffman 2006)
Morgen Group – a management consulting firm that specializes in advising startups and new projects for larger corporations. (Jorgensen was a co-founder with Johannes Pohle).
Stanford Graduate School of Business
The Stanford Graduate School of Business is one of the professional schools of Stanford University, in Stanford, California and is broadly regarded as one of the best business schools in the world.The Stanford GSB offers a general management Master of Business Administration degree, the Sloan...
at the age of 24. Jorgensen’s industry selection for these new enterprises has been wide, running from retail to manufacturing, from Internet to mail order, and from oil exploration to insurance. Some of the entities remained small, while two of them reached market caps in excess of $1 billion.
1970s and 1980s
Jorgensen earned his CPACertified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant is the statutory title of qualified accountants in the United States who have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and have met additional state education and experience requirements for certification as a CPA...
certificate while working at KPMG
KPMG
KPMG is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the Big Four auditors, along with Deloitte, Ernst & Young and PwC. Its global headquarters is located in Amstelveen, Netherlands....
before and during his time as a graduate student. (Hoffman 2006) His first start in entrepreneurialism was to form the first New Enterprise Club at Stanford with classmate Rene “Ron” Sutton (the club later became the Stanford Entrepreneur Club).
During his second year of graduate school, Jorgensen met Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King is a former professional tennis player from the United States. She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. King has been an advocate against sexism in sports and society...
and her husband Larry. (Hoffman 2006) Jorgensen’s sports entrepreneurship started while still attending school. One of his first projects was to help negotiate the Battle of the Sexes (the tennis extravaganza between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs) with sports and entertainment mogul Jerry Perenchio
Jerry Perenchio
Andrew Jerrold "Jerry" Perenchio was the former chairman and CEO of Univision, the largest Spanish-language company in the United States.-Early life:...
. The event become the most watched tennis event in history. Also at this time he helped in the formation of a new professional sports league, World Team Tennis
World Team Tennis
World TeamTennis is a coed professional tennis league played with a unique team format in the United States. Each match consists of five sets. Each set features a different configuration . Coaches, before the match, decide the order in which the sets will be played...
(Hoffman 2006)
Over the next five years, Jorgensen formed several new ventures with Billie Jean and Larry King, including:
Future Inc – a sports agency (Jorgensen was a co-founder and the CEO). An early entry in female sports representation, Future Inc.’s clients included; Billie Jean, Chris Evert
Chris Evert
Christine Marie "Chris" Evert is a former world number 1 professional tennis player from the United States. She won 18 Grand Slam singles championships, including a record seven championships at the French Open and a record six championships at the U.S. Open. She was the year-ending World No...
, Rosie Casals and golfers Sandra Palmer and Janie Blalock. It was eventually sold to Mark McCormack
Mark McCormack
Mark Hume McCormack was an American lawyer, sports agent for professional athletes and a prolific writer...
’s IMG (Hoffman 2006)
King Enterprises – an international sports company. (Jorgensen was a co-founder and the CEO). Within three years, company created numerous tennis tournaments on and off the Women's Tennis Association
Women's Tennis Association
The Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of...
tour and around the world. By 1976, the company was the world’s largest promoter of professional tennis events, with the most events and the most attendance. Tournament cities included; London, San Francisco, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Osaka, Monterrey, Atlanta, Stuttgart, and Tampa. In 1976, as promoter of the Atlanta WTA tournament, Jorgensen made the decision to invite transsexual Renée Richards
Renee Richards
Renée Richards is an American ophthalmologist, author and former professional tennis player. In 1975, Richards underwent sex reassignment surgery. She is known for initially being denied entry into the 1976 US Open by the United States Tennis Association, citing an unprecedented women-born-women...
to her first WTA event where she beat Rosie Casals in the opening round. (Hoffman 2006)
Inspired by Billie Jean’s friendship with Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, the company tried music concerts with Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
and Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66. (hoffman 2006) The company also created the event and television series, Women’s Superstars with ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
and IMG.
