Dan Gilbert

Bio

Dan Gilbert is Founder and Chairman of Quicken Loans Inc., the nation’s largest online lender and a top-five retail home lender in the United States. Dan is also majority owner of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers and the American Hockey League’s Lake Erie Monsters, as well as the operator of the Quicken Loans Arena (“The Q”) in Cleveland, Ohio. Quicken Loans closed a company-record $29 billion of home loan volume in 2010. The company, which employs over 4,000 people nationally, recently was named highest in customer satisfaction among all home loan lenders in the United States in a benchmark study by J.D. Power and Associates. Quicken Loans ranked in the Top-30 of FORTUNE Magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” the past eight consecutive years, ranking as high as #2. The company also has been recognized as one of Computerworld Magazine’s “100 Best Places to Work in Technology” the past six consecutive years, ranking #1 three of those years. Quicken Loans moved its headquarters and 1,700 of its team members to downtown Detroit in 2010, where Dan and the company are helping lead a revitalization of Detroit’s urban core. The company plans to move another 2,000 team members from the suburbs to the city over the next 12 months. Dan and a group of partners successfully backed a state-wide referendum to bring first-class casino gaming to Ohio’s four largest cities in November 2009. Through a joint venture with Caesars Entertainment, the groups are developing and will operate unique urban based casinos in both Cleveland and Cincinnati. The large-scale developments will include street level accessible restaurants and retail to engage, promote and encourage gaming patrons and others to visit and support existing cultural, nightlife and sports attractions in the downtown areas where they are located. Dan launched Bizdom U in Detroit in 2007. The non-profit entrepreneurial academy trains, mentors and finances business builders in their start-up enterprises in the city of Detroit. Bizdom U’s mission is to create successful businesses, jobs, growth and wealth in large urban centers. Recently, Bizdom U announced its second location, which will open in downtown Cleveland later this year. Dan serves on the boards of the Cleveland Clinic, the Washington D.C.-based Children’s National Medical Center (CNMC), and the Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF.org). Dan also serves as Vice Chairman of the non-profit, M-1 RAIL initiative, formed to lead the vision and implementation of light-rail transportation in downtown Detroit. Dan earned his bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and his law degree from Wayne State University. He has received the “Entrepreneur of the Year” award from Ernst & Young and has been inducted into the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame.