"Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun?": How Reginald Lewis Created a Billion-Dollar Business Empire - Softcover

Lewis, Reginald F.; Walker, Blair S.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0471176893 ISBN 13: 9780471176893

Publisher: Wiley, 1997

Synopsis

"Voyages deep into the frenzied, complex world of LBO transactions."—BusinessWeek.

"Sheds light on an important chapter in both African-American and American business history."—Earl G. Graves, Publisher, Black Enterprise magazine.

When Reginald Lewis was six years old, his grandparents asked his opinion about employment discrimination against blacks. Reg replied simply, "Why should white guys have all the fun?" Why, indeed! Lewis grew up to become the wealthiest black man in history and one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time, reigning over a commercial empire that spanned four continents. At the time of his death in 1993, his personal fortune was estimated at $400 million.

"Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun?" traces Lewis's rise from a working- class neighborhood in east Baltimore to Harvard Law School and ultimately into the elite circle of Wall Street deal-makers. Expanding on Lewis's unfinished autobiography, journalist Blair Walker completes a vivid portrait of a proud, fiercely determined man with a razor-sharp tongue—and an intellect to match. He shows how Lewis's lifelong hunger for wealth and personal glory fueled his success on the playing field, in the classroom, and in the boardroom. Walker also provides a rare insider's view of Lewis, the iron-willed negotiator and brilliant business strategist in action as he finesses one phenomenal deal after another.

A moving saga of personal courage and determination as well as a virtual how-to book for those who would like to follow in Lewis's footsteps, "Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun?" is every bit as memorable as the man whose story it tells.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

"Why should white guys have all the fun?" One of Reginald Lewis’s earliest childhood memories was of hearing his grandparents talk of employment discrimination against African-Americans. When asked for his opinion on the subject, six-year-old Reg simply replied: "Why should white guys have all the fun?" Why, indeed! This precociously self-assured boy would grow up to become the wealthiest black man in history and one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time. Profiled in Forbes magazine as one of the four-hundred wealthiest businesspeople in America, Lewis reigned over a commercial empire spanning four continents. At the time of his death in 1993, his personal fortune was estimated by Forbes to be in excess of $400 million. Having apprenticed in the art of the leveraged buyout while head of his own successful Wall Street law firm, he went on to mastermind some of the most spectacular deals ever, including the $1 billion purchase of food giant Beatrice International—one of the largest leveraged buyouts ever. A noted art collector and connoisseur, he was also a celebrated philanthropist who gave away a vast fortune to charity. Yet despite the notoriety surrounding Lewis’s financial coups, until now, little has been written about the life of this remarkable but private man. Based on Reginald Lewis’s unfinished autobiography as well as scores of interviews with family, friends, and colleagues, "Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun?" cuts through the myth and media hype to reveal the man behind the legend. What emerges is a vivid portrait of a proud, fiercely determined individual with a razor-sharp tongue—and an intellect to match—who would settle for nothing less than excellence from himself and others. Tracing Lewis’s rise from an east Baltimore working-class neighborhood to Harvard Law School and ultimately into the elite circle of Wall Street deal-makers, journalist Blair Walker shows how Lewis’s lifelong hunger for wealth and personal achievement drove him to success at whatever he turned his hand to. Walker also provides us with a rare insider’s view of Lewis, the iron-willed negotiator and brilliant business strategist in action as he finesses one phenomenal deal after another. An inspiring tale of a remarkable man’s victory against overwhelming odds, "Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun?" is a book as memorable as the man whose story it tells.

About the Author

REGINALD F. LEWIS was chairman, chief executive, and principal shareholder of TLC Beatrice International Holdings, Inc., until his untimely death of brain cancer in January, 1993. He was fifty years old when he died.

BLAIR S. WALKER is a former financial writer with the "Money" section of USA Today. He has also worked as an editor with New York Newsday and as a reporter with the Chicago bureau of The Associated Press.

About this edition

• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0471176893
• ISBN 13: 9780471176893
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 344