Soviet Union National Team – an entry in World Team Tennis in 1977. (Jorgensen was a co-founder and the President). The team played 44 matches in 33 cities in 65 days. It’s stars were Olga Morozova
Olga Morozova
Olga Vasilyevna Morozova is a retired female tennis player who competed for the Soviet Union. She was the runner up in singles at the 1974 French Open and 1974 Wimbledon Championships.-Career:...
and Alex Metreveli
Alex Metreveli
Alexander Metreveli is a retired Soviet amateur tennis player.Metreveli is probably best known for making the final at Wimbledon in 1973, where he lost to Jan Kodeš of Czechoslovakia...
– The other owners of the team were Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss
Jerry Buss
Gerald Hatten "Jerry" Buss Ph.D., M.S. is an American businessman, real estate investor, and a former chemist. He is the majority owner of the Los Angeles Lakers professional basketball team along with other professional sports franchises in Southern California...
and commodity trader and New York Sets owner Sol Berg. The team’s most colorful event was held in Plains, Georgia and was hosted by Lillian Carter and Billy Carter
Billy Carter
William Alton "Billy" Carter III was an American businessman who promoted Billy Beer, was a candidate for Mayor of Plains, Georgia, and was the younger brother of United States President Jimmy Carter.-Early years:...
, the mother and brother of then President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
. It was held on a tennis court the team built for the occasion near Miss Lillian’s home and subsequently donated to the city of Plains. (Hoffman 1977)
Women's Sports Foundation
Women's Sports Foundation
The Women's Sports Foundation "is an educational nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by tennis legend Billie Jean King." Its stated mission statement is "To advance the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity."...
– a foundation to foster the involvement of girls and women in sports participation. (Jorgensen was a co-founder and President) Jorgensen served as a Trustee for 15 years. He recruited Eva Auchincloss as Executive Director, and the Board of Trustees was expanded to include influential persons like Donna de Varona
Donna de Varona
Donna Elizabeth de Varona is a former American swimmer of Mexican and Irish descent.-Swimming career:...
, Peggy Fleming
Peggy Fleming
Peggy Gail Fleming is an American figure skater. She is the 1968 Olympic Champion in Ladies' singles and a three-time World Champion...
, Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
creator Charles M. Schulz
Charles M. Schulz
Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz was an American cartoonist, whose comic strip Peanuts proved one of the most popular and influential in the history of the medium, and is still widely reprinted on a daily basis.-Early life and education:Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Schulz grew up in Saint Paul...
. Currently, the Women’s Sports Foundation is one of the most influential organizations in women’s sports.
womenSports magazine
WomenSports magazine
womenSports magazine was the first magazine dedicated to women in sports. It was launched in close conjunction with Billie Jean King's Women's Sports Foundation and each issue of the magazine contained a two-page article written by the executive director of the Foundation.-womenSports:Billie Jean...
– the first magazine dedicated to women in sports. (Jorgensen was a co-founder and the President).The magazine was launched as a 16 page insert in Glamour
Glamour (magazine)
Glamour is a women's magazine published by Condé Nast Publications. Founded in 1939 in the United States, it was originally called Glamour of Hollywood....
magazine with Billie Jean King on the cover. The magazine was started in 1974 and sold to Redbook
Redbook
Redbook is an American women's magazine published by the Hearst Corporation. It is one of the "Seven Sisters", a group of women's service magazines.-History:...
’s publisher in 1976, having reached a monthly circulation of 200,000. During that brief two year period, the magazine got help from Ms. Magazine
Ms. magazine
Ms. is an American feminist magazine co-founded by American feminist and activist Gloria Steinem and founding editor Letty Cottin Pogrebin together with founding editors Patricia Carbine, Joanne Edgar, Nina Finkelstein, and Mary Peacock, that first appeared in 1971 as an insert in New York magazine...
publisher Gloria Steinem
Gloria Steinem
Gloria Marie Steinem is an American feminist, journalist, and social and political activist who became nationally recognized as a leader of, and media spokeswoman for, the women's liberation movement in the late 1960s and 1970s...
and singer Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy , often referred to as "The Queen of 70s Pop", is an Australian-American singer and actress. In the 1970s, she enjoyed international success, especially in the United States, where she placed fifteen singles in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. Six of those 15 songs made the Top 10...
