Alan Wilzig
Encyclopedia
Alan Wilzig is an entrepreneur
, philanthropist
, championship-winning race car driver, and restaurateur
. He is also son of the late Siggi Wilzig
, a German Holocaust survivor. Alan's father rose to fame after coming to America with nothing and eventually earned his fortune in finance. Alan shared his father's innate business sense and eventually took over his role as CEO of TCNJ (The Trust Company of New Jersey). He is most famous for his accomplishments at the company, which included doubling the market value of TCNJ from $385 million, when he took over, to $765 million by the time he sold it in the North Fork Merger
, which he engineered.
, New Jersey
. He attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
. He has a brother, Sir Ivan Wilzig
, and a sister Sherry.
, a Holocaust survivor, became a director of the Bank. With a fortune previously made by rising through the ranks of the Wilshire oil company of Texas, he invested in The Trust Company, and in 1970 became the Chairman. By the late 1980s, sons Alan and Ivan had come on board. By the time of Siggi’s retirement in 2002, the bank had expanded to 75 branches in New Jersey.
Mr. Wilzig was diagnosed with multiple myeloma cancer in 2000. At that time Alan, who had been second in command, took the helm of the bank through Mr. Wilzig’s passing in 2003. Under Alan’s leadership the bank nearly doubled in market value. In May 2004, North Fork Bankcorp of Long Island, NY, paid a substantial sum of money to complete the acquisition of The Trust Company of New Jersey. Today, Alan currently is an entrepreneur and investor, active in civic and philanthropic activities.
as “Wilzig Hospital” Alan is a board member of the Rainforest Alliance
, the Jewish Community Project of Lower Manhattan, serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Liberty Health, is a member of the President's Circle of the Wharton School of Business and is co-founder of the Chabad of Southampton
Alan Wilzig is a Director on the Board of the Wilzig Family Foundation, who has awarded grants of over $1 millin to the University of Pennsylvania
, as well as numerous other causes.
's "Grand Castles of America".
and the Robb Report
.
Cycle World referred to his collection in glowing terms as the envy of motorcycle collectors. In this context, it dubbed his motorcycle garage as the "Garaj Mahal".
Wilzig created a motorcycle combining parts and features from the Ducati 998 and MV Agusta F4. Both vehicles were originally designed by Massimo Tamburini
and the fusion motorcycle was considered a tribute to the designer. Motorcycle enthusiasts provided glowing reviews of the hybrid machine and it was judged by the Robb Report to be an ideal motorcycle for fans of Tamburini's designs.
Notable vehicles in his collection include an Ariel Atom-2, Diasio D962, Ferrari Mondial Cabriolet, Gardner-Douglas Lola T-70 continuation car, Lamborghini Jalpa, Maserati Spyder, Radical Pro-Sport, and West WR1000. His collection also includes the 2001 NY Yankees Top Fuel Dragster driven by Mike Dunn (formerly co-owned by George Steinbrenner), the 2002 IRL Championship Winning Chevron-liveried Toyota-Lola driven by Cristiano DaMatta, and the 2004 Subaru WRX Rally-America gravel rally car, and the former Team Subaru USA Grand-Am Series roadracing Legacy.
The racetrack was completed in November of 2010. The track is over a mile in length and 40 feet wide. It contains 9 turns, 70 feet of height changes, and is capable of being run in several configurations. The largest configuration, intended for time trials, allows for a two and three-quarter mile lap with only one pair of consecutive turns in the same direction. It is zoned and intended purely for private recreational use. It is the largest racetrack of this type in the United States.
.
Alan and wife Karin live in the TriBeCa
neighborhood in Manhattan with their two children.
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
, championship-winning race car driver, and restaurateur
Restaurateur
A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of the restaurant business.-Etymology:The word...
. He is also son of the late Siggi Wilzig
Siggi Wilzig
Siegbert B. Wilzig was a survivor of the Holocaust, oil tycoon, commercial banker and assistant to Nobel Prize winner writer Elie Wiesel. He triumphed over the worst possible conditions, and became a self-made millionaire.-Early life:Siggi Wilzig was born in 1926 in Krojanke, West Prussia...
