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Ben Weprin

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Ben Weprin (born June 28, 1978) is the founder and CEO of AJ Capital Partners,[1] a private real estate company based in Chicago, Illinois.[2][3][4]

Early life and education

Weprin was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio.[4] In 2001, Weprin graduated from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and went on to earn his MBA from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management.[5]

Career

In 2008, Weprin founded AJ Capital Partners investing in a portfolio of luxury resorts at the height of the economic crisis. In his hometown of Chicago, he restored the Hotel Lincoln, Chicago Athletic Association, Soho House and Thompson Chicago[6]. The current portfolio includes projects throughout Chicago, as well as the iconic Pontchartrain Hotel in New Orleans and the Thompson Nashville in Nashville’s Gulch neighborhood, amongst others[7]. Recent projects underway include The Armory in San Francisco; May Hosiery and Nashville Warehouse Company in Nashville, as well as the Rusacks Hotel overlooking the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland, opening in 2021[8]. In 2019, Chip and Joanna Gaines announced they would work with AJ Capital Partners to open a hotel in Waco, Texas, set to debut in 2021.[9]

In 2014, Weprin announced the launch of AJ Capital Partners’ proprietary brand, Graduate Hotels.[10] Graduate Hotels is a hand-crafted collection of hotels that reside in dynamic university-anchored towns across the country.  Each hotel pays homage to the heritage of its unique town through cultural nods to the local community. There are currently 22 open and operating hotels across the U.S. and an additional 12 hotels under development. Anticipated openings include Graduate Hotels' first international location in Cambridge, England[11], followed by Graduate Oxford set to open in early 2021[8]; Graduate Roosevelt Island[12] in collaboration with Cornell Tech in New York City, as well as Graduate Knoxville in Knoxville, Tenn., which will include a restaurant in partnership with Peyton Manning.[13]

In November 2019, LeBron James Family Foundation (LJFF) and Graduate Hotels announced plans for the “I PROMISE Village by Graduate Hotels” that will serve as transitional housing for I PROMISE families. The Village will be fully operational by the start of the I PROMISE School’s next school year in July 2020.[14][15]

Awards

  • The New York Times The Education of a Brotelier- Graduate Hotels[16]
  • Fast Company The World's Most Innovative Companies 2018 - Graduate Hotels [17]
  • Inc. (magazine) 2017 Design Awards, Best Interior Design - Graduate Hotels[18]
  • Urban Land Institute's 2017 Excellence in Development - Thompson Nashville[19]
  • Fast Company The Most Innovative Companies of 2016 – AJ Capital Partners[20]
  • Urban Land Institute Chicago’s Catalytic Redevelopment – Chicago Athletic Association[21]
  • Urban Land Institute Chicago’s Catalytic Redevelopment – Soho House Chicago[21]
  • James Beard Foundation Outstanding Restaurant Design Finalist – Cherry Circle Room – Chicago Athletic Association[22]
  • James Beard Foundation Outstanding Restaurant Design Finalist – Cindy’s – Chicago Athletic Association[22]
  • National Trust for Historic Preservation Driehaus Preservation Award – Chicago Athletic Association[23]
  • University of Tennessee – Knoxville Promise Award[24]

Personal life

In 2005, Weprin married Mary Ann Mounger in an interfaith Presbyterian and Judaism ceremony on a farm in Columbia, Tennessee. The couple has three daughters.

References

  1. ^ "New Icons". Hospitality Design Magazine. November 2016.
  2. ^ Grossman, Evan (June 8, 2015). "How AJ Capital is Developing a Unique Value Proposition". Lodging.
  3. ^ Brown, Adam (January 4, 2016). "The revivalist: A young hotelier with an eye for an aged luxury gem". Forbes.
  4. ^ a b Gallun, Alby (October 24, 2015). "Ben Weprin is behind some of Chicago's most stylish hotels. Here's his latest obsession". Chicago Business.
  5. ^ Betts, Kate (April 14, 2016). "Hotelier Ben Weprin on the Best Rooms and Old Jeeps". The Wall Street Journal.
  6. ^ "Hit the Town With AJ Capital Partners' Ben Weprin". History, Happenings & Events in Chicago | Chicago Athletic Association Hotel Blog. 2015-06-18. Retrieved 2019-10-14.
  7. ^ Brown, Abram. "The Revivalist: Young Hotelier Ben Weprin Has An Eye For An Aged Luxury Gem". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-10-14.
  8. ^ a b "Luxury St Andrews hotel Rusacks set for revamp after sale to American firm". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
  9. ^ Nast, Condé. "Chip and Joanna Gaines Are Opening a Hotel in Waco, Texas". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 2019-10-14.
  10. ^ Karmin, Craig (2014-08-26). "Hotel Chain Gives It the Old College Try". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2019-10-14.
  11. ^ Mulvihill, Tom (2019-07-24). "Exclusive: University-themed US hotel group to make international debut in Cambridge". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2019-10-14.
  12. ^ "NYC's Roosevelt Island to get boutique Graduate hotel". AP NEWS. 2017-03-14. Retrieved 2019-10-14.
  13. ^ McDermott, Brenna. "Peyton Manning is opening a Western-themed restaurant in Knoxville". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved 2019-10-14.
  14. ^ Zillgitt, Jeff. "LeBron James expands I Promise School project, includes transitional housing for at-risk students". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  15. ^ "I Promise Village: LeBron James Family Foundation to offer transitional housing for students and families". fox8.com. 2019-11-04. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  16. ^ "The Education of a Brotelier". Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  17. ^ "How Graduate Hotels Found A Gold Mine In University Towns". Fast Company. 2018-03-05.
  18. ^ Rhodes, Margaret (May 17, 2017). "This College-Town Hotel Chain is Putting Airbandb on Notice". Inc. Magazine.
  19. ^ "Urban Land Institute's 2017 Excellence in Development awards winners". tennessean.com. May 8, 2017.
  20. ^ Wilson, Mark (September 2, 2014). "Relive The Glory Of Your College Years With School-Themed $500M Boutique Hotel Chain". Fast Company.
  21. ^ a b "Twelve projects and programs, 1 young visionary named winners of ULI Chicago's 2016 Vision Awards". REJournals.com. June 3, 2016. Archived from the original on November 3, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  22. ^ a b Stone, Brian (April 1, 2016). "Take a Look Inside the 2016 James Beard Award Nominees for Restaurant Design". Architectural Digest.
  23. ^ "3 Structures To Get Landmark Awards". NBCChicago.com. September 11, 2015.
  24. ^ "Alumni Honored at Annual Awards Dinner". The University of Tennessee - Knoxville. September 20, 2016.
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