. Notable employees included editor Rosalie Wright (became the editor of Sunset), writer Anne Lamott
Anne Lamott
Anne Lamott is a novelist and non-fiction writer. She is also a political activist, public speaker and writing teacher. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, her nonfiction works are largely autobiographical...
(now a serial book author) and intern Sally Ride
Sally Ride
Sally Kristen Ride is an American physicist and a former NASA astronaut. Ride joined NASA in 1978, and in 1983 became the first American woman—and then-youngest American, at 32—to enter space...
(who became America’s first female astronaut). (Hoffman 2006)
Women’s Professional Softball League – the first professional softball league. (Jorgensen was a co-founder with Joan Joyce
Joan Joyce
Joan Joyce is the softball coach at Florida Atlantic University, following a record-setting career as a softball player for the Raybestos Brakettes and the Orange Lionettes...
, Dennis Murphy (WHL and WTT) and Billie Jean King). The league struggled for four years before folding.
In 1978, Jorgensen moved to Los Angeles to head up a television production company and shortly thereafter went back to starting companies. Some of these were:
Jorgensen & Company – a celebrity business management company. (Jorgensen was the founder and senior partner) – Clients included; actors, Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct...
, Teri Hatcher
Teri Hatcher
Teri Lynn Hatcher is an American actress, writer, and presenter. She is known for her television roles as Susan Mayer on the ABC comedy-drama series Desperate Housewives, and Lois Lane on the ABC comedy-drama series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman...
, Lily Tomlin
Lily Tomlin
Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin is an American actress, comedienne, writer, and producer. Tomlin has been a major force in American comedy since the late 1960's when she began a career as a stand up comedian and became a featured performer on television's Laugh-in...
, Sharon Gless
Sharon Gless
Sharon Marguerite Gless is an American character actress of stage, film and television, who is best known for her roles as Maggie Philbin on Switch , as Sgt. Christine Cagney in the police procedural drama series Cagney & Lacey and as Debbie Novotny in the Showtime cable television series Queer...
, Judge Reinhold
Judge Reinhold
Judge Reinhold is an American actor, perhaps best known for co-starring in movies such as Beverly Hills Cop, Ruthless People, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and The Santa Clause trilogy.-Early life:...
, Shawn Weatherly (Miss Universe and Baywatch
Baywatch
Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
) and Tracy Scoggins
Tracy Scoggins
Tracy Dawn Scoggins is an American actress known for her roles as Cat Grant in the television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and Monica Colby in the 1980s prime time soap opera Dynasty, and its spin-off series The Colbys...
– writers Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
(Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe) John Hughes (Home Alone
Home Alone
Home Alone is a 1990 American Christmas comedy film written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus. The film stars Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, an eight-year-old boy, who is mistakenly left behind when his family flies to Paris for their Christmas vacation...
, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a 1986 American teen coming-of-age comedy film written and directed by John Hughes.The film follows high school senior Ferris Bueller , who decides to skip school and spend the day in downtown Chicago...
, The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club is a 1985 American teen drama film written and directed by John Hughes. The storyline follows five teenagers as they spend a Saturday in detention together and come to realize that they are all deeper than their respective stereotypes.-Plot:The plot follows five students at...
), Ron Shusett (Alien
Alien (film)
Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature which...
, Total Recall
Total Recall
Total Recall is a 1990 American science fiction action film. The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside, Ronny Cox & Mel Johnson, Jr.. It is based on the Philip K. Dick story “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale”...
