David Hoffmann
David Hoffmann is the founder and chairman of the Hoffmann Family of Companies, a family-owned conglomerate that operates a diversified group of businesses in North America, Europe, Asia, and other regional markets around the world. The company employs over 9,000 workers at 250 facilities in 30 countries, spanning 115 corporate brands.
Mr. Hoffmann stepped down from his role as Hoffmann Family of Companies CEO in 2022. He is succeeded by his sons, Greg and Geoff, who serve as co-CEOs.
Contents
Early life
David Hoffmann, grew up in a small Missouri town, near Augusta. He had no running hot water until his teenage years. But he excelled in academics and athletics and attended Truman State University (then Northeast Missouri State University) on a football scholarship.
After transferring, Mr. Hoffmann graduated from the University of Central Missouri and began building his business empire. He and his wife, Jerri, have been married for more than 50 years.
Hoffmann Family of Companies
David Hoffman launched the conglomerate’s largest subsidiary, DHR International (now DHR Global) in 1989.
In the years since, DHR Global has grown from a boutique executive search firm into the world’s biggest privately held international executive placement organization. It provides services to midsize and enterprise businesses in numerous industries and markets.
Today, the Hoffmann Family of Companies has subsidiaries operating in ten sectors:
- Aviation
- Agriculture
- Financial services
- Hospitality
- Industrial manufacturing
- Marine
- Media and marketing
- Professional services
- Commercial real estate
- Transportation
The Hoffmann Family of Companies’ notable subsidiaries include:
- DHR Global
- Osprey Capital LLC, a boutique private equity investment firm that is now among the world’s largest family offices
- Hoffmann Commercial Real Estate, a property management and development company that manages properties cumulatively worth more than $1 billion across the United States
Future initiatives
Through the Hoffmann Family of Companies, David Hoffmann has committed to invest up to $150 million to transform a historic wine region in St. Charles County, Missouri, into a world-class viticultural area modeled after Bordeaux, France, and Napa, California.
The region is centered on the community of Augusta, Missouri, and was the first federally recognized American Viticultural Area. It is home to one of the country’s oldest wineries.
The Hoffmann Family of Companies already operates several subsidiaries in the area, with plans to develop more. Notable Hoffmann-owned businesses in and around Augusta, Missouri, including:
- Augusta Winery
- Balducci Vineyards
- Mount Pleasant Estates
- Montelle Winery
- The Augusta Clothing Company
Awards, recognition, and philanthropy
David Hoffmann has earned a number of awards and accolades over the course of his career. Among others, he earned a Horatio Alger Award in 2023, an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the University of Central Missouri (his alma mater), and inclusion on the Forbes Billionaires List in 2022 and 2023.
David and Jerri Hoffmann are ardent supporters of various charitable causes in their home state of Florida, in Mr. Hoffmann’s childhood home state of Missouri, and elsewhere in the United States. Notable charities that receive their support have included:
- JDRF, the leading juvenile diabetes research institution
- The Boys and Girls Club of Naples, Florida
- The Everglades Foundation, an environmental organization that aims to protect and preserve Florida’s Everglades region
- The Children’s Home & Aid Society, which supports children and families across southwestern Florida.
- The Naples Children & Education Foundation, another charity supporting children and families
- The Naples Zoo
Mr. Hoffmann is a member of the board of the Naples Children & Education Foundation.
References
- Crunchbase
- Forbes
- Osprey Capital LLC
- Missouri winery owner to receive 2023 Horatio Alger Award
