Frank Rainieri

Frank Rafael Rainieri Marranzini
Born	Dominican Republic
Alma mater	Saint Joseph's College (Saint Joseph's University), Philadelphia; APEC University, Santo Domingo
Occupation	Entrepreneur
Known for	Creator of Grupo Puntacana; Ambassador of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to the Dominican Republic
Spouse	Haydée Modesta Kuret Pacheco

Frank Rafael Rainieri Marranzini is a prominent Dominican entrepreneur in the tourism sector and the creator of Grupo Puntacana. As reported by Forbes, Rainieri is ranked among the Dominican Republic's wealthiest individuals, with an estimated net worth close to one billion dollars as of 2014. In 2015, he was designated as the ambassador of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to the Dominican Republic, a position previously held by his father four decades earlier.

Early life

Born into a family deeply rooted in hospitality, Rainieri's heritage traces back to his paternal grandparents, Isidoro Rainieri and Bianca Franceschini, who emigrated from Bologna in northern Italy to the northern region of the Dominican Republic. There, they established two hotels located in Puerto Plata and Santiago and had more than ten children. His parents were Francisco Rainieri Franceschini and Venecia Marranzini Lepore, whose own parents were Italian immigrants from Santa Lucia di Serino in southern Italy.

Rainieri pursued his education at Saint Joseph's College (currently Saint Joseph's University) in Philadelphia before completing his studies at APEC University in Santo Domingo.

He is married to Haydée Modesta Kuret Pacheco, whose father was of Lebanese descent and mother Dominican. She competed as Miss Dominican Republic in the Miss World 1971 pageant. Together, they have three children.

Punta Cana

In 1969, Rainieri partnered with Theodore Kheel to acquire approximately 58 million square meters of jungle land along with six miles of coastline on the eastern tip of the Dominican Republic. Their initial venture was the Punta Cana Club hotel, a small establishment with 40 guest rooms that opened two years later. This was followed by the construction of the Puntacana Hotel in 1979 and the launch of Punta Cana International Airport in 1984. In 1997, Rainieri and Kheel collaborated with Oscar de la Renta and Julio Iglesias to create the Punta Cana Marina and expand real estate developments within the region.

Grupo Puntacana History

• 1969: Ted Kheel and a group of 40 partners purchase roughly 30 square miles of undeveloped terrain in the eastern Dominican Republic.
• 1970: Frank Rainieri, Ted Kheel, and associates commence development of a tourism project.
• 1971: Puntacana Resort & Club (PCRC) inaugurates its first resort featuring 10 beach cottages and a clubhouse; President Balaguer attends dedication.
• 1972: PCRC establishes Punta Cana’s first elementary school.
• 1977: Club Mediterranee acquires land from PCRC.
• 1980: Club Med opens its Punta Cana hotel.
• 1984: Punta Cana International Airport opens with its inaugural flight arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
• 1987: PCRC renovates resort facilities employing sustainable architecture with minimal environmental impact.
• 1988: The Puntacana Ecological Foundation (FEPC) is created following a donation of 1,500 acres set aside for an ecological park (officially incorporated in 1994).
• 1992: FEPC initiates a sustainable agriculture program known as the Fruit Tree Garden.
• 1996: The Puntacana Foundation hosts its first concert at Basilica Nuestra Senora de la Altagracia.
• 1997: Julio Iglesias and Oscar de la Renta become major partners; they develop Corales residential properties.
• 1998: PCRC establishes the Puntacana Foundation (FPC) to oversee social and community initiatives.
• 2000: FPC founds Puntacana International School (PCIS), a bilingual private educational institution.
• 2001: FEPC and PCRC collaborate to launch the Puntacana Center for Sustainability addressing environmental and social issues linked to tourism.
• 2004: FPC opens Ann and Ted Kheel Polytechnic School; FEPC begins sustainable coastal management program named PESCA.
• 2005: The Puntacana Foundation joins the Clinton Global Initiative; assumes co-management of Veron Rural Clinic; inaugurates Puntacana Art Gallery with Fundacion Igneri.
• 2006: PCRC becomes a founding member of ECORED; Foundation conducts first medical mission alongside Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
• 2007: Grupo Puntacana affiliates with United Nations Global Compact; FEPC implements Zero Waste solid waste management system at resort.
• 2008: FPC constructs police station in Verón; initiates "Carnaval de Punta Cana."
• 2009: FEPC launches beekeeping and vermicomposting projects; partners with The Peregrine Fund for Ridgway's Hawk conservation; collaborates with Save the Children on community efforts in Veron.
• 2010: FPC begins Marine Archaeological Project focused on recovering underwater artifacts.
• 2011: First Visual Surgical Mission conducted with Instituto de Ciencias Visuales de España among others.
• 2012: PCRC and FEPC secure Presidential Decree establishing coastal zones as Marine Protected Areas.
• 2014: FPC introduces social programs including Grupo Puntacana Works with the Community and Our Lady of Punta Cana Craft Workshop.
• 2015: FPC launches housing development known as Ciudad Caracolí.
• 2016: FEPC and FPC consolidate into a single unified foundation.
• 2017: Opening of Oscar de la Renta Pediatric Center providing primary healthcare services to over 15,000 underserved children.
• 2018: Establishment of Center of Marine Innovation.
• 2019: Initiation of terrestrial coral nurseries and Ornamental Fish Nursery Project; inauguration of Centro Educativo Caracolí.