Wirtz Corporation

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Wirtz Corporation
TypePrivate
FoundedUnited States (1922 (1922))
Headquarters
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Key people
Rocky Wirtz
Websitewww.wirtzcorp.com

Wirtz Corporation is a United States holding company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1922 by Arthur Wirtz as a family-owned corporation to oversee his real estate holdings.[1] The company shortly thereafter expanded into liquor distribution.[2] The company grew significantly throughout the 20th century by purchasing many competing liquor distributors,[2] as well as the Chicago Blackhawks NHL team (becoming full owners in 1966), and the Chicago Bulls NBA team in 1972 (Wirtz Corp. sold the Bulls to Jerry Reinsdorf in 1985).[3] Wirtz Corporation is part owner of the United Center arena,[4] and also owns banking and insurance interests.[5]

After founder Arthur Wirtz's death in 1983, his son, William, took control of the corporation and ran it until his death in 2007. The company's current owner and CEO is Rocky Wirtz.

Subsidiaries[]

The following is a partial list of subsidiaries of Wirtz Corporation[6]

  • Banner Collective
  • Benefit Services Group, Inc.
  • Chicago Blackhawks
  • First National Bank of South Miami
  • First Security Trust and Savings Bank
  • Ivanhoe Nursery
  • United Center (shared with Jerry Reinsdorf)
  • Wirtz Beverage Group (formerly known as Judge & Dolph until 2009)[7]
  • Wirtz Insurance Agency
  • Wirtz Realty

References[]

  1. ^ "About us". wirtzcorp.com. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Wilson, Mark (2004). "Wirtz Corp". Encyclopedia of Chicago. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  3. ^ "THE TOUGHEST #&?!%* IN SPORTS". BusinessWeek. 1992-06-15. Retrieved 2008-10-07.
  4. ^ "Company Overview of Wirtz Corporation". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  5. ^ MacArthur, Kate (April 14, 2012). "Rocky's road to the top". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  6. ^ "Homepage". wirtzcorp.com. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  7. ^ "Wirtz group to end Judge & Dolph name for liquor distribution business". Chicago Tribune. March 10, 2009. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
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