, a German Holocaust survivor. Alan's father rose to fame after coming to America with nothing and eventually earned his fortune in finance. Alan shared his father's innate business sense and eventually took over his role as CEO of TCNJ (The Trust Company of New Jersey). He is most famous for his accomplishments at the company, which included doubling the market value of TCNJ from $385 million, when he took over, to $765 million by the time he sold it in the North Fork Merger
North Fork Bank
North Fork Bank was an American bank from 1950 until 2008 when it became Capital One Bank .In November 2007, it had 365 branches in the New York metropolitan area.-History:...
, which he engineered.
Early life
Alan was born on April 20, 1965 and grew up in CliftonClifton, New Jersey
Clifton is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 84,136. The 2010 population represented an increase of 5,464 residents from its population of 78,672 in the 2000 Census, making it the state's 11th largest...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. He attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
The Wharton School is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Wharton was the world’s first collegiate business school and the first business school in the United States...
. He has a brother, Sir Ivan Wilzig
Ivan Wilzig
Ivan L. Wilzig , also known as Sir Ivan or Peaceman, is a musician who is best known for techno remixes of 1960s songs such as "Imagine" and "San Francisco". He is also founder of the nonprofit Peaceman Foundation and appeared as Mr...
, and a sister Sherry.
Career
Alan and the Wilzig name have a long history with The Trust Company of New Jersey. In 1969, Alan’s father, Siggi WilzigSiggi Wilzig
Siegbert B. Wilzig was a survivor of the Holocaust, oil tycoon, commercial banker and assistant to Nobel Prize winner writer Elie Wiesel. He triumphed over the worst possible conditions, and became a self-made millionaire.-Early life:Siggi Wilzig was born in 1926 in Krojanke, West Prussia...
, a Holocaust survivor, became a director of the Bank. With a fortune previously made by rising through the ranks of the Wilshire oil company of Texas, he invested in The Trust Company, and in 1970 became the Chairman. By the late 1980s, sons Alan and Ivan had come on board. By the time of Siggi’s retirement in 2002, the bank had expanded to 75 branches in New Jersey.
Mr. Wilzig was diagnosed with multiple myeloma cancer in 2000. At that time Alan, who had been second in command, took the helm of the bank through Mr. Wilzig’s passing in 2003. Under Alan’s leadership the bank nearly doubled in market value. In May 2004, North Fork Bankcorp of Long Island, NY, paid a substantial sum of money to complete the acquisition of The Trust Company of New Jersey. Today, Alan currently is an entrepreneur and investor, active in civic and philanthropic activities.
Philanthropy
After his father’s death, Alan memorialized him with a substantial gift, which provided for the naming of the Jersey City Medical CenterJersey City Medical Center
The Jersey City Medical Center is a hospital in Jersey City, New Jersey. The hospital has had different facilities in the city.-History:The hospital began as the "Charity Hospital" but the Board of Aldermen of Jersey City bought land at Baldwin Avenue and Montgomery Street in 1882 for a new hospital...
as “Wilzig Hospital” Alan is a board member of the Rainforest Alliance
Rainforest Alliance
The Rainforest Alliance is a non-governmental organization with the published aims of working to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior. It is based in New York City, and has offices throughout the...
, the Jewish Community Project of Lower Manhattan, serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Liberty Health, is a member of the President's Circle of the Wharton School of Business and is co-founder of the Chabad of Southampton
Alan Wilzig is a Director on the Board of the Wilzig Family Foundation, who has awarded grants of over $1 millin to the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, as well as numerous other causes.
The Castle
With the help of his long-time girlfriend and now wife, Alan built a lavish 15000 square feet (1,393.5 m²) Medieval-style castle in Water Mill on Long Island, NY which his brother Ivan currently owns. The castle has been featured in various television shows, including the Travel ChannelTravel Channel
The Travel Channel is a satellite and cable television channel that is headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland, US. It features documentaries and how-to shows related to travel and leisure around the United States and throughout the world. Programming has included shows in African animal safaris,...
