Daryl Katz

Daryl Allan Katz (born 1962) is chairman and chief executive officer of The Katz Group, one of North America's leading drug store operators with over 1,800 stores and owns and operates Canada's only national mail order pharmacy business, Meditrust Pharmacy Inc., one of Canada's largest institutional pharmacy operations as well as the owner of the Edmonton Oilers. Katz is a former lawyer. He currently resides in Edmonton, Alberta.

Facts and figures

Daryl Katz' net worth is reported at C$2.43 Billion ^[1] which makes him the 17th richest person in Canada. His company (The Katz Group) has the naming rights to Rexall Place (Edmonton's NHL Hockey Arena). In May 2007, Katz made a $145-million bid to buy the Edmonton Oilers franchise, which the owners of the team, the Edmonton Investors Group (EIG), quickly rejected, stating the team was not for sale.

In July 2007, he made another bid for the Oilers of $185-million, which was turned down by the Edmonton Investment Group (EIG) on August 7, 2007.^[2] In December 12, 2007, Katz made an offer of $188-million to the EIG. The Board of the EIG announced in January 2008 that it would again recommend to its shareholders to reject this latest bid.^[3]

In January 28, 2008, Katz increased his offer to $200 million and extended the acceptance deadline to February 5, 2008, at which time Katz was notified by the EIG that all its members agreed to sell the Oilers to him, pending league and financial approval.^[4] In June 18, 2008, Daryl Katz received the final OK from the National Hockey League to purchase the Edmonton Oilers, and then on July 2, 2008, he was officially announced as the owner of the Edmonton Oilers during a Press Conference at Rexall Place, where he was presented with an Edmonton Oilers Jersey with the number "08" and his last Name patched onto the back.

Education

Daryl Katz attended Jasper Place High School in 1980. Katz studied at the University of Alberta, receiving both a bachelor's degree and a law degree. In 1990 he founded the Katz Group, which is well known for many pharmacies (Rexall Drugstores, Herbies/Payless,Pharma Plus Drugmarts, IDA, Guardian and Medicine Shoppe). In October 2006 Katz announced a $7 million donation to the University of Alberta Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Faculty of Law. Matched by the province, the gift was the largest donation ever to a Canadian pharmacy school. The west wing of the Health Research Innovation Facility at the corner of 87th Avenue and 114th Street in Edmonton has been named The Katz Group-Rexall Centre for Pharmacy and Health Research.

Home

Katz's riverfront mansion at 4 Valleyview Point in the Parkview neighbourhood, is one of the largest houses in Edmonton at 25,000 square feet (2,300 m²), and estimated to be the most expensive at C$20 million. The property overlooks the North Saskatchewan river valley, Hawrelak Park, and the downtown city skyline and is easily visible and instantly recognizable from the river valley's many trails. The great room is clad floor-to-ceiling in 90-kilogram (200 lb) blocks of ancient Italian limestone and with 9-metre (30 ft)-high windows framing a view of downtown.^[5]

References

http://edmontonsun.com/Sports/Oilers/2008/02/06/4830511.html

External links

• The Katz Group of Companies
• Report on Business company snapshot
• Forbes.com profile
• Globeandmail.com article