), Dan O’Bannon, Diane English
Diane English
Diane English is an American film director, screenwriter and producer, known for creating the sitcom Murphy Brown. She also served as writer and executive producer of the sitcom My Sister Sam.-Life and career:...
(Murphy Brown
Murphy Brown
Murphy Brown is an American situation comedy which aired on CBS from November 14, 1988, to May 18, 1998, for a total of 247 episodes. The program starred Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for FYI, a fictional CBS television...
) and Jane Wagner
Jane Wagner
Jane Wagner is an American writer, director and producer. Wagner is best known as Lily Tomlin's comedy writer, collaborator and life partner....
(The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe), – directors Toby Hooper (Poltergeist
Poltergeist
A poltergeist is a paranormal phenomenon which consists of events alluding to the manifestation of an imperceptible entity. Such manifestation typically includes inanimate objects moving or being thrown about, sentient noises and, on some occasions, physical attacks on those witnessing the...
), William Dear
William Dear
William Dear is a film director, producer and screenwriter known for directing Harry and the Hendersons, If Looks Could Kill, Angels in the Outfield, Wild America and Santa Who?....
(Harry and the Hendersons), and Gary Sherman (Vice Squad), – celebrity PR executive Pat Kingsley and Senator Alan Cranston
Alan Cranston
Alan MacGregor Cranston was an American journalist and Democratic Senator from California.-Education:Cranston earned his high school diploma from the old Mountain View High School, where among other things, he was a track star...
. (Hoffman 2006)
Western Equity – a real estate development and investment company (Jorgensen was a co- founder and general partner with Dr. David Schoenstadt). (Hoffman 2006) The company developed several historic rehabilitations in Chicago and Kansas City as well as developing commercial and warehouse facilities in the Midwest.
Ronnie’s Ranch – a restaurant in Los Angeles. (Jorgensen was a co-founder with Ronnie Burns
Ronnie Burns (actor)
Ronald Jon "Ronnie" Burns worked briefly as a television actor, but is primarily remembered as the adopted son of comedians George Burns and Gracie Allen.-Early life:...
, son of George Burns
George Burns
George Burns , born Nathan Birnbaum, was an American comedian, actor, and writer.He was one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, film, radio, television and movies, with and without his wife, Gracie Allen. His arched eyebrow and cigar smoke punctuation became...
and Gracie Allen
Gracie Allen
Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen , known as Gracie Allen, was an American comedian who became internationally famous as the zany partner and comic foil of husband George Burns...
, and film editor Robert Estrin. It was last of three different restaurants Jorgensen tried over the years, all of which failed.
All American Indoor Sports – a chain of indoor sports malls. (Jorgensen was a so-founder with Ron Matsch and Dr, David Schoenstadt.) The company built indoor sports malls in the Midwest. The malls featured sports like; soccer, basketball, baseball, gymnastics, dance, and hockey with restaurants and stores to service participants and fans.
Bedrock Capital Management – a registered investment advisor and asset allocation fund. (Jorgensen was a co-founder with Stanford classmate, Jerry Tomanek). (Hoffman 2006) The company has grown to more than $100 million under management.
Preferred Physicians Mutual Risk Retention Group – a medical malpractice insurance company. Jorgensen was a co-founder with Dr. David Schoenstadt. (Hoffman 2006) The company specializes in malpractice insurance solely for anesthesiologists.
1990s and 2000s
Discovery ZoneDiscovery Zone
Discovery Zone was a chain of entertainment facilities featuring games and elaborate indoor mazes designed for young children, including slides, climbing play structures and ball pits. The chain was founded by Ronald Matsch, Jim Jorgensen, Mike Geselbracht and Dr. David Schoenstadt in 1989. The...
