Nationality United States Name Cliff Viner Religion Judaism | Occupation hedge fund founder Ethnicity Jewish | |
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Born 1949 (age 65–66) Brooklyn, New York Education B.S. University of PennsylvaniaM.B.A. The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania Residence Boca Raton, Florida, United States | ||
Clifford G. Viner (born 1949) is an American businessman who founded the III Finance hedge fund and is a co-owner of the Florida Panthers.
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Biography
Born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, Viner graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. After school, he worked as an analyst at Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance and then as a government securities trader at William Blair & Company in Chicago. In 1982, he co-founded III Offshore Partners, a hedge fund based in Boca Raton, Florida with Warren Mosler.
In 2001, Viner was part of a group of investors led by Alan Cohen that bought a majority interest in the Panthers from H. Wayne Huizenga (who kept a minority interest). In November 2009, he became co-general partner with Cohen. In 2010, Viner gained control as general partner of the Florida Panthers with minority partners including Stu Siegel, Alan Cohen, and original owner H. Wayne Huizenga. In late 2013, they sold the franchise for $250 million to Vincent Viola.
Viner is a Registered General Securities Principal, General Securities Options Principal, and General Securities Representative of FINRA, a CFTC-Approved Principal, and an Associate Member of the NFA. Viner is heavily involved with the Florida Panthers Foundation which focuses on pediatric oncology causes.
Personal life
He is divorced from Jill L. Viner who was a co-founder of the Barton G. Kids Hear Now Foundation, a Miami charity dedicated to raising money to fund cochlear implants for needy people; she also served as the director of Ruth Rales Jewish Family Service in Boca Raton, Florida. and is a prominent supporter of diabetes related charities. They have two daughters, Elyse Viner Cromer and Amanda Viner. He is a member of B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton, Florida.