Vincent Wolanin

Vincent M. Wolanin (/woʊˈlænɪn/;) is an American entrepreneur, record producer, and former professional racquetball player from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Early Life and Education

Vincent M. Wolanin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Julia Solecki Wolanin and Vincent J. Wolanin, a state police detective. He has one brother, Gregory. Wolanin was educated at Father Judge High School, a Roman Catholic high school in Philadelphia. Father Judge later inducted him into their hall of fame in 2004. He gained his bachelor's degree from Philadelphia University in 1969 before attending graduate school at Union College.

During his undergraduate career, Wolanin was a member of both the Rams’ basketball and baseball teams, becoming a star pitcher for the latter. Wolanin's freshman season saw him emerge as the winning pitcher for four of the team's five victories, including a game against Rutgers that represented the Rams’ first-ever win against a major public university. He was awarded the university's lifetime innovation award in 2010 and inducted into the university's athletics hall of fame in 2012.

Career

Construction

Shortly after graduating from Philadelphia University, Wolanin began a wholesale building materials business. The company supplied materials at high volume and shipped them directly to clients’ building sites, thereby bypassing the need for a warehouse. The construction arm of the business emerged when Wolanin secured a contract from a building materials client that was struggling to stay on schedule. An agreement was reached whereby the developer would be free to not pay Wolanin if the work was unsatisfactory. However, successfully completing the sections would result in the developer awarding the company as much work as it could accomplish.

Currently, Bethlehem Construction Corporation develops real estate across the United States with a focus on New York and Florida. In 1993 they constructed the world headquarters for fashion retailer Chico's. By 1994, it was estimated that they owned a total of 528,000 square feet of commercial space, valued at an estimated $42.4 million (equivalent to $73.14 million in 2019).

Portsmouth F.C.

In 1997, Wolanin was involved in a bid to purchase Portsmouth Football Club with Bad Company's Brian Howe, who Wolanin managed at the time. Wolanin stood to gain not only a financial stake in the club, but also the chance to construct their new stadium. Portsmouth's director, Martin Gregory, met with Wolanin in Paris in January 1998.  No other details of the potential deal were made public until 2012, when Wolanin announced his decision to withdraw.

Aviation

In 1987, Wolanin founded PrivateSky Aviation Services Inc., a fixed-base operator and maintenance repair operation. The company is headquartered at Southwest Florida International airport in Fort Myers, Florida. Its MRO is notable for its exclusive focus on large cabin Gulfstream jets.