– an indoor active play center for children. (Jorgensen was a co-founder and the CEO.) The company grew from one store opened in January 1990 to almost 500 stores within 5 years. In 1993, Discovery Zone completed an IPO with a NASDAQ listed stock. The market value of the company rose quickly to $1.2 billion. In 1995, under control of Wayne Huizenga
Wayne Huizenga
Harry Wayne Huizenga is an American businessman who grew Blockbuster Video, Waste Management, Inc., and AutoNation into successful companies. He is the former owner of the National Football League's Miami Dolphins, the National Hockey League's Florida Panthers and the Major League Baseball's Miami...
and Don Flynn who also controlled Blockbuster Video, the company’s operations were merged with Blockbuster’s parent company Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
. (Hoffman 2006)
Challenger Sports – a sports training company. (Jorgensen was a co-founder with Ron Matsch). (Hoffman 2006) Headquartered in Lenexa, Kansas, the company is a leading soccer training company.
AllAdvantage
AllAdvantage
AllAdvantage was an Internet advertising company that positioned itself as the world’s first "infomediary" by paying its users/members a portion of the advertising revenue generated by their online viewing habits...
–an Internet infomediary community (Jorgensen was a co-founder and the CEO with co-founders Carl Anderson, Johannes Pohle and Oliver Brock). The company had a meteoric rise and fall with in a two year period. Launched on March 30, 1999, within 12 months the company had:
- 13 million members,
- raised $175,000,000 in venture capital,
- earned over $30 million in advertising sales,
- distributed over $100 million in cash distributions to its members,
- hired 850 employees, established 35 worldwide offices on four continents,
- established the world’s first Chief Privacy Officer,
- filed in S-1 in February 2000 lead by Frank QuattroneFrank QuattroneFrank Quattrone is an American technology-focused investment banker who started technology sector franchises at Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, and Credit Suisse First Boston. He helped bring dozens of technology companies public during the 1990s tech boom, including Netscape, Cisco, and Amazon.com...
of Credit Suisse First BostonCredit Suisse First BostonCredit Suisse First Boston was the former name of the banking firm Credit Suisse.-History:In 1978, Credit Suisse and First Boston Corporation formed a London-based 50-50 investment banking joint venture called the Financière Crédit Suisse-First Boston...
at a valuation of $1.4 billion.
On April 2, 2000, AllAdvantage held a first anniversary event at Jorgensen’s Stanford campus home. The Democratic Party celebrated the company’s anniversary with a fund raising dinner on Jorgensen’s tented tennis court.
The keynote speaker was President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
and music provided by Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
members Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart is an American percussionist and musicologist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band the Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 to February 1971, and from October 1974 to August 1995...
and Bob Weir
Bob Weir
Bob Weir is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, most recognized as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the Grateful Dead disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead, together with other former members of the Grateful Dead...
. (Hoffman 2006)
Political attendees included Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, Representatives Patrick Kennedy
Patrick J. Kennedy
Patrick Joseph Kennedy II is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1995 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes all of Bristol County and Newport County, and parts of Providence County. Kennedy did not seek re-election in 2010.A member of the Kennedy...
, Zoe Lofgren
Zoe Lofgren
Zoe Lofgren is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1995. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is based in San Jose.-Early life, education, and early career:...
, Bob Menendez, Ellen Tauscher
Ellen Tauscher
Ellen O'Kane Tauscher is an American politician and Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs...
, Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011...
, Charlie Rangel, Anna Eshoo
Anna Eshoo
Anna Georges Eshoo is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, which includes part of Silicon Valley, includes the cities of Redwood City, Sunnyvale, Mountain View and Palo Alto...
, Martin Frost
Martin Frost
Jonas Martin Frost III is an American politician, who was the Democratic representative to the U.S. House of Representatives for Texas's 24th congressional district from 1979 to 2005.-Personal life:...
, Barbara Lee
Barbara Lee
Barbara Jean Lee is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1998. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She is the first woman to represent that district. Lee was the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and was the Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus...
, Tom Lantos
Tom Lantos
Thomas Peter "Tom" Lantos was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1981 until his death, representing the northern two-thirds of San Mateo County and a portion of southwest San Francisco...
, Cal Dooley
Cal Dooley
Calvin M. "Cal" Dooley , American politician, was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2005, representing the 17th and 20th districts of California....