's "Grand Castles of America".
Automotive collecting
Alan Wilzig is also a well known collector of motorcycles and several high performing automobiles. Most of his vehicles are stored at his estate in Taghkanic, NY. His collection is extensive including factory racer Bimotas, Grand Prix racing Aprilias, a 1948 Motom, a 1983 Hesketh (a particularly rare vehicle) and a 1953 "Dustbin" Gilera. His collection has been featured in Cycle WorldCycle World
Cycle World is a motorcycling magazine in the United States. It was founded in 1962 by Joe Parkhurst, who was inducted to the Motorcycle Hall of Fame as "the person responsible for bringing a new era of objective journalism" to the U.S. and is now the largest motorcycling magazine in the world...
and the Robb Report
Robb Report
The Robb Report is an American, English-language, luxury-lifestyle magazine featuring products — including automobiles, real estate and watches — for affluent connoisseurs.-History:...
.
Cycle World referred to his collection in glowing terms as the envy of motorcycle collectors. In this context, it dubbed his motorcycle garage as the "Garaj Mahal".
Wilzig created a motorcycle combining parts and features from the Ducati 998 and MV Agusta F4. Both vehicles were originally designed by Massimo Tamburini
Massimo Tamburini
Massimo Tamburini is an Italian motorcycle designer for motorcycle companies including: Cagiva, Ducati, MV Agusta; and Bimota, which he founded, together with Bianchi and Morri ....
and the fusion motorcycle was considered a tribute to the designer. Motorcycle enthusiasts provided glowing reviews of the hybrid machine and it was judged by the Robb Report to be an ideal motorcycle for fans of Tamburini's designs.
Notable vehicles in his collection include an Ariel Atom-2, Diasio D962, Ferrari Mondial Cabriolet, Gardner-Douglas Lola T-70 continuation car, Lamborghini Jalpa, Maserati Spyder, Radical Pro-Sport, and West WR1000. His collection also includes the 2001 NY Yankees Top Fuel Dragster driven by Mike Dunn (formerly co-owned by George Steinbrenner), the 2002 IRL Championship Winning Chevron-liveried Toyota-Lola driven by Cristiano DaMatta, and the 2004 Subaru WRX Rally-America gravel rally car, and the former Team Subaru USA Grand-Am Series roadracing Legacy.
Racetrack controversy
Wilzig faced a firestorm of controversy over a planned private racetrack to be built on his 275-acre Taghkanic Estate. The racetrack was zoned and approved by the local government, but a lawsuit was filed by an activist group formed to oppose the track construction. The activists cited concerns about noise, safety, and general quality of life. After an initial victory in the New York courts, the Appellate Division (the highest court in New York State) reversed the lower courts and reinstated the original zoning order.The racetrack was completed in November of 2010. The track is over a mile in length and 40 feet wide. It contains 9 turns, 70 feet of height changes, and is capable of being run in several configurations. The largest configuration, intended for time trials, allows for a two and three-quarter mile lap with only one pair of consecutive turns in the same direction. It is zoned and intended purely for private recreational use. It is the largest racetrack of this type in the United States.
Professional racing
Wilzig recently became a semi-professional race driver. He is licensed and registered for the 2011 Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Series, formerly known as IMSA-Lites. It is considered a "Support Class" (semi-professional) race for the American Le Mans SeriesAmerican Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consists of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Teams compete in one of five classes: LMP1, LMP2 and LMPC...
.
Personal life
He is currently an active participant in a new reality show for charity titled "The Robin Hood Rally".Alan and wife Karin live in the TriBeCa
TriBeCa
Tribeca is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York in the United States. Its name is an acronym based on the words "Triangle below Canal Street", and is properly bounded by Canal Street, West Street, Broadway, and Vesey Street...
neighborhood in Manhattan with their two children.