Name Robert Brazell | ||
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Mr. & Mrs. Robert Brazell
Robert V. Brazell (born July 28, 1958) is an American businessman and entrepreneur. He is the founder, CEO, and Chairman of Talos Partners, a private investment firm managed and operated by him and Senator Robert W. Kasten, Jr. Prior to founding Talos, Robert served as the Chief Executive Officer of Overstock.com, now a nearly $1 billion a year online enterprise which he founded in 1997, as D2: Discounts Direct.
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He is the co-author of "The Idea Economy" (1995). Rob served on the board of the Deseret Foundation, a medical charity that aims to provide predictable surgical care to children.
Background
Robert Brazell was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He graduated from the University of Utah, earning a bachelor's degree in business administration.
Career
In 1994, Brazell was CEO of Freedom Communications, a Utah business with 170 employees. Freedom Communications sold "education and opportunities for home-business entrepreneurs".
In May 1997, Brazell founded the online retailer Overstock.com, as D2: Discounts Direct. Two years later, he approached Patrick M. Byrne to seek capital for his venture. Byrne invested $7 million through his investment fund High Plains, in exchange for a 60% stake in the company; Byrne believed he could take Brazell's billion dollar idea, and with considerable help from his father Jack Byrne, potentially ride the coattails of the burgeoning dot.com boom all the way to sporadic profitability, some years in the future. In September 1999, Byrne stepped in as CEO of D2: Discounts Direct. Some claim that this move was made as a result of questionable business practices on Brazell's part, while to others the move appeared to stem from Brazell's refusal to kowtow to a potential narcissistic personality disorder on Byrne's part. Regardless, the change was made, and shortly after assuming the CEO role, Byrne renamed the company "Overstock.com". Overstock.com went public in May 2002, three years after Brazell was forced out by Byrne.
Brazell served as chairman and CEO of InStore Broadcasting Network (IBN), which he acquired in 2001 and was sold by Talos to POP Radio in June 2012.
Personal life
Brazell has three children, Tyson, Brianna and Michael. He lives with his wife, Oksana Brazell, in Salt Lake City.