, David Wu
David Wu
David Wu is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1999 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party.The district includes most of Portland west of the Willamette River, as well as all of Yamhill, Columbia, Clatsop, and Washington Counties...
, Mike Honda
Mike Honda
Michael Makoto "Mike" Honda is an American Democratic Party politician. He currently serves as the U.S. Representative for , encompassing western San Jose and Silicon Valley...
and California Governor Gray Davis
Gray Davis
Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis, Jr. is an American Democratic politician who served as California's 37th Governor from 1999 until being recalled in 2003...
Other attendees included; the President’s daughter, Chelsea Clinton
Chelsea Clinton
Chelsea Victoria Clinton is a television journalist, currently serving as Special Correspondent for NBC News, and philanthropist, working through the Clinton Global Initiative. She is the only child of former U.S...
, venture capitalist John Doerr
John Doerr
L. John Doerr is an American venture capitalist at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in Menlo Park, California, in Silicon Valley. In February 2009, Doerr was appointed as a member of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board to provide the president and his administration with advice and...
of Kleiner Perkins, Frank Quattrone
Frank Quattrone
Frank Quattrone is an American technology-focused investment banker who started technology sector franchises at Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, and Credit Suisse First Boston. He helped bring dozens of technology companies public during the 1990s tech boom, including Netscape, Cisco, and Amazon.com...
, winemaker Ernest Gallo
Ernest Gallo
Ernest Gallo was the American co-founder of the E & J Gallo Winery. He was ranked 297th on the 2006 Forbes 400 list of billionaires. With his brother they founded the E.&J...
, Oracle founder Larry Ellison
Larry Ellison
Lawrence Joseph "Larry" Ellison is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Oracle Corporation, one of the world's leading enterprise software companies. As of 2011, he is the third wealthiest American citizen, with an estimated worth of $33 billion.- Early life :Larry Ellison was born in the...
, Intuit CEO Steve Bennett, Eric Schmidt now Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
’s CEO, Chief Privacy Officer Ray Everett-Church
Ray Everett-Church
Ray Everett-Church , is an American attorney, entrepreneur and author. He was dubbed "the dean of corporate Chief Privacy Officers" by Inter@ctive Week magazine, first creating that title and position in 1999 at online marketing company AllAdvantage...
, HR VP Jan Daniel, eBay CFO Gary Bengier, Microsoft Chief Strategist Craig Mundie
Craig Mundie
Craig James Mundie is chief research and strategy officer at Microsoft. He started in its consumer platforms division in 1992, managing the production of Windows CE for hand-held and automotive systems and early console games. In 1997, Mundie oversaw the acquisition of WebTV Networks...
, Dr. Dean Ornish
Dean Ornish
Dean Michael Ornish, M.D., is president and founder of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California, as well as Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco....
, PayPal founder Elon Musk
Elon Musk
Elon Musk is an American engineer and entrepreneur heritage best known for co-founding PayPal, SpaceX and Tesla Motors. He is currently the CEO and CTO of SpaceX, CEO and Product Architect of Tesla Motors and Chairman of SolarCity...
, and Overstock founder and CEO Patrick Byrne
This dinner marked the high point of AllAdvantage. The NASDAQ continued its slide from its peak three weeks earlier, causing the company’s IPO to stop. The company eventually closed its consumer service in January 2001. (Hoffman 2006)
Morgen Group – a management consulting firm that specializes in advising startups and new projects for larger corporations. (Jorgensen was a co-founder with Johannes Pohle).
Sources
- Greg Hoffman, The Art of World Team Tennis, San Francisco Book Company, 1977 ISBN 0-913374-65-2
- Greg Hoffman, The Two Million Dollar Cough, The AllAdvantage Story, Kendall/Carson Press 2006 ISBN 978-0-9792235-0-1
- Kim Chapin, Billie Jean, Harper, 1974
- AllAdvantage.com : an Internet infomediary